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New music prize from the Bishop of Norwich

The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham James is pleased to announce The Bishop's Prize for Music a companion prize to complement the Bishop's Prize for Art. 

BishopGrahamGardenThe Bishop's Prize for Music has been created to help young composers find an engagement with the relationship between the Christian Gospel and music in worship.

Competitors are asked to compose a short anthem, not lasting more than 5 minutes, setting a short text from a choice of the following three chosen by the bishop.

The texts are:

  • “(Jesus said) I am the good shepherd.  I know my sheep and my sheep know me…and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10.14, 15)
  • “(Jesus said) you are my friends if you do what I command you…love one another, as I have loved you.” (John 15.14, 12)
  • “(Jesus said) I am the bread of life…the living bread that came down from heaven.  Whoever eats of this bread will live forever.” (John 6.48, 51)

Texts may be set in full or omit the words 'Jesus said'.

The bishop has chosen these three texts because they all come from John’s gospel, so have a certain commonality with two of them being “I am” sayings, and the third being central to Christian teaching and discipleship.  

The competition is open to students in any school or college in the geographical area covered by the Diocese of Norwich.
Age Categories (at the time of submission deadline):

  • Junior: Under 12 years of age
  • Intermediate: 13 -15 years of age
  • Senior: 16 – 18 years of age.

First prize in each category: £250. Second prize: £100. Third prize: £50 with the overall competition prizewinner receiving a further £500

It is planned that the awards will be presented by the bishop at a service of choral evensong in Norwich Cathedral during the second half of September 2015. The prizewinning composition may be performed at this service.

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, June 30th 2015 - see http://www.dioceseofnorwich.org/article?id=2076 for more details and entry form.

The Rt Revd Graham James, Bishop of Norwich, is pictured.


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