This year's Ivors Composer Awards will be held in London next month, with composers Ailis Ni Riain, Ben Nobuto, Richard Blackford and Hannah Peel nominated in different categories.
Holocene
Ailis Ni Riain's work, 'Holocene' is nominated in the 'Best Community and Participation Composition with ABRSM' category.
The work written by the award-winning composer explores the interplay between multiple tiers of sound, and was premiered at the Southbank Centre in London by Onyx Brass with Amersham Band in May 2025, with a second performance soon after given with Hammonds Band in Bradford.
It inspiration relates to the current geological epoch which began around 11,700 years ago and correlates to the last maximum axial tilt towards the sun.
Composer Ailis Ni Riain, who is deaf, is a leading voice in disability arts and music advocacy. She refers to the work, utilising non-standard brass techniques, raw breath, voice, and the eerie shimmer of bowed cymbals, as a "tapestry of sonic nuance, that is earthy and mysterious"
Hope Spiral
Ben Nobuto's 'Hope Spiral', composed for horn, string quartet and electronics, is nominated in the 'Best Small-Scale Composition' category.
The work was commissioned and recorded with support from the Vaughan Williams Foundation by the acclimated French Horn soloist, Ben Goldscheider. It was premiered at Kings Place, London in September 2025.
It takes its inspiration from an 1863 poem by William Blake entitled 'Auguries of innocence' and is described by the composer as being like an inverted vortex spiralling up to the sky like a euphoric loop.
The Black Lake and Underland
Richard Blackford, whose work 'Orbital' has gained widespread critical acclaim is featured in the 'Best Vocal and Choral Composition' category for his work 'The Black Lake'.
Hannah Peel, whose is the host of the current Radio 3 programme 'Brass Banding with Hannah Peel' and who has previously written works including brass bands under her alter-ego of Mary Casio has been nominated for her work 'Underland' in the new 'Best Original Documentary Score' category.
This year's nominations showcase the remarkable breadth of contemporary music-making, from concert works to music created for television, film, video games, and vital works at the heart of education and community projectsSam Jackson
Broadcast
The Ivors Composer Awards will be hosted by broadcaster Petroc Trelawny on BBC Radio 3. Highlights from The Ivors Composer Awards ceremony will be broadcast across BBC Radio 3's schedule.
Speaking about this year's awards, Sam Jackson, Controller, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Proms, said: "This year's nominations showcase the remarkable breadth of contemporary music-making, from concert works to music created for television, film, video games, and vital works at the heart of education and community projects.
As the UK's largest commissioner of new music, the BBC is proud to champion the artists whose work enriches our cultural life."
