The American Prize Nation Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David (Volosin) Katz, chief judge, is honored to announce the winners, runners-up and honorable mentions of
The American Prize in Composition, 2018-19, in the orchestra music division. Congratulations!
Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog
. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.
QUICKNOTES: Although The American Prize does not usually provide written
evaluations to
semi-finalists, some semi-finalist composers will
receive in their certificate packets short comments, suggestions or
overall impressions made during the judging. We hope they will prove
valuable. All
finalists
receive written evaluations from a member of The American Prize judging
panel.
REMINDER: The postmark deadline to apply for
The American Prize, 2019-20, is
June 3, 2019, with extensions available to
Monday, July 1, 2019 for those who need more time.
Please
note that although the deadline date on application forms may not be
changed, be assured your application will be accepted through the final
deadline.
Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com
The American Prize in Composition—Orchestra (professional division), 2018-19
The American Prize winner:
Wayne B. Horvitz
Seattle WA
Those Who Remain—Concerto for Orchestra and Improvising Soloist
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| Wayne B. Horvitz |
Recipient of the 2016 Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, composer Wayne Horvitz own ensembles include The Snowghost Trio, Sweeter Than the Day, and the Royal Room Collective Music Ensemble. Mr. Horvitz’s commissioners include The Kitchen, The Seattle Symphony, Kronos, BAM, New World Records, The Flynn Theater, and Vienna Jazz. He has received 3 MAP Fund awards, the NEA American Masterpiece Award, 3 Artist Trusts fellowships and more. As a collaborator or producer, he has worked with Bill Frisell, Robin Holcomb, Butch Morris, Bobby Previte, George Lewis, Reggie Watts, John Zorn (Naked City etc.), World Saxophone Quartet, Fontella Bass, John Adams, and Eddie Palmieri. Collaborators in theater, dance and film include Carey Perloff, Bill Irwin, Gus Van Sant, Paul Taylor and Paul Magid.
http://www.waynehorvitz.com/
“there's nobody else out there I hear even attempting to cover some kind of similar range, and do it so convincingly” — All About Jazz
2nd Place:
Nan Schwartz
Angels Among Us
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| Nan Schwartz |
Nan Schwartz has finally realized her lifelong dream of releasing a symphonic album of her orchestral compositions (Divine Art Records/Naxos). A proponent of melodic, harmonically-rich music, Nan’s unique style has made its mark in film, television, the recording industry, and symphonic performance. Her diversity and depth of experience have helped create her sterling reputation. Nan is a Grammy winning (Natalie Cole) and five time nominated Grammy arranger, as well as a seven time Emmy nominee for her composing work for TV/film. She is also an orchestrator ( “Godzilla,” “Argo,” “Benjamin Button,”), a songwriter for the Latin market, and most recently, composer of a Broadway-bound musical. There’s not a musician in Hollywood, London, Vienna, or Berlin who doesn’t look forward to working under Nan’s baton. They know the notes will be great and will remind them “This is why we play music!”
http://www.nanschwartz.com
3rd Place (there was a tie):
Saad Haddad
New York NY
Takht
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| Saad Haddad |
Saad Haddad is a composer of orchestral, chamber, vocal, and electroacoustic music who achieves a “remarkable fusion of idioms” (New York Times), most notably in his work exploring the disparate qualities inherent in Western art music and Middle Eastern musical tradition. His music delves into that relationship by transferring the performance techniques of traditional Arab instruments to Western symphonic instruments, while extending their capabilities through the advancement of technology.
Recent highlights include the premiere of Haddad's first major string quartet, commissioned by the Lydian String Quartet, the premiere of Risala, co-commissioned by the Columbus and Princeton Symphony Orchestras, and performances of Takht by the China National Symphony Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra, among others. Born in Georgia and raised in California, Haddad holds degrees in composition from the Juilliard School and the University of Southern California. For more information, visit
www.saadnhaddad.com.
3rd Place (there was a tie):
Meira Warshauer
Columbia SC
Symphony No. 1 Living Breathing Earth
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| Meira Warshauer |
Meira Warshauer’s music, performed worldwide, is inspired by her love for the earth and her personal spiritual journey. Symphony Living Breathing Earth, commissioned by Dayton Philharmonic, South Carolina Philharmonic, and Western Piedmont Symphony (NC) and published by Lauren Keiser Music Publishing, was profiled by Aileen LeBlanc for Public Radio International’s Living on Earth. Tekeeyah (a call), Concerto for Shofar, Trombone, and Orchestra, a five-orchestra commission, was aired twice on American Public Media’s Performance Today, and by NYC Public Radio’s Symphony Hall (WQXR). Both works are featured on the 2011 Navona Records release Living Breathing Earth (NV5842), which was praised by Hadassah Magazine as “a shimmering, joyous and soothing ode to the world’s beauty.” In addition to composer awards from the MacDowell Colony, ASCAP, Meet the Composer, SC Arts Commission, and others, Meira received the SC Sierra Club’s 2016 Silent Footprinter award for environmental activism. A graduate of Harvard, New England Conservatory, and University of South Carolina, Dr. Warshauer divides her time between Columbia, SC and Wrightsville Beach, NC. More information at
meirawarshauer.com.
Finalist Honorable Mention:
Lee Actor
Monte Sereno CA
Prelude to a Tragedy
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| Lee Actor |
Composer and conductor Lee Actor (
http://www.leeactor.com) has received numerous commissions, and has won many awards for his compositions, which are characterized by their dramatic impact and emotional expressivity. Since 2001, he has created an extensive catalog of works for large
ensembles, including 3 symphonies and 9 concertos, which have been performed by nearly 80 orchestras and bands in the U.S. and around the world. He has studied composition with Donald Sur, Brent Heisinger, Charles Jones, and Andrew Imbrie, and conducting with Angelo Frascarelli, David Epstein and Higo Harada. Actor has been Composer-in-Residence of the Palo Alto Philharmonic since 2002, following his appointment as Assistant Conductor in 2001. In 2014 he was one of the first five composers selected as an "Honored Artist of the American Prize". In March 2018 he was invited to conduct two all-Actor programs with the top professional orchestras in Ankara and Izmir, Turkey.
Finalist Honorable Mention:
Luke Carlson
Hollister MO
Creations
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| Luke Carlson |
The music of composer and conductor Luke Carlson (b. 1983) has been called “magical” and “otherworldly” (Philadelphia Inquirer); “personal and strong” (New York Times). He is the recipient of numerous awards including the 2013 Jacob Druckman Prize, the grand prize in Symphony Number One’s 2017 Composer Competition, the Edward T. Cone Composition Institute and first prize in the MACRO Composers Competition (2016 and 2014).
His music has been performed by various artists including the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Daedalus String Quartet, Network for New Music, and the Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra.
He holds a BM, magna cum laude, from the University of Oregon, a MM from Rice University, and a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. He is Assistant Professor of Music at College of the Ozarks in Branson, MO where he directs the composition & theory programs and conducts of the College of the Ozarks orchestra.
www.LukeCarlsonMusic.com
Finalist Honorable Mention:
Dorothy Hindman
Miami FL
Setting Century Symphony
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| Dorothy Hindman |
Described as “bright with energy and lilting lyricism” (New York Classical Review), “dramatic, highly strung” (Fanfare), and “utterly rich with purpose and heart” (Huffington Post), Dorothy Hindman’s compositions have been performed at Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, the American Academy in Rome, Amsterdam’s Muziekgebouw, Havana Contemporary Music Festival, Australian Flute Festival, and many others. She has been commissioned by Bent Frequency, Empire City Men’s Chorus, Goliard Ensemble, Caravel String Quartet, Corona Guitar Kvartet, and more.
Awards and recognition include a 2017 Seaside Escape2Create Fellowship, Iron Composer 2015, a 2015 Artist Access Grant from the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Nancy Van de Vate International Composition Prize for Opera, International Society of Bassists Composition Competition, NACUSA, and more.
Hindman’s CDs include innova’s Tapping the Furnace and Tightly Wound (Spring 2017). Publishers include Subito, NoteNova, and dorn/Needham. She is Associate Professor of Composition at the Frost School of Music.
dorothyhindman.org
Finalist Honorable Mention:
Steven Winteregg
Dayton OH
Resolution
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| Steven Winteregg |
Steven Winteregg is a Professor of Music at Cedarville University. Holding degrees in music from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Wright State University and The Ohio State University, he studied composition with William Steinhort, Gregory Proctor and Thomas Wells.
Dr. Winteregg is an award-winning composer and has received awards from such organizations as the International Horn Society, the International Trumpet Guild, and the Ohio Arts Council. He has also received an Ohio Senate Resolution commending him for his contribution to the arts in Ohio.
Winteregg's compositions have been performed throughout the world, and these performances have included International Horn Symposiums, International Tuba and Euphonium Conferences, the International Brass Festival in Narbonne, France, the national convention of the Music Educators National Conference, and the International Trumpet Guild Conference. His recordings can be found on the Albany, Integra, Equilibrium, ERM Media, MMC, and the Navona labels.
The American Prize in Composition—Orchestra (student division), 2018-19
The American Prize winner:
Jack Frerer
New York NY
On-Again, Off-Again
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| Jack Frerer |
Jack Frerer (b. 1995) is an Australian-American composer of music for concert, film and dance, as well as a producer and filmmaker based in Manhattan, currently pursuing a B.M. in Composition at The Juilliard School where he studies with John Corigliano. His work has been performed by a variety of ensembles around Australia, Europe, and the US, and has won awards including a Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Brian Israel Prize from the Society for New Music, and competitions including the Vincent C. LaGuardia Jr. Competition, Illinois State University’s Red Note Competition, the Lake George Music Festival Competition, the Alba Rosa Viëtor Competition, and both the Juilliard Orchestra and Gena Raps Chamber Music competitions. He is currently Composer-in-Residence with the Arapahoe Philharmonic.
2nd Place (there was a tie):
Martin Hebel
Hamden CT
Symphony No. 3 in E Minor: Concert in Three Acts
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| Martin Hebel |
Martin Hebel composes expressive, emotionally direct music for a wide variety of ensembles.
In his orchestral compositions, Martin explores strategies for engaging new audiences, seeking to enrich and enhance concert experiences for contemporary listeners, combining varied traditional symphonic forms with his contemporary chromatic language.
Martin Hebel’s Symphony No.3 in E Minor: Concert in Three Acts, a Finalist in the 2015 Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, was recorded by Mikel Toms and the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra and released internationally in August 2016 by ABLAZE Records.
Born in Hamden, Connecticut in 1990, Martin Hebel received his M.M. in composition from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 2018 where he studied with Douglas Knehans and Ellen Ruth Harrison. He graduated with honors from the University of Connecticut in 2015, where he studied composition with Dr. Kenneth Fuchs and trumpet performance with Dr. Louis Hanzlik.
2nd Place (there was a tie):
Patrick O'Malley
Los Angeles CA
Between Two Chasms
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| Patrick O'Malley |
Patrick O’Malley (1989) is a composer whose works explore the musical interplay between emotion, color, energy, and landscape, seeking to find balance between past influences and new ideas. His pieces span many of the contemporary mediums for classical music, and have been performed across the United States as well as in Europe. Often when writing a new piece, O’Malley considers the listener’s imagination as much as every other musical element – an admittedly and enjoyably subjective endeavor.
Most recently, O’Malley has been recognized and/or performed by organizations including ASCAP, the Hear Now Festival, the Columbus and Milwaukee Symphonies, the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Next On Grand National Composers Intensive with wild Up, and The American Prize (1st place for orchestral music, 2015). He was named Composer of the Year by the Sioux City Symphony for 2018, and he has been a fellow at various music festivals and residencies. O’Malley is pursuing a doctoral degree in music at the University of Southern California where he studies with Andrew Norman and Sean Friar. He divides his time between living in Los Angeles, California, and Lake Charlevoix, Michigan.
3rd Place (there was a tie):
Ching-Shan Chang
Brooklyn NY
When the Sun Rises
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| Ching-Shan Chang |
Ching-Shan is a composer based in New York City. She got her bachelor’s degree in composition from Eastman School of Music and is currently majoring in scoring for film and multimedia at NYU Steinhardt studying with Chris Hajian. On top of all the national and international prizes, the first prize, best variations music and best tonal music of The 7th International Antonín Dvorák Composition Competition in the junior group truly highlights her classical composition career. Additionally, her works In History, in memory and Path to Limbo were also chosen in the final round of the The 3rd International Ravel Composition Competition (special edition for film music) in Italy and her choral work, My Soul is Awakened from Sleep, was chosen to the final round of The 1st Jean Sibelius Composition Competition. Her music has been widely performed around the world including Taipei, San Francisco, Beijing and more. Large ensemble works such as When the Sun Rises… not only won the 2nd prize of the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra Composition Competition, but was also performed by them in 2016. In 2017, her soundtrack, In History, in memory for violin solo and orchestra was premiered by Prague Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jakub Zicha and Marie Mátlová on the violin solo in Prague.
Finalist Honorable Mention:
Clare Glackin
Santa Fe NM
Archaea
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| Clare Glackin |
Clare Glackin is a composer of instrumental and vocal concert works whose music has been commissioned by the Houston Grand Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Alarm Will Sound, and others. She seeks to craft music that is engaging, unique, and fulfilling for both performers and audiences. Born and raised in Mount Vernon, WA, she currently lives in Santa Fe, NM, where she works for the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and writes on commission.
Clare’s music has been performed across the United States at festivals such as the Brevard Music Festival, Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium, and Mizzou International Composers Festival. Upcoming projects include a wind ensemble piece to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Mount Vernon High School Band program in 2019.
Clare graduated with an MM from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. She also holds a BM from USC’s Thornton School of Music, where she was named a Discovery Scholar and Outstanding Graduate of the composition program.
Finalist Honorable Mention:
Xuesi Xu
Urbana IL
The Song of Roland
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| Xuesi Xu |
Born in Shanghai, China, Xuesi Xu holds a BM from Shanghai Conservatory of Music. During his undergraduate studies, his primary teacher was Musheng Chen. He has received numerous awards in China, including the Third Rivers Composition Competition Award (2011), and Third Prize in the 2013 Chinese Instruments Composition Competition in Music Universities and Colleges (2013). In 2014, he worked and studied with Chen Yi and James Mobberley in University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance as a student intern. Currently, he is pursuing his Masters degree in music composition at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studying music composition with Rick Taube, Reynold Tharp, and Stephen Taylor, and electronic music with Eli Fieldsteel.
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Congratulations!
