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Jacques Allen Wins the Oxford–Japan Prize for Composition

Jacques Allen has been awarded the inaugural Oxford–Japan Prize for Composition 2025 for his solo piano work A Plum’s Haiku. The prize was judged anonymously by a distinguished panel including Joanna MacGregor CBE, Professor Martyn Harry, and Steinway Artist Yuko Sano, and A Plum’s Haiku was unanimously selected for its poetic imagination, structural clarity and culturally engaged musical language.

A Plum’s Haiku draws inspiration from Tsuda Umeko (1864–1929), a former visiting student at St Hilda’s College and an important figure in Japanese educational history, and from the plum tree planted in her memory at the college.

As part of the prize, the work will receive its world premiere at Suntory Hall, Tokyo on 2 April 2026, performed by Yuko Sano as part of her solo recital. The UK premiere will take place on 31 October 2026 at the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building in Oxford.

Read the full announcement from St Hilda’s College, University of Oxford here:
Oxford–Japan Prize for Composition 2025 – Winner Announced