The Royal Musical Association has announced the Tippett Medal, a new prize for composition.

The winner of the inaugural 2020 Tippett Medal was given to John Casken for “The Shackled King,” a drama for bass, mezzo-soprano, and ensemble based on Shakespeare’s “King Lear.”

The jury noted that “The winning piece exhibited a level of creative excellence which was impossible to ignore. Imaginatively presented and ideally matching the quality of the composition, a piece which demands a rich future life.”

In response to his win, Casken said, “To receive the 2020 Tippett Medal is a huge honor. Tippett was a giant composer of our time and to have his name now linked to my work The Shackled King means so much to me. Writing for Sir John Tomlinson as the King was a great privilege, and working with him, Rozanna Madylus (Cordelia), and the ensemble Counterpoise was truly inspirational. To them, and to Barry Millington who commissioned the work, I shall be ever grateful, as I am to the organizers and jury of the Tippett Medal.”

In addition, the judges awarded a Highly Commended mention to Cameron McArthur for “Canon X”  for Performer and Sonic Pi. The jury commented, “Sheer originality was the hallmark of the piece for oboe and electronics. Impressive indeed, and a composer to watch in the future.”

This year the award saw 54 submissions from a wide variety of compositional practices and selected a shortlist that included Jasper Dommett’s “Night Music,” Colin Riley’s “People Need People,” Rylan Gleave’s “in waves,” The Keeling Curve’s “Mersey Beat,” Robin Haigh’s “No One for harp,” and Edward Nesbit and Thomas Hodgson’s “Aenigmata.”

The jury for this year’s award consisted of Judith Weir, Martyn Brabbins, Matthew Sergeant, Camden Reeves, and Manuella Blackburn.