Musica Nova Competition 2005 Results Are In

The Society for Electro-acoustic Music of the Czech Republic has recently announced the winners of the international Electro-acoustic Music Competition MUSICA NOVA 2005.

The history of the Society for Electro-acoustic Music goes back a long way. In 1969, the Studio for Electro-acoustic Music at the Czech Radio in Pilzen organized an international competition for electronic music, entitled “MUSICA NOVA”. After a brief period of an optimistic development of electro-acoustic music in Czechoslovakia, the political situation in the country caused a halt to its progress. The production of electro-acoustic music had more or less completely come to a halt in the studios of the radio stations, and the only radio station that barely functioned was the Czech Radio station in Pilzen. Electronic and computerized music was suppressed as it was in general discriminated and could not be performed, broadcast on radio or television, and could not be released on LPs.

Since 1990, it was necessary to remedy the situation of the previous cultural development and steps were taken to support the production of electro acoustic and computer music works through competitions, which would certainly increase the interest of young composers.  In 1992, the "MUSICA NOVA '93" was prepared by the Society for Electro acoustic Music in the Czech Republic in co-operation with the Czech Music Foundation and Czech Radio. Applicants were invited to participate in the 25th anniversary of the founding of the experimental music studio at the Czechoslovak Radio in Plzen. The competition's requirements was inspired by the international competition for computer music NEWCOMP (the competition held by the New England Computer Art Association), which runs in Boston (in America) and yearly has series of artistic competitions devoted exclusively to computer art.

This year, 111 pieces were submitted from 32 different countries, and the jury included:

Rainer Bürck (Germany), Lenka Dohnalová, Juraj Ďuriš (SR), Pavel Kopecký,
Michal Košut, Rudolf Růžička, Milan Slavický

Category A - Compositions of Autonomous Art Electro-acoustic Music

First Prize:  Petra Bachratá (Slovakia/Portugal) Nunataq

Honorary Mention:  Robert Sazdov (Australia/Macedonia) Bogorodica 28.08

Category B - Compositions for Acoustic Instrument/Voice/Ensemble & Electro-acoustic Media)

First Prize:  João Pedro Oliveira (Portugal) A Escada Estereita

The Society for Electro-acoustic Music of the Czech Republic is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the Czech Music Fund, the OSA Music Foundation in cooperation with the Czech Music Council and the Theatre Institute in Prague.

For more information, contact lenka.dohnalova@divadlo.cz or visit http://www.musica.cz/musnova