MUSIC

British composer Harrison Birtwistle Monday won the $150,000 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition for his modern opera, “The Mask of Orpheus,” a four-hour epic featuring masked singers, mimes and electronic music. “Mask” was selected for the award annually given by the University of Louisville from among 95 pieces submitted by conductors, critics, publishers and music schools in 20 countries. He will collect his prize in annual installments of $30,000.