The five-strong shortlist includes musical ideas ranging from electronic and site specific to acoustic and African inspired beats.
The short-list is:
Marc Yeats, Ralph Hoyte & Phill Phelps - SATSYMPH
Robert Jarvis - aroundNorth
Liminal - The Organ of Corti
Terry Mann - Automota Musica
Blue Hippo Media - The Battle of Wordsmiths
Charlotte Higgins, chief arts writer for The Guardian and chair of the judges, says, "We had an intriguing mix of projects to consider - from an original use of new technology with the iPhone project to the use of traditional craftsman's techniques to create new music. Blue Hippo's Yoruba project had the possibility of opening up new and unfamiliar sound worlds to an audience.
"Interestingly, some of the projects rely on the audience to determine the outcome, challenging traditional notions of authorship or 'composition' and performance. There's lots of science too: the Robert Jarvis piece harnesses the skill of astronomers to interpret the motions of the stars musically, while Liminal's Organ of Corti project uses 'sonic crystals' to manipulate sound already present in an environment. It's going to be a fascinating but tough process to choose an overall winner."
The public will be able to watch films about the shortlisted entries and vote for their favourite from June 18 at www.prsformusicfoundation.com. The public vote will contribute one vote to the panel.
Previous winners of the award are The Fragmented Orchestra in 2008 and Score for a Hole in the Ground in 2005 by former Pogue Jem Finer.
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