ARCHBISHOP’S PRIZE FOR NEW COMPOSERS
This competition recognises and continues the historical contribution of the Church to the arts and is designed to encourage a musical culture in Australia by providing a platform for new composers to have their work performed. It is hoped that the Prizes will enable the development of a uniquely Australian flavour of musical work and so the text is drawn from one of our greatest poets, Les Murray.
Against this background, the competition aims to discover and to encourage young composers and will recognise unpublished and previously unperformed choral works, written with a wider use in mind than a single performance.
The competition has 3 prizes:
• The winning Entry will be performed by the St Mary’s Cathedral Choir at the annual Christmas concert to be held at St Mary’s Cathedral in December 2019 and receive a cash prize of $2,500.
• The Second Prize Winner will receive a cash prize of $1,000;
• The Third Prize Winner will receive a cash prize of $500.
The Second Prize Winner’s Entry and/or the Third Prize Winner’s Entry may also be selected by the Director of Music of St Mary’s Cathedral, at his sole discretion, to be performed at the annual St Mary’s Cathedral Christmas concert.
The Poem
Animal Nativity
by Les Murray
The Iliad of peace began
when this girl agreed.
Now goats in trees, fish in the valley
suddenly feel vivid.
Swallows flit in the stable as if
a hatchling of their kind,
turned human, cried in the manger
showing the hunger-diamond.
Cattle are content that this calf
must come in human form.
Spiders discern a water-walker.
Even humans will sense the lamb,
He who frees from the old poem
turtle-dove and snake
who gets death forgiven
who puts the apple back.
Dogs, less enslaved but as starving
as the poorest humans there
crouch, agog at a crux of presence
remembered as a star.
From Collected Poems, published by Black Inc., a division of Schwartz Publishing Pty Ltd. Used with Permission.
How do I enter?
• Agree to the Competition Conditions of Entry
• Complete the Entry Application Form, with your sheet music attached
Competition Criteria
• Set Les Murray’s poem, Animal Nativity to music.
• Compose music of no more than 5 minutes duration.
• Each entrant may only submit one entry either for him/herself or for a group of entrants where the entry has more than one composer.
• Compose a standard SATB choral piece with optional division of voices.
• Your entry may also have an optional organ accompaniment.
• Describe your compositional activity to date, such as whether you have studied composition or performed works.
For full criteria and more information, see the Competition Conditions of Entry and Competition Brief.
Enquiries
If you have any questions about the competition, please email newcomposers2019@sydneycatholic.org
“Awards that are given to honour valour and bravery are very useful to encourage [people] to accomplish praiseworthy deeds because, as they do credit to persons worthy of the grateful recognition of the Church and society, they also stimulate others to follow their path leading to praise and honour.”
Vatican, 7 February 1905, Pope Pius X
ECCLESIASTICAL AND CIVIC HONOURS
Nominations may be lodged via the Chancellor of the Archdiocese to support one of three types of Awards:
Papal Honours – may be sought by individuals to acknowledge the good works of others in respect of their contributions to the Church and to the broader Australian community
The Dempsey Medal – this Honour from the Archbishop of Sydney seeks to acknowledge those whose diligence and efforts within their parish deserves special recognition, and
Civic Honours – applications may be made to seek the support of the Archdiocese in requesting the Award of Australian Honours to acknowledge the commitment of individuals to society.
Strict confidentiality must be maintained through the process of gathering the requested number of references and other information. This is then considered by the Ecclesiastical and Civic Honours Committee which makes recommendations to the Archbishop of Sydney.
For general information regarding the various Honours and Awards see Information regarding Honours and Awards
For more information on the Dempsey Medal and relevant forms for it and other awards please click on the relevant tile.
Completed forms and references must be sent to:
The Chancellor
Polding Centre
133 Liverpool Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Contact may be made through his Executive Officer, Mr Mike Bailey on 9390-5100 or by email to chancery@sydneycatholic.org. Awards will take some time to be processed, but nominees and general members of the community must not be informed about applications until Honours are formally announced.