The development of new choral repertoire is one of Tenso’s primary missions. Since 2010, the network organizes a series of workshops under the direction of composer/conductor James Wood and composer Leo Samama and with the participation of professional choirs, to encourage young composers to write for chamber choir. Using (fragments of) a score as starting point, the goal of the workshops is to make room for a significant contribution from all participants and to explore various elements such as dramatic effects, vocal range and colour, text setting, and other compositional tools.
The workshop sessions result in commissioning one of the composers to write a new work, to be premiered by one of the members of the Tenso network.
Until now, seven editions have been organized, which resulted in the following awards:
Winner of the Tenso Young Composers Award 2018: Jug Marković
Winner of the Tenso Young Composers Award 2017 : Lillie Harris
Winner of the Tenso Young Composers Award 2016: Aftab Darvishi.
Winner of the Tenso Young Composers Award 2015: Sebastian Androne.
Winner of the Tenso Young Composers Award 2014: Georgi Sztojanov.
Winner of the Tenso Young Composers Award 2013: Eugene Birman.
Winner of the Tenso Young Composers Award 2011: Laurent Durupt.
In 2017 we organize a special edition focused on composers from the Central European Region, in the framework of the project 14-18 From poetry to music.
The next round of the workshop will take place in Mechelen, 3-6 May 2018, during Tenso Days Mechelen 2017.
The next call for applications will open in 2019. If you want to be informed about future calls, make sure to sign up for our newsletter and keep an eye on our Facebook page.
Tenso Young Composers Workshop is organized with the friendly support of the Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung and the Culture Programme of the European Union.
