Last month, Melbourne-based contemporary music ensemble Rubiks Collective opened applications for the 2021 Pythia Prize, their annual composition award for female and non-binary identifying composers. They announced today that Australian composer Felicity Wilcox has taken out the prize.

Felicity Wilcox. Photo © Nat Cartney for Rolling Media Productions

“After our most competitive round of Pythia applications to date, we were drawn to Felicity’s vibrant creative ideas and mature musical style. Rubiks were so inspired by Felicity’s thoughtful approach to instrumental timbre and impressed by her rich compositional voice; equally as comfortable creating dramatic sonic adventures as she is weaving delicate melodies’” said Rubiks Collective. “Felicity has pitched a fascinating idea, investigating the work of American painter Helen Frankenthaler, and we are deeply looking forward to going on this creative adventure with her!”

Wilcox will receive the $4,000 honorarium and will begin work on a new piece for the ensemble, to be workshopped over the course of next year. It will be premiered at Melbourne Recital Centre on 26 October, 2022, as well as being professionally recorded for release.

“I’m hoping to compose...