THE 2015 NCEM Young Composers Award in York was won by Joshua Urben, aged 16, in the 18 years and under category and by John Goldie-Scot, 25, in the 19 to 25 years category.

The competition was run by the National Centre of Early Music in partnership with BBC Radio 3 and Dunedin Consort, who will perform the premiere of Urben’s Fractos Corde and Goldie-Scot’s Why Are You In Such A Hurry? in Glasgow on October 2.

This concert will be recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s Early Music Show on November 1.

Young composers, resident in Great Britain, were invited to create new settings for a short dramatic scene from one of two Monteverdi masterpieces: Orfeo or Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda. Students were provided with an English translation of the texts, which could be cut or adapted as appropriate.

The new works had to be written for two or three singers, accompanied by a small ensemble of instruments, similar to those available to Monteverdi.

Seven finalists were selected and invited to the NCEM in York on May 14, when their entries were presented by the Dunedin Consort, directed by keyboard player John Butt. Taking part in this workshop, led by composer Christopher Fox, Professor in Music at Brunel University, London, were soprano Mhairi Lawson; tenor Nicholas Mulroy; bass Jon Stainsby; recorder players Pamela Thorby and Frances Norbury; violinists Huw Daniel and Colin Scobie and viola da gamba player Alison McGillivray.

At 7.30pm, the Dunedin Consort performed each piece at a public concert in the presence of a panel of judges, comprising NCEM director Delma Tomlin, BBC Radio 3 senior music producer Les Pratt and John Butt.

Delma Tomlin said: “To hear these young composers and players working together to create a reflection of the magic of Monteverdi from a 21st century perspective has been thoroughly inspiring and very enjoyable.”

Les Pratt stressed BBC Radio 3’s commitment to supporting young talent, whether it be instrumentalists, singers, “free thinkers” or composers.

“As an organisation, we’re delighted to continue our involvement with the NCEM Young Composers Award, and have been hugely impressed by the standard of submissions we received this year,” he said.

“The workshop was immensely enjoyable and it was a real pleasure to watch and hear the Dunedin Consort working closely with our shortlisted young composers.”

John Butt said: praised the composers for showing great promise for the future. “The NCEM’s enlightened approach to encouraging young composers to write for early instruments through this award is to be applauded."

The May 14 concert performance was streamed live and is available until June 14 at ncem.co.uk/composersaward2015. The performance of the shortlisted entries was recorded courtesy of music technology students David Bird, Jack Elliott and Dalia Senvaityte, from the University of York department of electronics.