For an outstandingly imaginative and engaging large-scale work.

Frank Denyer - The Fish that Became the Sun (Songs of the Dispossessed)

‘This extraordinary work waited 24 years to receive its UK premiere, by the Octandre Ensemble at the 2019 Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. But it is astonishingly timely: written for a truly vast assortment of instruments, some made of things we might simply throw away. It is symphonic yet delicate, much like the world it strives to portray.’

You can see the moment this award was announced as part of the full RPS Awards Presentation, broadcast online on Wednesday 18 November 2020.

Also shortlisted:

• David Sawer - How Among the Frozen Words
• Errollyn Wallen - This Frame is Part of the Painting
• Oliver Vibrans - More Up

The 2020 shortlist for Large-Scale Composition was decided by an independent panel drawn from across the music profession comprising:

• Kate Romano, performer / Artistic Director, Goldfield Productions
• Meurig Bowen, Chief Executive and Artistic Director, Britten Sinfonia
• Raymond Yiu, composer
• Sally Beamish, composer
• Tansy Davies, composer