IRCAM and the Orchestre national d'Île-de-France are delighted to announce the 3 finalists of the Élan Award 2023
The 3 finalists
Leehwa Hong, 27 years old, South Korea
Leehwa Hong (or Ehwa Hong) is a Korean born composer based in France. Her musical education began at the age of 4 with piano, flute, violin, and percussion. After studying classical composition and writing, she is now a composer of contemporary music. She studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon in the 3rd year of the Licence de composition mixte, with Michele Tadini.
She writes for a variety of ensembles, from solo instruments to orchestras, chamber music, electronic and mixed works, in which she combines instrumental and electronic writing.
Her current projects include a piece for solo percussionist and recorded sounds, a piece for seven-piece ensemble and electronics, and two pieces for orchestra, one of which is for the Orchestre des Pays de Savoie.
She has recently performed at the Philharmonie de Paris, the Goethe Institute in Lyon, and participated in the European Association of Conservatories Congress.
Selim Jeon, 28 years old, South Korea
Born in 1994 in South Korea, Selim Jeon studied composition with Gerald Eckert, Yoonjin Kim, and Youngmi Cho at Chung-Ang University in Seoul, where she received her Bachelor's degree and a scholarship for excellence. She continued her studies in France at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris, where she studied analysis and orchestration with Anthony Girard, and composition with Suzanne Giraud. She then joined Martin Matalon's composition class at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon.
Jeon was selected and participated in several masterclasses with Wolfgang Rhim at the Sommerakademie of the Mozarteum University and with Mauro Lanza at the International Divertimento Ensemble Academy. She was also an academician of the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris for two seasons from 2021 to 2023. As part of the European creative Academy, she has participated in various programs with David Hudry, Stefano Gervasoni, Gregory Vajda, and Peter Eötvös. Her piece for the academy was performed in concert by the Ars Nova ensemble. Her music has been commissioned and performed by numerous musicians and ensembles including Oren Marshall, Fabrice Pierre, Atelier-XXI, Sequenza 9.3, L'Itinéraire, the Orchestre de Chambre de la Drôme, Ensemble Ars Nova, and the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris.
Andrzej Ojczenasz, 30 years old, Poland
Andrzej Ojczenasz was born in 1992 in Krakow. He graduated with a degree in composition in the class of Marcel Chyrzyński. Currently a composition student studying under Anna Zawadzka-Gołosz at the K. Penderecki Academy of Music in Krakow, he is an exchange student between Poland and the United States with the University of Louisville.
His compositions have received numerous awards, among others first place in the Krzysztof Penderecki Composition Competition, an honorable distinction in the 2019 Sun River Prize in Chengdu, China, 2nd prize in the St. Christopher Composition Competition (St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra of Vilnius, Lithuania).
His works have been premiered in Poland and abroad at international music festivals, including by the Polish Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, the Diotima Quartet in Paris, Šv. Kristoforo Kamerinis Orkestras in Vilnius (Lithuania), the Black Pencil Ensemble in Schokland (Netherlands), and Amorsima Trio (USA).
He was awarded the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage scholarship for outstanding achievements in the academic years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. He broadened his knowledge and skills in masterclasses with Linia Tonia, Tomasz Skweres, Francesca Verunelli, Oscar Bianchi, Tristan Murail, Jerry Gates, Ēriks Ešenvalds, Andrew Norman, and many others.
Calendar - Élan Award 2023
June 16 - November 3, 2022
Applications are open to international composers born after January 1, 1991. The application is based on the first two movements of a concerto for flute and orchestra.
December 19, 2023
Announcement of the selection of 3 finalists.
January-April 2023
Masterclasses led by the 2023 mentor composer Isabel Mundry, the conductor Léo Margue, the flautists of the Orchestra, and other musicians from the Orchestra.
June 2023
Composition workshop as part of the ManiFeste-2023 Academy, rehearsals of the finalists' concertos.
June 24, 2023
Final of the Competition at the Centre Pompidou during a public concert conducted by Léo Margue and presentation of the Award.
June 2024
Premiere of the piece commissioned from the 2023 laureate during the ManiFeste-2024 festival.
Seasons 2024-2025 and beyond
The works by the laureate are performed on tour in France.
The Orchestre national d’Île-de-France at the Philharmonie de Paris © Orchestre national d’Île-de-France, photo: Christophe Urbain
The Élan Award
A major jump-start for the careers of young composers, the Élan Prize is designed to promote their careers and provide them with professional support over several years.
The three young composers selected to compete for the Élan Prize will benefit from an exceptional coaching program combining the know-how of the two organizations in orchestral and electronic writing. They will be guided in their compositional work by both the Orchestra's musicians and IRCAM's teams, as well as by guest artists who will join the coaching team each year.
In the studios with the IRCAM educational team © IRCAM-Centre Pompidou, photo: Mikhail Malt
As part of the ManiFeste Festival Academy, the finalists will attend a workshop on composition for orchestra and will participate in rehearsals of the flute concertos they have written for the competition. These will be performed by the flautists of the Orchestre national d’Île-de-France, under the baton of Léo Margue. At the end of this public concert, the Élan Prize, endowed by France Musique and the Maison de la Musique Contemporaine, will be awarded. The winner will have his or her score published by Éditions Durand Salabert Eschig - Universal Music.
The winner will also receive a commission from IRCAM and the Orchestre national d'Île-de-France to write a new work for solo instrument, orchestra, and electronics to be premiered at the ManiFeste festival the following year. In his or her training in electronics, he or she will benefit from the teaching and advice of IRCAM's computer music designers.
The creations of the Élan Prize winner will be performed during the Orchestra's seasons, on tour in Île-de-France and in the region, thereby ensuring a wide distribution.