Oram Awards 2021 winners announced: Magz Hall, Lia Mice, Vivenne Griffin, Venus Ex Machina, Lou Barnell & Maria Sappho

Awards named after Radiophonic Workshop co-founder reach fifth year

The winners of the 2021 Oram Awards – an awarding body championing women and gender minority pioneers in electronic music and sound – have been announced.

The six winners of The Oram Awards 2021 are: experimental radio artist Magz Hall – also a longtime member of influential electronica crew Sprawl Collective – sound-poet-sculptor Vivenne Griffin, industrial pop futurist Lia Mice, synaesthetic composer Lou Barnell, improv pianist-feminist Maria Sappho, and AD93 releasee Venus Ex Machina.

Established by music charity PRS Foundation, the Oram awards aims to champion and develop the work of women and gender-minority artists, teaming up with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop for the cause. All winners are set to receive talent development bursaries from PRS Foundation.

Named after Daphne Oram – musician and inventor of the Oramics sound-drawing technique – this year’s celebrations mark the fifth consecutive annual award. As with last year, 2021’s ceremony will be live-streamed in partnership with Birmingham experimental music festival Supersonic, showcasing performances from all six winners, as well as a Q&A panel discussion. 

The judging panel includes Goldsmiths lecturer and sound artist Iris Garrelfs, robotic artist Sarah Angliss, new BBC Radiophonic Workshop member Lauren Sarah-Hayes and turntablist Shiva Feshareki.

Lauren Sarah-Hayes said of this year’s awards: “While we have a long way to go before the arts in the UK are rid of their various exclusions and supported in such a way that we eventually won’t have a need for programs like the Oram Awards, I’m nevertheless delighted to see much work in the final selection this year that is thinking about building networks and community, and expanding the idea of what musical and sonic artistry can be. I think I can speak on behalf of all the judges in saying how difficult it was to reach a final consensus, which only speaks to the plurality, quality, and diversity of music that is being made right now. That’s what’s really thrilling.”

All six winners will be profiled in an upcoming series on BBC Radio 3 Unclassified with Elizabeth Alker, over the course of six weeks (one artist for each week).

To watch the awards ceremony on Thursday December 9 at 7pm, visit: www.youtube.com/supersonicfestival 

For more information on the awards, visit: https://www.oramawards.com