Steven Daverson: The Composers’ Fund
Steven Daverson is an alumnus of the Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal College of Music, studying under David Horne and Jonathan Cole. He attended additional studies in Aldeburgh, Darmstadt, Graz, and at IRCAM.
Steven’s music has featured at festivals across the UK and Europe, including Aldeburgh, Huddersfield, Darmstadt, Parma, and Witten; with ensembles including the Arditti Quartet, Contrechamps, Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Recherche, Klangforum Wien, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and the London Sinfonietta, broadcast on BBC Radio 3, SWR, WDR, and others. A portrait CD, Shadow Walker, is available on the Col Legno label.
In 2011, Steven became the winner of the Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung Composers’ Prize, and the Royal Philharmonic Society Composers’ Prize.
The funds will be used for a co-commission with the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival for a new work for Ensemble Nikel for electric guitar, saxophone, percussion, piano, devices, and live electronics. The Composers’ Fund will also allow me the time to focus more concertedly on my compositional practice after suffering a serious trauma in 2017 that affected my ability to concentrate on writing, and will help me complete projects that will take longer than normal.
“I’m thrilled to have been supported by the Composers’ Fund. It can be difficult for composers to access funding for chamber projects for themselves, rather than through ensembles and festivals, and the PRSF and Esmée Fairbarn have responded by providing a welcome opportunity for composers to take more control of their commissioning process. On a more personal level, I am especially grateful for the chance to focus on composing after a period where this has simply not been possible; it is likely that my music will change slightly, and the time to discover how these changes will manifest will be invaluable.” – Steven Daverson