A former University of Oxford student has been shortlisted for an award celebrating the best new classical music and sound art by British, Irish, or UK resident composers.

Susan Lolavar, who holds a Master of Studies in Musicology, is in the running for an Ivor Novello Award at the Ivors Classical Awards at the BFI Southbank in London, which celebrate the talents of songwriters and screen composers.

Ms Lolavar, a British-Iranian composer, said: "I am delighted to be shortlisted, it is a huge honour, to see the breadth of music being made, to be nominated by composer peers."

She has been nominated for her piece 'Undone', which features on her debut album 'Girl'.

She said: "I wrote the piece on an Iranian instrument which allowed me to think about sound in a very particular way, and also allowed me to tune the instrument to any kind of tuning system I wanted, so the piece has its own unique tuning."

Ms Lolavar says she has been exploring and working within and between the traditions of Western and Iranian classical music.

She said: "Musicology was really amazing, it prepared me for an academic approach to music.

"It had composers, musicologists, and performers, all in one department, and it was my first opportunity to study music academically.

"Before that I had studied social sciences, sociology, while also being a composer. Musicology to me was a fantastic way to get under the skin of music.

"The Masters in Musicology at Oxford helped me bridge the gap between the sounds and language."

After her time at Oxford, Ms Lolavar went to the USA for a year to study Iranian music in Pittsburgh with Iranian composer Reza Vali, which she said "transformed" her compositional practice.

Her dissertation at Oxford required her to write more than 10,000 words about the practices of a record label called nonclassical, and she spent a month in their offices.

Her album has been released by the record label nonclassical, the same label that she wrote about in her dissertation.

Tom Gray, chairman of The Ivors Academy, said: “The Ivors Classical Awards 2024 nominees showcase the extraordinary diversity and vibrancy of contemporary classical music and sound art.

"The nominated works not only exemplify artistic excellence, they also address a broad range of themes."

Roberto Neri, CEO of The Ivors Academy, added: “An Ivor Novello Award is one of the most prestigious honours in music, made all the more special by peer recognition.

"We look forward to celebrating the highest achievements in composing for classical music and sound art at an inspiring ceremony on November 12.”