The Christian Arts Trust was delighted to support the Sacred Music Young Composers’ Prize, launched by the Edinburgh Sacred Arts Foundation following the success of the 2023 Edinburgh Festival of the Sacred Arts. The initiative fosters fresh talent in sacred music, ensuring that faith-inspired creativity continues to thrive.
A standout of the 2023 Festival was Composing Sacred Music: A New Generation, a recital at Canongate Kirk where young composers premiered original sacred works with professional musicians. It earned a 5-star review from the Edinburgh Guide, hailed as “one of those rare moments at the Fringe where you felt you had really witnessed something special.”
Building on this success, the 2024 competition attracted an impressive field of young Scottish composers. Entries were reviewed by a distinguished panel, with final adjudication by Dame Judith Weir, Master of the King’s Music. Winning were performed at Canongate Kirk, on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.
Some of these compositions are already being used in liturgical and concert settings, raising the profile of sacred music among young artists. CAT is proud to support such initiatives, affirming music’s enduring power to express faith with beauty and imagination.
