Composer Philip Przybyło has won the Tera de Marez Oyens Prize 2024 for his composition Meduza. The prize was awarded during the Gaudeamus Festival 2024.

The jury praised the beautifully handwritten score, which offers a personal communication with the players. 'It is a clear concept with an original use of strings. By combining acoustic instruments with electronic sounds, the composer creates an exciting sound universe.'

Meduza for string trio, live electronics and tape was especially adapted for this occasion and was performed by Antek Cholewiński on cello with tape. Philip explained his composition as follows: 'Meduza combines industrial sounds with a traditional instrumental concert setting. It focuses on open string harmonies across twelve spectrally tuned strings, using bows as “exciters” to create resonances between the instruments. The strings are amplified through contact microphones, with the sound manipulated live through a mixer, creating fragile feedback loops that constantly balance on the edge of chaos. The score prioritizes physical gestures over exact pitches, allowing musicians to play more intuitively.'

The title Meduza (Polish for ‘jellyfish’) mirrors the amorphous, pulsating nature of the music, in which the musicians function as parts of one flexible organism. The piece consists of two contrasting movements: the first, Choralvorspiel, is loud and abrasive, while the second, Ombre, contains fragments of a French baroque aria over a drone, derived from the sound of the first movement.’

Philip Przybyło obtained his bachelor’s degree in Composition in 2022 and his master’s degree in 2024, both at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.