‘In my life – I'm 56 now – I've entered so many competitions, and been nominated for so many awards, but this is the first time I've ever won anything.’

I’m speaking to the composer Roxanna Panufnik days before she accepts the Ivor Composer’s award for Outstanding Works Collection. She addresses the excitement the win elicits. ‘To win this award, not just for one piece but for everything, kind of makes up for all those times that I didn't win.’

It is hard to believe that Panufnik hasn’t won anything in previous years, when viewing her extensive catalogue, which ranges from choral works to orchestral and opera. It does seem fitting that her first win recognises a ‘composer of consistently exceptional body of classical compositions’.

Panufnik’s body of work is incredibly impressive and her passion for composing is evident. One can assume this passion started at a very early age, her father being Polish composer Andrzej Panufnik. ‘I was a very annoying child to teach music to,’ she admits. ‘I was never interested in learning anybody else's music. I only wanted to improvise my own music until finally I was caught by the late French Romantics.'

‘But I guess it was always meant to be that I was going to compose with the genes that my father passed on – it’s in my blood. Although, I never imagined as a teenager that I would become a composer. I mostly wanted to be an ambulance driver! But when I was at school, I had a fantastic director of music who really encouraged me to compose, and I had the first public performances of my work, and I decided that was what I wanted to do.’

One thing that is evident as I speak to Panufnik is her passion for using her music as a bridge between other genres of music, between cultures but most significantly, a bridge between faiths. ‘I'm really interested in what we share with other faiths. And I do a lot to emphasise that in the music that I produce, whether it be a multi-faith work, or for one faith. That's incredibly important to me.’ Panufnik truly believes in composing as a force for good. ‘I really would like my music to be useful in some way, whether it's part of worship, I write for Christian or for Jewish worship.’

As well as bridging faiths, another cause Panufnik feels strongly about is the refugee crisis. Her father was a refugee , escaping KGB agents and seeking political asylum in the UK. She explains how it is a matter very close to her heart. ‘Every couple of years like this year right now, I do a refugee carol fundraiser where I find a refugee charity and I arrange a carol, and I send it to all the choral directors I know. And many that I don't know. And if they want to do it, they must pay £3.00 per copy they print out into a just giving account. And when I did this a couple of years ago for the Refugee Council, we made over £9000 and had 51 live performances. This was really exciting. For the first time this year we've got performances in Australia, New Zealand and America. UK, top and bottom of Ireland and so on. You know, people get behind it.’

‘I love the choral community and that is the ultimate collaboration, isn't it?’ she continues. ‘You're getting together with choirs, conductors, singers, organists, pianists and teachers. Lots of teachers and schools are doing it. And you're coming together to not only raise money but also raise awareness for certain things and this year it's for an amazing charity called Three Peas. And you know, there's a lot you can do as a composer for raising awareness as well as raising money.’

Indeed, collaboration is truly at the heart of music to Panufnik. This can also be seen in her advice for musicians or composers who are just beginning their journey.  ‘The first thing I say is that they should read. They should be subscribing to either websites or print copies of music journals like Gramophone and Classical Music because that is how you're going to find out who else is doing what you're interested in.’

She adds ‘The other thing is to go to a lot of contemporary music concerts and, you know, really show an interest in people you want to work with, because if you're not interested in them, why should they be interested in you? So just get out there and just be like a sponge and find people who are interested in the same things as you. The same subjects and the same experimental stuff, whatever you're into.’

She also acknowledges the importance of social media to a composer’s work in today’s world. ‘It's a fabulous community and there's a positive, fantastic classical music community on Facebook and on Twitter. I've had an incredibly useful time putting posts on Facebook. For example, if I can't think of titles for pieces and people coming up with suggestions. Or trying to research stuff, I couldn't find anybody who could tell me about Chilean music, and I put it out on Facebook, and somebody said, “well, I know this person who knows about it!”

As for what is up next for the composer? A booked and busy schedule filled with what has proved the focus of our discussion: collaboration. ‘I'm doing right now a core piece that was commissioned by Ed Frazier Davis, who's the son of Sir Andrew Davis, and he's doing a memorial concert with his choir in Chicago in March. So, they asked me to write a piece for that. And I'm doing something with The Philippine Philharmonic, which marries traditional Polish and traditional Filipino music.  In World War 2, Warsaw was absolutely decimated by the Nazis. The same happened in Manila, it was absolutely decimated by the Japanese, and Manila is often referred to as the Warsaw of the East when people are talking about World War 2. There’s this tragic link, but the piece is called Wings of Hope and it's very hopeful. It's looking into the future, bringing the two nations together.  And then in about 10 days’ time, I will start work on a massive multi-faith choral orchestral work that will take me right up to next May. It's going to be about half an hour long, but it requires a huge amount of research and we're working with faith leaders all over the UK.’

‘I mean my dream, which I've been doing over this past year, is I'm making an album of collaborations with musicians that I wouldn't normally collaborate with. So, for example with a gospel choir, I've got something with a jazz singer and sound healer, an Arabic singer. And so, I love that collaboration.’

Roxanna Panufnik is raising money for Three Peas. To donate go to https://www.justgiving.com/page/roxanna-macklow-smith-1726587469198

On 16th November, the brass ensemble Septura is performing the world premiere of a new work by Roxanna Panufnik, Seven Heavens, commissioned to celebrate their 10th anniversary, at Wigmore Hall.