And the winner of the 2025 Calefax Composers Competition is Michael Phillips (1993)! He won the first price for his composition Chorale and Groove.
The jury consisted of all five musicians of Calefax and the Dutch composer Michel van der Aa as external chairman. All 89 submissions were assessed anonymously. This year’s theme was to write an Overture. Phillips won the sum of €2500,-.
Jury about Chorale and Groove
The work changes sonically and melodically at all the right moments. Rhythmic shifts give the piece continuous momentum and a feeling of excitement and urgency. It’s the perfect opening for a concert where anything is possible.
In addition to the winning piece, the jury selected a special mention as well: Treacherous Turbulence by Varis Sirisook (Thailand/UK).
Jury about their special mention Treacherous Turbulence
A whirlwind of sound, “Treacherous Turbulence” explores the frayed edges of the reed quintet sound. You never know what will appear around the next corner, ensuring that both players and audience members sit on the edge of their seats.
Special Mentions by the International Reed Quintet Network
In 2012, Calefax started the ‘International Reed Quintet Network’. It’s a network for all reed quintets in the world, groups that follow in the footsteps of Calefax, the ‘inventors’ of this genre. For over ten years, a growing number of reed quintets from the network have joined the composers competition, so that the winners and other participants can look at performances of their work around the world. Two reed quintets from this network chose their own winner from the entries:
By Voyager Reed Quintet (USA):
Fogbound by Sean Penzo (Italy)
By Kalamos Reed Quintet (Croatia):
Nerede by Akin Kilis (Turkey)
Via their own publisher, the Calefax Edition, and via the website, Calefax shares compositions and arrangements that were written specifically for reed quintet, including a free collection of compositions that was gained by the annual competition.