Composer Gavin Higgins has gained yet another major accolade after being voted by the influential Critic's Circle organisation as their 2024 'Emerging Composer' award winner.

Best year yet

It is the latest high profile recognition for the Forest of Dean composer, with the award citation, which is voted on by around 90 of the UKs leading music critics, stating that 2024 was "his best year yet" after first seizing "the wider musical world's attention at the BBC Proms in 2014".

The past year has seen repeated performances of his 'Concerto Grosso for Brass Band and Orchestra' gaining further acclaim alongside his 'Sarabande' for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and the premiere of his 'Horn Concerto' for Ben Goldscheider.

It was stated that the voting panel was "charmed and thrilled by the poetic suggestiveness of Higgins's music as well as its unbuttoned energy, and utterly assured handling of whatever medium Higgins chooses to express himself in."

This included his trombone quartet 'Black Sun' and the 'Horn Concerto' with the panel expressing the hope that they could look forward to "great things in the future".

Concerto recording

Premiered at the Proms in 2022, the Sky Arts and RPS Award winning 'Concerto Grosso' is to be recorded by Tredegar Band and the National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Ryan Bancroft in Swansea next weekend and scheduled for release in 2026.

Thrilled

Speaking about the award, Gavin told 4BR: "I'm thrilled of course, but more so for the performers who bring my compositions to life. I've been so fortunate work with artists who share and understand my musical outlook and are able to interpret it so beautiful. I can never thank them enough."

The Critic's Circle comprises 503 members shared between the arts of theatre, music, film, dance, visual arts and books, with admission by invitation only.

the voting panel was "charmed and thrilled by the poetic suggestiveness of Higgins's music as well as its unbuttoned energy, and utterly assured handling of whatever medium Higgins chooses to express himself in."4BR

Important

Formed in 1913 it has a renowned reputation for its ethos of impartial, professional criticism, with its awards seen as one of the most important in the arts sector.

The Music Awards were made at London's Coliseum and saw presentation to the best emerging composing, conducting (Charlotte Couderoy), instrumental (Laura van der Heijden), piano (Mishka Rushdie Momen, male (John Finden) and female (Jess Dandy) singing talent.