Congratulations to Professor Emily Howard on being shortlisted in the Premiere category of the 2025 BBC Music Magazine Awards for The Anvil.
Written in 2019, The Anvil is described as ‘a thrillingly immersive and deeply emotional commemoration of the 1819 Peterloo Massacre’ featuring the BBC Philharmonic, BBC Singers, and Hallé Choirs. It is one of two pieces on the album of the same name, the second being Elliptics, a meditation on love and death, and what we hope will survive. Both works are set to texts by poet Michael Symmons Roberts. The album was supported by the RNCM through our E3 Expanding Excellence in England Grant.
A Professor in Composition and Head of Artistic Research at the RNCM, Emily’s music is notable for its granular use of instrumental colour, powerful use of text and inventive connections with shapes and processes. Her works – spanning large-scale word settings, multimedia installations, chamber works, opera and orchestral works – are commissioned, performed and broadcast all over the world.
The BBC Music Magazine Awards are decided by public vote, so please take a minute to support Emily if you can. Voting is done via the BBC Music Award’s website and is open until 28 February.
