Masterclass with Judith Weir

Nearly two years ago, the UK division of MusicFirst hosted a very special free online event for young composers around the UK that encouraged them to submit original compositions using programs like Flat, Noteflight, Sibelius and Finale. There were hundreds of submissions from three different age categories - 11-14, 15-16, and 17-18. The submissions were evaluated by a team of qualified musicians and educators based on compositional technique, musicality and originality. From each age category there were two “finalists” and one “winner” selected. The finalists were then invited to participate in a live virtual masterclass with Judith Weir, where she provided commentary on each of the students' work and announced a winner of each category.

Judith Weir (b 1954 to Scottish parents in Cambridge, England) studied composition with John Tavener, Robin Holloway and Gunther Schuller. On leaving Cambridge University in 1976 she taught in England and Scotland, and in the mid-1990s became Associate Composer with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and Artistic Director of Spitalfields Festival. She was a Visiting Professor at Princeton (2001) Harvard (2004) and Cardiff (2006-13) and in 2014 was appointed Master of the Queen’s Music. Since Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022, Weir is now Master of The King's Music. From 2015 to 2019 she was Associate Composer to the BBC Singers.

The video above is a recording of the masterclass. It runs for about 75 minutes in length. It was a truly special event and the feedback that Ms. Weir provided was exceptional. I would recommend showing this video to composition students of any age. I hope that you find this video useful!