I spent a very stimulating day today at the National Centre for Early Music, joining members of the Dunedin Consort and Players to workshop and perform the shortlisted entries for the NCEM's annual Young Composers Competition. It's a composition competition with a difference, in that the entrants are challenged to write pieces for historical instruments. Some chose to write in a pastiche baroque style; others took this as an opportunity to conjure up new and unfamiliar sound-worlds. You can listen to live recordings of all the pieces at the NCEM website.
