National Eisteddfod Composer’s Medal awarded after ‘strong’ competition

Nation.Cymru staff

A composer whose music has been performed by internationally renowned ensembles won this year’s Composer’s Medal at the National Eisteddfod.

Andrew Cusworth came out on top in a competition described as “strong” by the panel of judges, with 30 composers submitting their work following the open call last autumn.

The Composer’s Medal is a collaboration between the National Eisteddfod, Tŷ Cerdd and the Welsh Music Society, and the winner was announced at a special ceremony in the Pavilion on Saturday afternoon.

The theme for this year’s Composer’s Medal was the poetry of Waldo Williams, one of Wales’ most distinguished poets in the 20th century – and one of the most prominent sons of the Y Garreg Las area, home of the 2026 Eisteddfod.

The composers were asked to create two short pieces – one for an SATB voice choir and one for a children’s/youth choir (SA) set to the poems of Waldo Williams.

Three finalists — Andrew Cusworth, Gwenno Morgan and Claire Victoria Roberts — were then selected to take part in a six-month development programme.

The trio worked with composer and mentor Nathan James Dearden, choral director Caleb Mock and a specially formed SATB choir to develop new choral settings of Waldo Williams’ poetry.

All six new works were performed before an audience and a panel of judges at the National Eisteddfod.

Winner Andrew Cusworth studied music at Cambridge where he was organ scholar at Magdalen College; later, he completed an MMus degree in choral studies, also at Cambridge, and gained a doctorate from the Open University for his research into traditional Welsh music.

As a composer, he has written emotional and atmospheric music for internationally renowned ensembles and soloists, as well as continuing to help realise the musical ambitions of amateur choirs and ensembles by creating flexible and effective compositions.

His music has been published by Novello and Curiad, and recorded and performed by artists ranging from community groups to concert soloists and international ensembles, including Kantos, Concanenda, John Turner, BBC Singers, and Calmus Ensemble.

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