A quartet of leading composers who have written for the brass band medium have been short-listed for prestigious 2015 British Composer Awards.

Andy Scott, Rory Boyle (above) and Robert Saxton form the short-list for the Wind Band or Brass Band category, while Gavin Higgins is nominated in the Small Chamber award.

A Child Like You

Scott's work, 'A Child Like You' is a 15 minute 'mini-opera' depicting the real life story of a 17 year old Ugandan Asian who fled the country in 1972 and who eventually lived with the composer's family.

The work which features a soprano/narrator and harpist was also scored to feature Foden's Band and four young musicians from Foden's Youth Band.

Scott won a British Composer award in 2006 with 'Dark Rain' and was short-listed in 2012 with 'Spirit of Mingus'.

Muckle Flugga

Rory Boyle's 'Muckle Flugga', was inspired by the geography and mythology of the small, evocative rocky island north of Unst in the Shetland Islands.

It was commissioned by the Scottish Brass Band Association as the set work for the 2014 European Championships in Perth.

Boyle has been nominated for a British Composer Award on three previous occasions.

Saxton

'Sonata for Brass Band on a Prelude of Orlando Gibbons' by Robert Saxton was commissioned by Peter Bassano for the City of Cambridge Band. The four movement work is based on a short keyboard prelude by the composer who was chorister at King's College, Cambridge in the 16th century.

It is the first time the award winning composer has been nominated.

Higgins

Gavin Higgins gains his second nomination for 'The Ruins of Detroit', a 15 minute chamber work which was commissioned by the Fidelio Trust and performed at the Cheltenham Festival in 2014 by the renowned Fidelio Piano Trio.