Young Composers


NYCGB Young Composers 2021: Kristina Arakelyan, Anna Disley-Simpson, Alexander Ho and Derri Joseph Lewis.


Kristina Arakelyan

Kristina Arakelyan (27) Originally from Armenia, Kristina is an award-winning composer, pianist and educator. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music and the University of Oxford and is currently a doctoral student at King’s College, London. Her compositions have been heard on BBC Radio 3 and in prestigious national and international concert halls including the Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall, Steinway Hall, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Southbank Centre.

Joining the NYCGB Young Composer Scheme will provide me with the opportunity to try out new composition techniques without pressure, being mentored and having an international release and publication are all incredible opportunities which will be very beneficial for me as an early-career composer.

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Anna Disley-Simpson

Originally from Dorset, Anna is a recent Composition graduate from the Royal Northern College of Music. Her music has been performed by members of the BBCSO, the Hermes Experiment, the ORA Singers, Juice Vocal Ensemble, the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and the London Oriana Choir, and has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM.

Being accepted into the NYCGB Young Composers Scheme means that I will have the freedom to create and experiment with one of the country’s most dynamic choral institutions. I really look forward to expanding upon my approach to writing for voices.

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Alex Ho

Alex Ho is a British-Chinese composer based in London. Winner of the George Butterworth Award 2020, he has had pieces commissioned/performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Opera House, National Opera Studio, Music Theatre Wales, London Sinfonietta, and BBC Radio 3. His current commissions are from Montpellier Opera House, Riot Ensemble, and the Villiers Quartet. Alex studied Music at Oxford, graduating with first class honours before completing a composition master’s at Cambridge where he was awarded the Arthur Bliss Prize. Alex is studying for a doctorate at the Royal College of Music with a full AHRC scholarship.

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Derri Joseph Lewis

Derri is a prize-winning Welsh composer and sound-artist, writing music for concerts, stage-works and installations in Europe and America. His music has been performed by artists and ensembles including the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Gould Piano Trio, bass-violist Liam Byrne, and the Ligeti Quartet. Derri graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama with
first class honours in 2020 receiving the Eifion Evans Memorial Prize and RWCMD Skills Award.

Being accepted into the NYCGB Young Composers Scheme is such a huge honour. The opportunity to collaborate with Britain’s best young singers is the chance of a lifetime that I am extremely excited about.

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