Congratulations to Hugo Ceran-Jerusalemy who has won the inaugural Juvenis Corde Prize for choral composition, with his work The Turtle and the Moon. 

The brief invited a short work of up to three minutes for SATB voices, centred on the theme of nature. Writing within this limited voicing presented a valuable challenge, requiring composers to balance clarity and economy of means while maintaining harmonic interest without reliance on divisi.

The winning work, The Turtle and the Moon, responded to the brief with imagination and sensitivity. Drawing inspiration from David Attenborough’s Planet Earth, the composer employed succinct rhythmic and melodic cells to generate a fluid and evolving texture. This approach created a strong sense of cohesion while allowing the musical material to develop organically.

Despite its brevity, the work demonstrates a well-judged sense of structure, shaping a clear and satisfying musical arc. The writing is idiomatic for voices and effectively evokes a vivid sense of place and character, resulting in a compelling and engaging listening experience. The panel also commended the consistency of musical language across the duration of the work.

The Turtle and the Moon was unanimously selected in the anonymous adjudication process as the strongest submission. We look forward to its performance by Corde in October.

Hugo Ceran-Jerusalemy 

Hugo Ceran-Jerusalemy is a Sydney-based composer, arranger and musician. Currently a student at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Hugo has experience composing and arranging across a variety of contexts with a focus in musical theatre and choral music. Hugo’s compositions have a strong emphasis on storytelling, bringing together unique ways of music-making to explore language, culture and history.

Hugo’s choral piece A Bug’s Life won the Sydney University Musical Society 2025 Composition Competition and was performed for the Sydney University Community Festival in November 2025. His instrumental arrangements appeared in the 2025 Sondheim showcase Being Alive! (Hayes Theatre Co.). Hugo’s works are often performed by fellow undergraduate students at the Conservatorium and have been workshopped by ensembles including Ensemble Contrechamps and the Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra. He is currently the student Composition President at the Conservatorium of Music.

Hugo also works as a casual orchestral library assistant and music editor at Symphony Services International. Since 2024, he has been the Strings Program Director at Canterbury Public School.