Whilst on tour, Holbrooke had sent the score of his orchestral poem "The Raven" to August Manns, conductor at the Crystal Palace. Manns accepted the work for performance and gave the premiere on 3 March 1900, whilst later that same year the orchestral variations on "Three Blind Mice" were also heard (Queen's Hall Promenade Concert, conducted by Henry Wood, 8 November 1900). In 1901 he won the Lesley Alexander Prize for chamber music with his Sextet in F minor and also received an invitation from Granville Bantock to become a member of the staff at the Birmingham and Midland Institute School of Music. He accepted the position, living with the Bantocks whilst teaching at the institution, but rapidly became dissatisfied with the routine and returned to London in 1902. There then followed a decade of prestigious commissions and performances, with notable works including the poem for chorus and orchestra "Queen Mab" (Leeds Festival, conducted by the composer, 6 October 1904), the orchestral poem "Ulalume" (Queen's Hall, conducted by the composer, 26 November 1904), the scena for baritone and orchestra "Marino Faliero" (Bristol Festival, conducted by the composer, 12 October 1905), the "Bohemian Songs" for baritone and orchestra (Norwich Festival, conducted by the composer, 25 October 1905), the poem for chorus and orchestra "The Bells" (Birmingham Festival, conducted by Hans Richter, 3 October 1906), the orchestral suite "Les Hommages" (Queen's Hall Promenade Concert, conducted by Henry Wood, 25 October 1906) and the choral symphony "Homage to E.A. Poe" (two movements first performed at the Bristol Festival, 16 October 1908). During this period Holbrooke also won a further prize, this time with his Fantasie Quartet, Op.17b entered for the 1905 chamber music competition initiated by Walter Willson Cobbett.