Spitalfields Music and St Catherine’s College are pleased to announce a collaboration on the Henfrey-Spitalfields Prize for Composition.
The annual Henfrey Prize for Composition supports the creation of outstanding new chamber/acoustic music and is open to students and recent graduates from the University of Oxford. The winner will be awarded a prize of £1000 and a London premiere at Spitalfields Music Festival in July 2026.
Up to four composers will be selected to take part in this year’s competition, and they will have six weeks to write a new seven- to ten-minute work for the trombone quartet. They will receive feedback from Toby Young and Slide Action before their final submission in early April 2026. In their final term, all four pieces will be premiered by Slide Action at St Catherine’s College, and the prize winner will be selected at the end of the concert by Toby Young. All composers taking part in the Henfrey-Spitalfields Prize Competition will receive recordings of their compositions to use for their professional development, and the winner will receive the cash prize and a London premiere at Spitalfields Music Festival in July 2026.
About the artists
Slide Action
Formed in 2018, Slide Action are a multi-award-winning quartet, passionate about creating a new voice for the trombone. They regularly commission music from composers and collaborate with other musicians. They have had multiple competition successes, including winning the 2019 International Trombone Association Quartet & the 2020 Royal Over Seas League Mixed-Ensemble competitions.
In 2024 Slide Action released their debut album on the NMC – The RE:BUILD. This album is a statement of their progress over the last few years and asks the question where they might go next? RE:BUILD is a unique concept featuring commissions from 5 world-renowned British composers (Emily Hall, Laura Jurd, Ryan Latimer, Alex Paxton and Joanna Ward) connected with interludes composed or arranged by the members of Slide Action to create one seamless listening experience. The album was received to universally high acclaim, winning BBC Music Magazine’s ‘Album of the Month’ and 4barsrest’s Solo/Chamber album of the year. It has also been nominated in 2 categories at the 2024/25 BBC Music Magazine awards.
In 2021-22 Slide Action were Britten Pears Young Artists where they worked with numerous emerging & established composers. Highlights included the world premiere of Robin Haigh’s Concerto for 4 trombones and orchestra – THE DREAMERS, and their own show ‘Rebuilding the Trombone’ featuring 8 new works. Committed to the development of new music, they have self-produced an extensive 4-part video series for aspiring composers in which they demystify writing for trombone. This covers every imaginable question from the most basic sounds, all the way to notating obscure extended techniques. In addition to this, Slide Action (in partnership with Britten Pears Arts and the City of London Sinfonia) premiered Sound Factory, their new learning & participation show suitable for ages 7 to 70, expanding their outreach to connect musically with wider audiences.
Over the past few years Slide Action’s recording portfolio has continued to grow; they featured on the debut solo album release from James Fountain (Principal trumpet of the London Symphony Orchestra), and in 2023 recorded a major new work by Gabriel Jackson with Merton College Choir, Oxford. This was released on Delphian in November 2024. Autumn 2023 saw their first European tour where they enjoyed six sold-out concerts. More recently in 2024 they have given debut performances at the Wooler Arts and Spitalfields festivals.
The members of Slide Action are all professional trombonists; working with orchestras, bands and shows all across the UK and Europe. Collectively they have worked with the Royal Philharmonic, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, London Philharmonic, London Symphony, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Aurora, BBC Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, Hallé, City of Birmingham Symphony and Welsh National Opera Orchestras, to name but a few.
Toby Young
Toby Young is Professor of Composition at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where his work spans composing, producing, and developing innovative approaches to music-making. His music has been commissioned and performed worldwide – by ensembles including the London Symphony Orchestra and the choirs of Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral – and is published by Oxford University Press. Alongside his classical output, he has collaborated with leading artists such as Chase & Status, Duran Duran, and the Rolling Stones, and his work has been broadcast on BBC Radio 1, 2, 3, 6Music, and 1Xtra.
As a producer, Toby has worked with major opera companies and orchestras including the Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Opera North, and the Philharmonia Orchestra, as well as for film and streaming platforms, with recent projects including a new La bohème for Netflix/Finite Films. He was previously Head of Music for immersive theatre pioneers Punchdrunk, creating sound for The Burnt City (“the world’s largest immersive theatre show”) and BAFTA-nominated The Third Dayfor Sky/HBO.
Toby’s research and creative practice focus on how technology can reshape composition and performance. He directs Immersive Opera (2024–32), a £1.4m UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship exploring extended reality, spatial sound, and interactive design as tools for reimagining opera and music-theatre. His publications include the Cambridge Companion to Composition (2024), Opera Remixed (2025), and the Cambridge Companion to Electronic Dance Music (2025 forthcoming).
Passionate about socially engaged practice, Toby has led projects with young offenders, refugees, and massed community choirs, including It Takes a City, premiered at the Royal Albert Hall with 2,000 young singers as part of the Coventry City of Culture. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, he combines a track record of innovation with a commitment to nurturing the next generation of composers. http://www.theothertoby.com
