Celeste Oram – Winner of the 9th Composition Prize of the FOUNDATION CHRISTOPH DELZ

The winner of the 9th International Composition Competition of the STIFTUNG CHRISTOPH DELZ, this time in collaboration with the Vokalensemble Zürich, is the New Zealand composer Celeste Oram. She won over the audience and the jury (Lisa Streich/Clara Iannotta, Katharina Rosenberger, Germán Toró Perez, Peter Siegwart and Björn Gottstein) with her work “Electric Eros” (2023) for eight voices and electronics.

In “Electric Eros”, Oram combines temporal levels of the Middle Ages and the present by setting the text of Pseudo-Hadewijch and Mina Loy to music. She also brings together the human voice and electronics, the analog and the digital in an intricate way. Oram has thus succeeded in creating a multi-layered, meaningful work that says something about the role of man in the technological age. The jury was also impressed by her confident vocal treatment and the rare and precious sound gems that she repeatedly achieves.

Celeste Oram, together with Anna Louise Walton (USA) and Eloain Lovis Hübner (Germany), emerged as a finalist from 66 entries in a first round based on projects in September 2023. The works prepared by the three composers elected for the final were performed by the Vokalensemble Zürich under the direction of Peter Siegwart in the concert hall of Zurich University of the Arts on February 2, 2025. The jury’s decision was made immediately after the concert: Celeste Oram was honored as the winner. Apart from the premieres of the finalists’ works, the STIFTUNG CHRISTOPH DELZ Composition Prize is endowed with 50,000 Swiss francs, with the two remaining finalists each receiving 10,000 Swiss francs. The FOUNDATION, founded by Swiss pianist and composer CHRISTOPH DELZ (1950-1993), thus fulfills its main purpose. This time, the composition competition was held for the first time in collaboration with the Vokalensemble Zürich and the Institute for Computer Music and Sound Design at the Zurich University of the Arts.