First let me suggest to you amazing contemporary Spanish composer Victor Carbajo
. Have a look here:
https://www.pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,8368.0.html(Victor Carbajo)
and also have a look at Lowell Liebermann:
www.lowellliebermann.com(Nocturne no. 3, Gargoyles, etc.)
Apart from these two that occurred to me immediately as most worthwhile choices, you should also investigate ( I am not sure if some of these composers are still alive):
Samuel Adler (b. 1928) – “The road to Terpsichore” – The whole work (it is a suite of five dances) is probably too long, but you could select one of the individual dances.
Rodolfo Arizaga (b. 1926) - “Tocatta” – Highly rhythmic and dissonant, this is easier than it sounds. Arizaga is Argentinian.
Richard Rodney Bennett (b. 1936) – Bennett writes tonal music with modern harmonies and a touch of jazz – he is quite famous for his numerous movie scores. Martin Jones has recently recorded all of his piano music for Nimbus. Lots of very interesting piano music, some of it pedagogical. Try his “Seven Diversions”.
Lennox Berkeley (1903 – 1989) – Chesternovello has recently published his complete piano works, and they have all been recorded. There are some excellent pieces, but he may be to old for your purposes. Also, have a look here:
https://www.lennoxberkeley.org.uk/Howard Blake (b. 1938) – “Eight character pieces”. These are short pieces, so you could combine two or three to make up 3 minutes.
Derek Bourgeois (b. 1940) – “Bits and bytes” op. 105. A set of six pieces, some with “wrong note” writing. I particularly like no. 5 “Things that might have been” which is slow and lyrical.
Norman Dello Joyo (b. 1913) – His “Nocturne in F# minor”, “Prelude : To a young musician” and “Prelude: to a young dancer”, are all melodious, lyrical and thoroughly modern (also around the level of difficulty you require).
William Mathias (b. 1934) – “Toccata alla danza”. This is a fast and brilliant piece (and just about three minutes!).
Tilo Medek (b. 1940) “Adventskalender” – A set of 24 character pieces, all around grades 9-10.
Robert Muczynski (b. 1929) – Try his “Preludes” op. 6 or his suite of seven pieces: “A Summer Journal” op. 19.
Peter Schikele (b. 1935, aka P. Q. D. Bach). Some hilarious pastiches of J. S. Bach music, this has to be heard to be believed! His most famous work is “The Short -Tempered Clavier – Preludes and fugues in all the major and minor keys except the really hard ones”.
Harold Zabrack (b. 1929) – “Preludes” these are similar to Muczynski’s (above). See also “Scherzo-Hommage a Prokofiev” – an energetic and virtuosic piece (but not that difficult) with lots of cross-hands.
Tip of the iceberg.
Best wishes,
Bernhard.
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