The Alison Stephens Memorial Prizes for Mandolin

Alison Stephens

This is a video submission competition, in memory of the British Mandolinist Alison Stephens.

There are two competitions: one for seniors 18 years and above, and one for juniors younger than 18 years.  The two contests are outlined below.

27a       Alison Stephens Memorial Prize – Senior (18 years and above) for solo/duo video 

This involves a performance of two pieces with an emphasis on ‘interpretation’. One piece must be an Alison Stephens solo mandolin composition from a defined set of pieces listed on the BBMG website in September 2024. The other must be a solo or duo piece composed or arranged by Alison Stephens. Separate accompaniment is not permitted. Total playing time: 8 minutes maximum.

The entry fee is £7 for members and £9 for non-members.
The winner(s) will receive prize money of £50.

27b       Alison Stephens Memorial Prize – Junior (under 18 years) for solo/duo video

This involves a performance of two pieces with an emphasis on ‘interpretation’. One piece must be an Alison Stephens solo mandolin composition from a defined set of pieces listed on the BBMG website in September 2024. The other must be a solo or duo piece composed or arranged by Alison Stephens. Separate accompaniment is not permitted. Total playing time: 6 minutes maximum.

he entry fee is £5 for members and £7 for non-members.
The winner(s) will receive prize money of £50.

List of set pieces:  Contests 27a and b

Pieces composed by Alison Stephens from books listed below:

Six Episodes Reference AM514-39
A Day Out, Rondo

Six Excursions Reference AM514-66
Don’t go Gregory, C Five

Six Adventures Reference AM514-16
Ferris The Cat, Mount Fuji

Six Challenges Reference AM514-07
Contentment, Danza

15 Inventive Studies Reference AM514-32
At The Double

Pieces arranged by Alison Stephens from book listed below:

Favourite Mandolin Solos (18th Century) Reference AM514-37
Bourre 1 by JS Bach
Partita in G by Francesco Lecce

All the above books are available from Astute Music: https://www.astute-music.com/#/

The timetable for the competition is as follows:
15 November 2024   Deadline for applications – information will be provided on our website 
15 February 2025     Submission of videos

The competitions will be judged by Iain Lennon

Announcements of winners and placements of entrants will be made in the Spring 2025 issue of the magazine.

How to Enter the competition
You enter by filling in this form and emailing it to bmgfederation@gmail.com, using the heading ‘Video Competion’