The winners of the 2021 Scottish Awards for New Music were announced during an online ceremony streamed live from the RSNO Centre, Glasgow on the evening of Wednesday 7 July.
Hosted by internationally acclaimed Scottish-based opera star, Andrea Baker, the Awards celebrated the outstanding variety and vibrancy of Scotland’s contemporary music scene. The online ceremony also featured a performance from Nordic Viola, a.k.a. RSNO violist Katherine Wren, which included Eddie McGuire’s Legend, written for the late Jimmy Durrant.
Chosen by a panel of key figures in the music world, the shortlist and winners were picked from an inspiring array of innovative, experimental, and ground-breaking work, which was all the more remarkable, given how challenging the year has been for everyone.
Clare Hewitt, Music Officer at Creative Scotland said: “These Awards are a fantastic celebration of the creativity, talent and resilience of a sector in which so many of us are proud to work.
“Congratulations to Charlotte Rodgers for her beautiful award design, and to all tonight’s winners and nominees. These awards demonstrate the richness and quality of musical work created in Scotland and showcase the vibrance of Scotland’s new music scene to the public and the music community at home and abroad.”
The winners for each category are as follows:
Good Spirits Co Award for Innovation in New Traditional Music
- WINNER: The Declaration: GRIT Orchestra
- My Light Shines On: Aidan O’Rourke with Brìghde Chaimbeul, Bashir Saade, Rachel Sermani and Graeme Stephen/Edinburgh International Festival
- Down the Line: Alastair Savage and Charli Ashton
Award for Large Scale New Work (11+ performers), sponsored by PRS for Music
- WINNER: Above the Stars: Aileen Sweeney
- Pharmakeia: James Dillon
- This Departing Landscape: Martin Suckling
- Night Thoughts: Matthew Whiteside
- Vigil I: Ninfea Cruttwell-Reade
Mark McKergow Award for Innovation in Jazz
- WINNER: Corto Alto: Liam Shortall
- Deepening the River: Paul Towndrow
- Playtime
Award for Installation/Sound Art/Electroacoustic New Work
- WINNER: these bones, this flesh, this skin: Martin Suckling with Joan Clevillé and Genevieve Reeves
- Be Mine in Patience: an embrace in B Minor – Michael Begg
- Cheap Emotions: Darlene Zarabozo
- Stolen Voices: Rebecca Collins
The ISM Award for New Music in Covid Times
- WINNER: Lochan Sketches: Nevis Ensemble
- Distant Duets: Drake Music Scotland/Tinderbox Collective
- Be Mine in Patience: an embrace in B minor – Michael Begg
- Covid-19 Sound Map: Pete Stollery
Locavore Award for Environmental Sustainability
- WINNER: Scottish Classical Sustainability Group: Nevis Ensemble/Scottish Ensemble/various
- Let Them Not Say: Chris Hutchings/Choirs for Climate
- Lochan Sketches: Nevis Ensemble
Award for the Recording of New Music sponsored by VoxCarynx
- WINNERS: David Fennessy: Letters and The Night With…Live Vol. One
- Erocean: LivMassive and Hessian Renegade
- From Ocean’s Floor: Linda Buckley
The Dorico Award for Small/Medium Scale Work, sponsored by Steinberg
- WINNER: Plastica: Edwin Hillier
- Reflecting Instruments: David Horne
- High Energy Music: Nora Marazaite
- Archipelago: transmissions between islands – Lisa Robertson
The Dorico Award for Solo Work, sponsored by Steinberg.
- WINNER: Skydance: Ailie Robertson
- Her Lullaby: Martin Suckling
- Curious-er: Sonia Allori
- Omanjana: Simon Thacker
The SMIA Award for Creative Programming
- WINNER: 2020 programme: Scottish Ensemble
- Sonic Bites: Cryptic
- Breathe and Draw: Nevis Ensemble/Alex Ho
- Sound Festival 2020: Sound Scotland
The RCS Award for Education/Community Project
- WINNER: StAMP: Wallace Collection/St Andrew’s University
- Intersections: Exploration 2020
- Sonic Bothy
EVM Award for New Music in Media
- WINNER: Sayo: Luci Holland
- The Trial of Alex Salmond: Francis Macdonald
- Henry Glassie Field Work: Linda Buckley
The RCS Award for Making It Happen
- WINNER: Aileen Sweeney and Ben Eames: Ear to the Ground
- Ollie Hawker: The Owen Wilson Elegies
- Rufus Isabel Eliot: OVER / AT
The Awards are created by New Music Scotland with support from the National Lottery through Creative Scotland’s Open Project Fund. Award sponsors include Dorico Steinberg, PRS for Music, The Good Spirits Co, Mark McKergow, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, EVM, the Incorporated Society of Musicians, Locavore, VoxCarynx, the Scottish Music Industry Association, and the Musicians’ Union.
SCOTTISH AWARDS FOR NEW MUSIC 2021
Watch the 2021 Scottish Awards for New Music via the New Music Scotland website: www.newmusicscotland.co.uk/awards2021/