Thursday, December 5, 2019
Semi-finalists: PIANO (solo), 2019-20
The American Prize is delighted to announce SEMI-FINALIST piano soloists for 2019-20. Congratulations! (Be sure to check all divisions. The American Prize may have moved an audition to a more appropriate category.) As the contests unfold, finalists, runners-up and winners will be selected from these lists. To know the exact date when finalists will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.
We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.
All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until the end of the contest year. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com
The American Prize in Piano Performance, 2019-20, professional solo division:
J. Bradley Baker
Newton KS
Ezra Donner
Ypsilanti MI
Karen Salicath Jamali
Winter Park FL
Jiyoung Jeoung
Muncie IN
John Kamfonas
Devon PA
Lei Weng
Greeley CO
Jentao Yu
Oakland CA
Yuting Zhou
New York NY
The American Prize in Piano Performance, 2019-20, college/university solo division:
Igor Filipe Do Amaral
New York NY
Eunhae Choi
Savoy IL
Shun-Jung Hsu
Madison WI
Bogyeong Lee
North Liberty IA
Jiayun Li
Panzhihua Sichuan
Zhan Shi
Panzhihua Sichuan
Chenyu Wang
Hartford CT
The American Prize in Piano Performance, 2019-20, high school solo division:
Marc Soong
Alhambra CA
Christopher Zhu
West Roxbury MA
***
Semi-finalists: make the most of your selection by announcing it on your facebook page, tweet the news, and include a link to this announcement on your website or blog.
Here is a sample announcement:
"Great News! I've just been selected as a SEMI-FINALIST in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing FINALISTS in my division later this year. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize "
Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.
Congratulations to all semi-finalists!
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Semi-finalists: PIANO (concerto), 2019-20 —The Lorin Hollander Award
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Lorin Hollander |
The American Prize LORIN HOLLANDER AWARD celebrates the artistry of one of the greatest pianists of his generation. Lorin Hollander has appeared as guest soloist with virtually every major symphony orchestra in the world and is a veteran of over 2,500 performances across the globe. The American Prize is delighted to share the legacy of this legendary artist through the re-naming of the award for Piano Concerto Performance in his honor. For more about the extraordinary life and career of Lorin Hollander, please visit http://lorinhollander.com/
We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.
All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until the end of the contest year. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com
The American Prize in Piano Concerto Performance, 2019-20, The Lorin Hollander Award, professional division:
Hyekyeong Hanna Cho
Lacey WA
Anna Dmytrenko
Newark DE
Susan Merdinger
Highland Park IL
Amaury Morales
Pittsburgh PA
Lei Weng
Greeley CO
The American Prize in Piano Concerto Performance, 2019-20, The Lorin Hollander Award, college/university division:
Eunhae Choi
Savoy Il
Bogyeong Lee
North Liberty IA
***
Semi-finalists: make the most of your selection by announcing it on your facebook page, tweet the news, and include a link to this announcement on your website or blog.
Here is a sample announcement:
"Great News! I've just been selected as a SEMI-FINALIST in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing FINALISTS in my division later this year. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize "
Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.
Congratulations to all semi-finalists!
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Semi-finalists: INSTRUMENTAL SOLOISTS, 2019-20
The
American Prize is delighted to announce SEMI-FINALIST instrumental
soloists for
2019-20. Congratulations! (Be sure to check all divisions. The American
Prize may have moved an audition to a more appropriate category.) As the
contests unfold, finalists, runners-up and
winners will be selected from these lists. To know the exact date when
finalists will be
announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.
We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.
All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until the end of the contest year. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com
SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Instrumental Performance, 2019-20, professional division:
Mary Elizabeth Bowden
Winston-Salem NC
Trumpet
Mili Chang
Jersey City NJ
Flute
Christopher Dickey
Pullman WA
Tuba
Andrew Harrison
Riverside CA
Alto Saxaphone
Cora Swenson Lee
Rochester NY
Cello
Christopher Leslie
New York NY
Euphonium
Sam Nelson
Sarasota FL
Organ
Todd Oxford
Austin TX
Saxophone
Sarah Shin
Centreville VA
Flute
Kellach Waddle
Austin TX
Bass
SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Instrumental Performance, 2019-20, college/university division:
Nicholas Buonanni
Lansing MI
Flute
Giorgio Consolati
Baltimore MD
Flute
Logan Fox
Greenwood IN
Percussion
Anita Graef
Evanston IL
Cello
Sooah Jung
Rochester NY
Violin
Rajan Kapoor
Hebron CT
Cello
Zachary Ploeger
Pipestone MN
Trumpet
SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Instrumental Performance, 2019-20, high school division:
Aaron Hsia
Santa Clara CA
Violin
Phoebe Wang
Englewood CO
Cello
Christian Wong
Huntington NY
Violin
Sheeline Yu
Brentwood TN
Violin
***
Semi-finalists: make the most of your selection by announcing it on your facebook page, tweet the news, and include a link to this announcement on your website or blog.
Here is a sample announcement:
"Great News! I've just been selected as a SEMI-FINALIST in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing FINALISTS in my division later this year. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize "
Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.
Congratulations to all semi-finalists!
We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.
All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until the end of the contest year. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com
SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Instrumental Performance, 2019-20, professional division:
Mary Elizabeth Bowden
Winston-Salem NC
Trumpet
Mili Chang
Jersey City NJ
Flute
Christopher Dickey
Pullman WA
Tuba
Andrew Harrison
Riverside CA
Alto Saxaphone
Cora Swenson Lee
Rochester NY
Cello
Christopher Leslie
New York NY
Euphonium
Sam Nelson
Sarasota FL
Organ
Todd Oxford
Austin TX
Saxophone
Sarah Shin
Centreville VA
Flute
Kellach Waddle
Austin TX
Bass
SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Instrumental Performance, 2019-20, college/university division:
Nicholas Buonanni
Lansing MI
Flute
Giorgio Consolati
Baltimore MD
Flute
Logan Fox
Greenwood IN
Percussion
Anita Graef
Evanston IL
Cello
Sooah Jung
Rochester NY
Violin
Rajan Kapoor
Hebron CT
Cello
Zachary Ploeger
Pipestone MN
Trumpet
SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Instrumental Performance, 2019-20, high school division:
Aaron Hsia
Santa Clara CA
Violin
Phoebe Wang
Englewood CO
Cello
Christian Wong
Huntington NY
Violin
Sheeline Yu
Brentwood TN
Violin
***
Semi-finalists: make the most of your selection by announcing it on your facebook page, tweet the news, and include a link to this announcement on your website or blog.
Here is a sample announcement:
"Great News! I've just been selected as a SEMI-FINALIST in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing FINALISTS in my division later this year. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize "
Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.
Congratulations to all semi-finalists!
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Semi-finalists: CHAMBER MUSIC ENSEMBLES, 2019-20
(This list was updated on 12/6/19 to correct a clerical error.—DK)
The American Prize is delighted to announce SEMI-FINALIST chamber ensembles for 2019-20. Congratulations! (Be sure to check all divisions. In certain cases, The American Prize may have moved an auditioning ensemble to a more appropriate category.)
As the contests unfold, finalists, runners-up and winners will be selected from these lists. To know the exact date when finalists will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.
We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.
All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until the end of the contest year. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com
SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Chamber Music Performance, 2019-20, professional division:
Szlubowska-Belsky Duo
Svetlana Belsky
Northbrook IL
Fidelis Quartet
Jeffrey Butler
Houston TX
Amosa Duo
Chia-Ying Chan
Urbana IL
Anima Vox
Carole Jean Ott Coelho
Greensboro NC
Duo MemDi
Igor Kalnin
Decorah IA
Prairie Duo
Jessica Koebbe
Leawood KS
Serenade Duo
Michelle LaPorte
Saint James NY
Pure Winds
Natalie Law
Lansing MI
Pegasus Chamber Ensemble
Jonathan Lusher
Guanajuato GTO
RASHAN
Aria Minasian
Bainbridge Island WA
Fenglire
Ashley Rollins
McKinney TX
Eason-Seregow Duo
Michael Seregow
Muncie IN
Sophia Tegart and Michael Seregow
Michael Seregow
Muncie IN
Luna Nova
Sabrina Laney Warren
Cordova TN
SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Chamber Music Performance, 2019-20, college/university division:
The Raritan Trio
Alexander Bui
Egg Harbor NJ
Khroma Quartet
Michael Chapa
The Colony TX
Tsukervanik-Liu Duo
Ming-Jui Liu
Arcadia CA
SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Chamber Music Performance, 2019-20, high school division:
Zeitlos Trio
Tia Chang
Palo Alto CA
Trio Centauri
Lei Gui
San Jose CA
Vivo String Quartet
Ya-Fei Hsu
Pittsburgh PA
Quantum Quartet
Mark Smith
Carrollton TX
***
Semi-finalists: make the most of your selection by announcing it on your facebook page, tweet the news, and include a link to this announcement on your website or blog.
Here is a sample announcement:
"Great News! Our ensemble just been selected as a SEMI-FINALIST in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing FINALISTS in my division later this year. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize "
Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.
Congratulations to all semi-finalists!
The American Prize is delighted to announce SEMI-FINALIST chamber ensembles for 2019-20. Congratulations! (Be sure to check all divisions. In certain cases, The American Prize may have moved an auditioning ensemble to a more appropriate category.)
As the contests unfold, finalists, runners-up and winners will be selected from these lists. To know the exact date when finalists will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.
We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.
All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until the end of the contest year. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com
SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Chamber Music Performance, 2019-20, professional division:
Szlubowska-Belsky Duo
Svetlana Belsky
Northbrook IL
Fidelis Quartet
Jeffrey Butler
Houston TX
Amosa Duo
Chia-Ying Chan
Urbana IL
Anima Vox
Carole Jean Ott Coelho
Greensboro NC
Duo MemDi
Igor Kalnin
Decorah IA
Prairie Duo
Jessica Koebbe
Leawood KS
Serenade Duo
Michelle LaPorte
Saint James NY
Pure Winds
Natalie Law
Lansing MI
Pegasus Chamber Ensemble
Jonathan Lusher
Guanajuato GTO
RASHAN
Aria Minasian
Bainbridge Island WA
Fenglire
Ashley Rollins
McKinney TX
Eason-Seregow Duo
Michael Seregow
Muncie IN
Sophia Tegart and Michael Seregow
Michael Seregow
Muncie IN
Luna Nova
Sabrina Laney Warren
Cordova TN
SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Chamber Music Performance, 2019-20, college/university division:
The Raritan Trio
Alexander Bui
Egg Harbor NJ
Khroma Quartet
Michael Chapa
The Colony TX
Tsukervanik-Liu Duo
Ming-Jui Liu
Arcadia CA
SEMI-FINALISTS: The American Prize in Chamber Music Performance, 2019-20, high school division:
Zeitlos Trio
Tia Chang
Palo Alto CA
Trio Centauri
Lei Gui
San Jose CA
Vivo String Quartet
Ya-Fei Hsu
Pittsburgh PA
Quantum Quartet
Mark Smith
Carrollton TX
***
Semi-finalists: make the most of your selection by announcing it on your facebook page, tweet the news, and include a link to this announcement on your website or blog.
Here is a sample announcement:
"Great News! Our ensemble just been selected as a SEMI-FINALIST in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing FINALISTS in my division later this year. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize "
Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.
Congratulations to all semi-finalists!
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Remembering TAP Laureate Composer NANCY BLOOMER DEUSSEN
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NANCY BLOOMER DEUSSEN |
Nancy Bloomer Deussen, a
prominent Californian, was co-founder of the San Francisco Bay Area
National Association of Composers, also serving on the national body for
a number of years.
Deussen was educated at the Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, USC School of Music and San Jose State University, studying composition with Vittorio Giannini, Lukas Foss, Ingolf Dahl and Wilson Coker.
Bloomer Deussen’s was an advocate of accessible contemporary music, a fact reflected in her own style, which is melodic and tonal. She also was known for using the natural world as a source for inspiration.
A recipient of many grants, including The Peninsula Community, Silicon Valley Arts Council, The American Composer's Forum, The Contemporary Record Society and the Mu Phi Epsilon Memorial Foundation, she also won the Mu Phi Epsilon Original Composition Contest for her Woodwind Quartet (1987), The Bay Area Composer's Symposium Award for Reflections on the Hudson, for orchestra (1994), The Britten on-the-Bay Prize for Trio for Violin, Clarinet and Piano (1996) and the Mu Phi Epsilon Original Composition Contest for Concerto for Clarinet and Small Orchestra (1999).
Maestro David Katz writes: "Nancy was a composer of gracious insight and lovely, lyrical music. We communicated often and I was delighted to conduct her music more than once. I was so pleased to be able to extend to her additional recognition when she was named one of the first Honored Artists of The American Prize. Lovely lady. She will be missed."
Deussen was educated at the Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, USC School of Music and San Jose State University, studying composition with Vittorio Giannini, Lukas Foss, Ingolf Dahl and Wilson Coker.
Bloomer Deussen’s was an advocate of accessible contemporary music, a fact reflected in her own style, which is melodic and tonal. She also was known for using the natural world as a source for inspiration.
A recipient of many grants, including The Peninsula Community, Silicon Valley Arts Council, The American Composer's Forum, The Contemporary Record Society and the Mu Phi Epsilon Memorial Foundation, she also won the Mu Phi Epsilon Original Composition Contest for her Woodwind Quartet (1987), The Bay Area Composer's Symposium Award for Reflections on the Hudson, for orchestra (1994), The Britten on-the-Bay Prize for Trio for Violin, Clarinet and Piano (1996) and the Mu Phi Epsilon Original Composition Contest for Concerto for Clarinet and Small Orchestra (1999).
Maestro David Katz writes: "Nancy was a composer of gracious insight and lovely, lyrical music. We communicated often and I was delighted to conduct her music more than once. I was so pleased to be able to extend to her additional recognition when she was named one of the first Honored Artists of The American Prize. Lovely lady. She will be missed."
Saturday, November 9, 2019
WINNERS: The American Prize Chicago Oratorio Award, 2019 (MESSIAH SOLOISTS)
The four individuals below have been selected to perform the solo roles
in Handel's MESSIAH with the Chicago Bar Association Symphony Orchestra
and CBA Chorus in St James Episcopal Cathedral, Chicago, as winners of
The American Prize Chicago Oratorio Award, 2019. Congratulations! The
performance, Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at 7:30 pm, will be under the
direction of Maestro Stephen Blackwelder, director of the CBA Chorus.
The winners are:
Laura STRICKLING, soprano
St Thomas VI
Kara MORGAN, mezzo-soprano
Andover MN
Daniel O'HEARN, tenor
Tinley Park IL
Will HUGHES, baritone
Richardson TX
Purchase tickets here. (Substantial savings for advance purchase.)
***
Laura STRICKLING
Soprano
St Thomas VI
First place winner of the inaugural American Prize in Vocal Performance (Opera, Professional Division, 2011) Laura Strickling was praised by The New York Times for her, "flexible voice, crystalline diction, and warm presence." She has performed at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, the Kennedy Center, National Sawdust, Trinity Church on Wall Street, Washington National Cathedral, Tanglewood Music Festival, Ravinia Music Festival, Songfest at the Colburn School, Mexicoliederfest, Liederfest in Suzhou (China), and the Afghanistan National Institute of Music. An acclaimed oratorio soloist, she has appeared with the Indianapolis Symphony, Richmond Symphony, Asheville Symphony, Berkshire Choral International, and the Cathedral Choral Society. Ms. Strickling created the role of Fanni Radnòti in the World Premiere of Tom Cipullo's opera The Parting with Music of Remembrance. A devoted recitalist, she curated The NewMusicShelf Anthology for Soprano, and has appeared with the Brooklyn Art Song Society, Yellow Barn Music Festival, New Music Gathering, Lyric Fest of Philadelphia, and Trinity Concerts at One. Her discography includes her recording of James Matheson's Times Alone , Glen Roven's The Vineyard Songs, Jake Heggie's Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Tom Cipullo's Of a Certain Age. A Chicago native, Ms. Strickling is an avid traveler, having lived in Morocco, where she studied classical Arabic at the Arabic Language Institute of Fez, and Afghanistan, where her husband was the founding chair of the Department of Law at the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul. She currently makes her home in St. Thomas, U. S. Virgin Islands. For further information, visit www.laurastrickling.com.
Kara MORGAN
Mezzo-soprano
Andover MN
Kara Morgan is a mezzo soprano pursuing her passion to make a name for herself in the opera house and on the concert stage. This fall, Kara returned to Fargo-Moorhead Opera as Hansel in their production of Hansel and Gretel after making her company and role debuts earlier this year singing Dorabella (Così fan tutte) and Mercédès (Carmen) as a Gate City Bank Young Artist. Kara spent her summer with the Lakes Area Music Festival covering the title role in their production of Offenbach's La belle Hélène and with Mill City Summer Opera covering Dorabella in Così fan tutte. Kara has sung lead roles with The Gilbert and Sullivan Very Light Opera Company (Melissa, Princess Ida) and the College Light Opera Company (Mad Margaret, Ruddigore) and was heard as an Apprentice Artist with the Santa Fe Opera in 2017. As a student, Kara realized the roles of Ottone (Agrippina), Angelina (La Cenerentola), the Old Prioress (Dialogues of the Carmelites), Mrs. Soames (Our Town), Katisha (The Mikado) and Dritte Dame (Die Zauberflöte) among others. A longtime lover of concert and choral repertoire, Kara made her debut with the Oratorio Society of Minnesota this November as a soloist in their performance of Duruflé's Requiem and Roger-Ducasse's Crux Fidelis. Kara is an alumna of Drake University (BM '14) and the New England Conservatory (MM '16). More information about Kara and her upcoming events can be found on her website at kmorganmezzo.com.
Daniel O'HEARN
Tenor
Tinley Park IL
Daniel O'Hearn is a tenor from Tinley Park, Illinois. He has most recently performed as Egisto in Francesco Cavalli's "L'Egisto," Captain Macheath in John Gay/Benjamin Britten's "The Beggar's Opera," and as Endymion in J.S. Bach's "Hunting Cantata." Within the last year, Daniel was the Casa Italia Vocal Scholarship Raimondi Scholar 2018, first place winner of the graduate division of the Kleinman Vocal Competition 2019, and the first place winner of the Joseph P. Glimco Vocal Competition 2019. Daniel was the 2018 Musica nella Marche Angeli Scholar, and received a scholarship to sing, study opera, and learn the Italian language in Urbino, Florence, Verona, and Venice last summer. He is currently working on his master's degree in operatic vocal performance at the DePaul University School of Music in Chicago, Illinois, where he studies with the tenor on the school's faculty, Scott Ramsay. Daniel also performs the national anthem for the DePaul Blue Demons at sporting events throughout the school year. Outside of the world of public performance and academia, Daniel has been on the faculty at The House of Music in Orland Park, IL as a private voice instructor for over four years, where he teaches people of all ages from all over Chicagoland how to sing.
Will HUGHES
Baritone
Richardson TX
Will Hughes, a Dallas, TX native, has recently performed and covered roles in La bohème (Schaunard), Doctor Atomic (Jack Hubbard), Ariadne auf Naxos (Harlequin), Madama Butterfly (Yamadori, Yakusidé), Les pêcheurs de perles (Zurga), The Consul (John Sorel), Così fan tutte (Guglielmo), and the title role in Billy Budd for The Santa Fe Opera, The Dallas Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, and Florida Grand Opera. He has also performed scenes from Wuthering Heights (Heathcliff), A Street Scene (Henry), and the title role in Gianni Schicchi with The Santa Fe Opera and Iphigénie en Tauride (Oreste) and Sweeney Todd (Anthony) with Des Moines Metro Opera.
Will has recently sung the title role in a fully staged version of Elijah. His other concert work includes the baritone solos in the requiems of Brahms, Duruflé, and Fauré: the latter of which he sang under the baton of Maestro Rutter along with the baritone solo in the maestro's Mass of the Children. Will has also sung the role of Petrus in a partially staged version of Bach's Matthäus-Passion with the Philadelphia Symphony under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Will earned his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from Wheaton College and Westminster Choir College respectively.
The winners are:
Laura STRICKLING, soprano
St Thomas VI
Kara MORGAN, mezzo-soprano
Andover MN
Daniel O'HEARN, tenor
Tinley Park IL
Will HUGHES, baritone
Richardson TX
Purchase tickets here. (Substantial savings for advance purchase.)
***
Laura STRICKLING
Soprano
St Thomas VI
First place winner of the inaugural American Prize in Vocal Performance (Opera, Professional Division, 2011) Laura Strickling was praised by The New York Times for her, "flexible voice, crystalline diction, and warm presence." She has performed at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, the Kennedy Center, National Sawdust, Trinity Church on Wall Street, Washington National Cathedral, Tanglewood Music Festival, Ravinia Music Festival, Songfest at the Colburn School, Mexicoliederfest, Liederfest in Suzhou (China), and the Afghanistan National Institute of Music. An acclaimed oratorio soloist, she has appeared with the Indianapolis Symphony, Richmond Symphony, Asheville Symphony, Berkshire Choral International, and the Cathedral Choral Society. Ms. Strickling created the role of Fanni Radnòti in the World Premiere of Tom Cipullo's opera The Parting with Music of Remembrance. A devoted recitalist, she curated The NewMusicShelf Anthology for Soprano, and has appeared with the Brooklyn Art Song Society, Yellow Barn Music Festival, New Music Gathering, Lyric Fest of Philadelphia, and Trinity Concerts at One. Her discography includes her recording of James Matheson's Times Alone , Glen Roven's The Vineyard Songs, Jake Heggie's Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Tom Cipullo's Of a Certain Age. A Chicago native, Ms. Strickling is an avid traveler, having lived in Morocco, where she studied classical Arabic at the Arabic Language Institute of Fez, and Afghanistan, where her husband was the founding chair of the Department of Law at the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul. She currently makes her home in St. Thomas, U. S. Virgin Islands. For further information, visit www.laurastrickling.com.
Kara MORGAN
Mezzo-soprano
Andover MN
Kara Morgan is a mezzo soprano pursuing her passion to make a name for herself in the opera house and on the concert stage. This fall, Kara returned to Fargo-Moorhead Opera as Hansel in their production of Hansel and Gretel after making her company and role debuts earlier this year singing Dorabella (Così fan tutte) and Mercédès (Carmen) as a Gate City Bank Young Artist. Kara spent her summer with the Lakes Area Music Festival covering the title role in their production of Offenbach's La belle Hélène and with Mill City Summer Opera covering Dorabella in Così fan tutte. Kara has sung lead roles with The Gilbert and Sullivan Very Light Opera Company (Melissa, Princess Ida) and the College Light Opera Company (Mad Margaret, Ruddigore) and was heard as an Apprentice Artist with the Santa Fe Opera in 2017. As a student, Kara realized the roles of Ottone (Agrippina), Angelina (La Cenerentola), the Old Prioress (Dialogues of the Carmelites), Mrs. Soames (Our Town), Katisha (The Mikado) and Dritte Dame (Die Zauberflöte) among others. A longtime lover of concert and choral repertoire, Kara made her debut with the Oratorio Society of Minnesota this November as a soloist in their performance of Duruflé's Requiem and Roger-Ducasse's Crux Fidelis. Kara is an alumna of Drake University (BM '14) and the New England Conservatory (MM '16). More information about Kara and her upcoming events can be found on her website at kmorganmezzo.com.
Daniel O'HEARN
Tenor
Tinley Park IL
Daniel O'Hearn is a tenor from Tinley Park, Illinois. He has most recently performed as Egisto in Francesco Cavalli's "L'Egisto," Captain Macheath in John Gay/Benjamin Britten's "The Beggar's Opera," and as Endymion in J.S. Bach's "Hunting Cantata." Within the last year, Daniel was the Casa Italia Vocal Scholarship Raimondi Scholar 2018, first place winner of the graduate division of the Kleinman Vocal Competition 2019, and the first place winner of the Joseph P. Glimco Vocal Competition 2019. Daniel was the 2018 Musica nella Marche Angeli Scholar, and received a scholarship to sing, study opera, and learn the Italian language in Urbino, Florence, Verona, and Venice last summer. He is currently working on his master's degree in operatic vocal performance at the DePaul University School of Music in Chicago, Illinois, where he studies with the tenor on the school's faculty, Scott Ramsay. Daniel also performs the national anthem for the DePaul Blue Demons at sporting events throughout the school year. Outside of the world of public performance and academia, Daniel has been on the faculty at The House of Music in Orland Park, IL as a private voice instructor for over four years, where he teaches people of all ages from all over Chicagoland how to sing.
Will HUGHES
Baritone
Richardson TX
Will Hughes, a Dallas, TX native, has recently performed and covered roles in La bohème (Schaunard), Doctor Atomic (Jack Hubbard), Ariadne auf Naxos (Harlequin), Madama Butterfly (Yamadori, Yakusidé), Les pêcheurs de perles (Zurga), The Consul (John Sorel), Così fan tutte (Guglielmo), and the title role in Billy Budd for The Santa Fe Opera, The Dallas Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, and Florida Grand Opera. He has also performed scenes from Wuthering Heights (Heathcliff), A Street Scene (Henry), and the title role in Gianni Schicchi with The Santa Fe Opera and Iphigénie en Tauride (Oreste) and Sweeney Todd (Anthony) with Des Moines Metro Opera.
Will has recently sung the title role in a fully staged version of Elijah. His other concert work includes the baritone solos in the requiems of Brahms, Duruflé, and Fauré: the latter of which he sang under the baton of Maestro Rutter along with the baritone solo in the maestro's Mass of the Children. Will has also sung the role of Petrus in a partially staged version of Bach's Matthäus-Passion with the Philadelphia Symphony under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Will earned his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from Wheaton College and Westminster Choir College respectively.
Friday, September 27, 2019
WINNERS: Bacon Award (American Music Performance), ensemble division, 2018-19
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Ernst Bacon as a young man |
The extensive results are listed below in this order:
* professional division
* college university instrumental division
* college university choral division
* community instrumental division
* community choral division
* youth/high school division
Among the many contests of The American Prize, the Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music is unique. It recognizes and rewards the best performances of American music by ensembles and individual artists worldwide, based on submitted recordings. Applications are accepted from professional, college/university, community and high school age solo artists, chamber ensembles or conducted ensembles, competing in separate divisions, and from composers with excellent recordings of their works. Beginning in 2017-18, categories were expanded to encompass performances of American music in practically any instrumentation or genre, with very few repertoire restrictions.
Focused exclusively on works by American composers from any period and in any style, the contest not only judges performances, but in the case of new or unfamiliar works, the music itself.
Ernst Bacon (1898—1990) was one of that pioneering generation of composers who, along with Thomson, Copland, Harris, and others, found a voice for American music. Winner of a Pulitzer Scholarship (for his Symphony in D minor) and no fewer than three Guggenheim Fellowships, Ernst Bacon set out to create compositions that expressed the vitality and affirmative spirit of our country. It is fitting, and with honor, that The American Prize creates an annual award in the memory of Ernst Bacon, recognizing the finest performances of American orchestral music worldwide. To learn more about the music & legacy of Ernst Bacon, please visit the website of the Ernst Bacon Society.
The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, PROFESSIONAL ensemble division, 2018-19
The American Prize winner:
Elaine Rinaldi
Orchestra Miami
Miami FL Marvin David Levy—Inquisition & Masada
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Elaine Rinaldi |
Her recent engagements have included debuts at the Miami Music Festival for Die Zauberflöte and Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, Opera Orlando for Don Giovanni, Mezzano Romantico Summer Festival (Fiera di Primiero, Italy) for Suor Angelica/Gianni Schicchi and at the Tri-Cities Opera for Don Giovanni. She was the Principal Guest Conductor at the Dicapo Opera Theatre from 2001-2006 and has led several tours for the National Lyric Opera, twice appeared as a guest conductor with the Albany Symphony for the Shaker Mountain Performing Arts Festival, and conducted performances of La Traviata for Island Opera Theater in Key West. Rinaldi has held many positions as an Assistant and/or Cover Conductor in many of this country’s leading regional opera theaters. From 1997-2000, she held the positions of Resident Associate Conductor and Chorus Master at the Florida Grand Opera in Miami. Critics called her work with the chorus “exquisite”, and Tim Smith of the Ft, Lauderdale Sun Sentinel said “the chorus, under Elaine Rinaldi’s direction, gets better and better.” (La Boheme).
Her awards have included the Agnis Varis/Intercities Performing Arts grant, the League of American Orchestra’s mentorship with Joann Faletta, Finalist for the American Prize for Orchestral Conducting and Orchestra Performance, the Newton Swift Prize for Accompanying at the Mannes College of Music and the M. B. Byrd full tuition scholarship at the University of Miami Frost School of Music.
2nd Place:
Dean Whiteside
New World Symphony
Miami Beach FL
Barber—Symphony in One Movement
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Dean Whiteside |
Mr. Whiteside is co-founder and director of the Nashville Sinfonietta, hailed by The Tennessean as “a virtuoso band.” His European debut came in 2011 after winning the Jorma Panula Blue Danube Masterclass and Competition. He has conducted orchestras including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, Juilliard Orchestra, Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier, Orlando Philharmonic, Polish Baltic Philharmonic, Rousse State Opera Orchestra, Sibiu Philharmonic, Wiener Kammerorchester and Zagreb Philharmonic, as well as the Vanderbilt Orchestra on a five-city tour of China. He has served as Assistant Conductor to MTT and the San Francisco Symphony.
Mr. Whiteside came to international attention after winning Second Prize and the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra Prize at the Sixth International Competition of Young Conductors Lovro von Matačić. Other awards include the 2017 Mahler Conducting Fellowship, Bruno Walter Memorial Foundation Conducting Scholarship, David Effron Conducting Fellowship, Bayreuth Festival Scholarship, and David Rabin Performance Prize. He has received fellowships from the Aspen Music Festival, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, Castleton Festival and Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich.
3rd Place (there was a tie):
Special Judges' Citation: Championing the Music of Lionel Semiatin
Edward Benyas
Southern IL Music Festival Orchestra
Southern IL
Lionel Semiatin—American Symphony
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Lionel Semiatin with members of the orchestra |
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Edward Benyas |
"It takes living outside of the United States to fully appreciate the magnificence of this country and how widely it is admired. While I was living in Montreal, Canada many years ago, it was inevitable that I should have this experience. Being an American living outside my country impelled me to start to compose an American Symphony – one which could continue the great symphonic traditions, but in an American way. The first movement – an energetic and forceful expression – was composed from 1939 to 1941. The second movement – more reflective of our wide-open plains and ranges – was completed in 1942. When I entered the U.S. Army in 1943, only the first eight bars of the third movement were completed. After I returned from WWII and left the Service, I completely forgot about this symphony for several decades. But in 1975, I read that the American Bicentennial was about to occur in 1976, and that prompted me to return to the symphony, which I completed in the summer of 1975. In the revised version, about five percent of the first movement was revised, as well as all of the orchestration of the first two movements. An alto saxophone was inserted in three of the four movements. The third movement – lively and joyful, and the fourth movement – in similar spirit – were completed in 1975. The last movement (the fourth) has an extensive summary of all of the main themes of the symphony. It might be interesting to note that this entire four-movement symphony was composed without the use of the piano or any other aural device or instrument, going directly from the composer’s mind to the page as a musical score. The first and third movements have been played before, both by the Westchester Philharmonic Orchestra, and in separate concerts. This performance will be the World Premiere of the entire American Symphony."
Edward Benyas is Professor of Oboe and Conducting at SIU Carbondale, Music Director of the Southern Illinois Symphony, the New Chicago Chamber Orchestra—with which he made his European conducting debut—and founder and Artistic Director of the Southern Illinois Music Festival, which presents three-dozen concerts annually each June. The Illinois Council of Orchestras named him “Conductor of the Year” in 2005, the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce presented him the inaugural “Keeping the Arts in Business” Award in 2007, the Southern Business Journal named him a “Leader Among Us” in 2012, he received the Legacy Award from Carbondale Community Arts in 2015, the Carbondale Lions Club honored him with the David Kenney Award for Outstanding Service to Country and Community in 2017, and he was named the Southern Illinois University College of Liberal Arts’ Outstanding Scholar in 2018. Under his leadership, the Southern Illinois Symphony was named Community Volunteer Orchestra of the Year. A student of Ray Still, Robert Morgan, Victor Yampolsky, and the late Charles Bruck and Georg Tintner, Mr. Benyas holds graduate degrees in Orchestral Conducting and Oboe Performance from Northwestern University, as well as Bachelor and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Michigan. He has conducted orchestras and opera companies throughout North America and in Europe and China. Of one appearance, a California reviewer wrote: “Maestro Benyas simply swept the audience away with a beautiful presentation of this piece.” His conducted repertoire includes over 400 works, including a dozen world premieres and several dozen complete operas and ballets. Mr. Benyas also enjoys an active career as an oboe and English horn player, having performed with the Chicago Symphony under Daniel Barenboim, the Lyric Opera under Zubin Mehta, the Milwaukee and Grant Park Symphonies, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, at the Spoleto and Banff summer music festivals, as Principal Oboe of the Des Moines Metro Opera for six seasons and for Andrea Bocelli’s National Tour. He is a member of the state bar of Illinois and has been elected to the Jackson County Board and the Carbondale Elementary School District Board of Education.
3rd Place (there was a tie):
Tom Trenney
Sounding Light
Plymouth MI
Diorio / Clausen / Elder
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Sounding Light |
The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, COLLEGE / UNIVERSITY instrumental division, 2018-19
The American Prize winner:
Jeffrey D. Gershman
Capital University Symphonic Winds
Columbus OH
Ives—Variations on America
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Capital University Symphonic Winds |
Outside of their campus concerts, the ensemble has toured throughout the United States and abroad and has earned frequent invitations to perform at professional conferences. Appearances have included the Ohio Music Education Association Professional Development Conference, the College Band Directors National Association Regional Conference, and a weeklong tour of Taiwan.
2nd Place:
Chris Knighten
University of Arkansas Wind Ensemble
Fayetteville AR
Daugherty—Bells for Stokowski
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University of Arkansas Wind Ensemble |
Recent tours included performances at the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, TX, the Robinson Center for the Performing Arts in Little Rock, AR, and performances at the 2014 and 2016 College Band Directors National Association Southwest Division conferences, in Fayetteville, AR and Boulder, CO, respectively. The Wind Ensemble also hosts an annual conducting symposium for public school music educators in addition to touring to public schools throughout the mid-south and southwest regions of the country.
3rd Place:
Heather C. Barclay
Palomar/YPO Percussion Ensemble
San Marcos CA
Daugherty / Peel / Davilla
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Palomar/YPO Percussion Ensemble |
Finalist Honorable Mention
Special Judges’ Citation: Championing the Music of Adolphus Hailstork
Joseph P. Scott
University of Maryland Wind Ensemble
College Park MD Adolphus Hailstork—American Guernica
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Joseph P. Scott |
Joseph earned his B.M. in Music Education from the University of Oregon where he studied with Dr. Wayne Bennett and Robert Ponto. After graduating, he returned to San Francisco where he received his teaching credential from San Francisco State University. While at SFSU, Joseph was on staff at the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts where he conducted the Concert Band and taught Music Theory and Survey classes. Joseph is a member of the College Band Directors National Association and served for three years as a board member of the California Music Educators Association-Bay Section. Joseph was selected as a tier one conductor for the 2017 Frederick Fennell Memorial Conducting Masterclass at the Eastman School of Music where he worked with Mark Scatterday, Donald Hunsberger, and Craig Kirchhoff.
While in the Bay Area, Joseph kept an active schedule playing the clarinet, performing with the Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra, Chabot Wind Symphony, Golden Gate Park Band, and the San Francisco Wind Ensemble, which performed at the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles in 2015 and recorded its inaugural CD at Skywalker Ranch in 2014. Joseph looks forward to returning to the UMD where he will begin coursework towards a Doctor of Musical Arts degree.
Finalist Honorable Mention:
Joseph Higgins
Rowan University Wind Ensemble
Glassboro NJ
Corigliano—Mr. Tambourine Man
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Joseph Higgins |
Finalist Honorable Mention:
Travis Jurgens
Ohio Northern Symphony
Ada OH
Jeff Midkiff—Mandolin Concerto: From the Blue Ridge
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Travis Jurgens |
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Jeff Midkiff |
The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, COLLEGE / UNIVERSITY choral division, 2018-19
The American Prize winner:
Kevin Sutterlin & Michael Culloton, conductors
The Concordia Orchestra & Chorus
Moorhead MN
Hanson—Song of Democracy
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The Concordia Orchestra |
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Kevin Sutterlin |
In 2016 the college welcomed Dr. Kevin F.E. Sütterlin as the fourth orchestra conductor in the history of the college. A dedicated 21st-century musician, Sütterlin is passionate about exploring new, nontraditional forms of musical experience. He is co-music director of Sinfonietta Memphis as well as artistic director of the Northern Valley Youth Orchestras. The German conductor is an awardee of the Hirschmann Foundation scholarship (Switzerland), Hendrickson Fine Arts Grant, The University of Memphis International Research scholarship as well as the Creative Achievement Award. Recent guest conducting activities led him to The University of Hawaii, the Youth Orchestra Project of Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra in Appleton, WI. www.ConcordiaCollege.edu/orchestra
2nd Place (there was a tie):
Jeremy Wiggins
The Florida State University Choral Union
Tallahassee FL Libby Larsen—O Magnum Mysterium
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The Florida State University Choral Union |
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Jeremy Wiggins |
FSU Choral Union: The Choral Union is one of eight ensembles at The Florida State University. This non-auditioned ensemble of eighty singers performs frequently throughout the year and is conducted by the graduate students in choral conducting. While this choir performs music from the entire cannon of choral music, it often promotes the new works by American composers. This last Spring, while composer Libby Larsen was in residence at FSU, the Choral Union was featured in a performance highlighting her choral works.
2nd Place (there was a tie):
Lisa Wong
The College of Wooster Chorus
Wooster OH
Runestad / Whitacre / Lauridsen
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The College of Wooster Chorus |
3rd Place (there was a tie):
Ianthe Marini
Columbus State University Schwob Singers
Columbus GA
Whitacre / Bernstein / Hogan
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Ianthe Marini |
3rd Place (there was a tie):
Chris David Westover
Denison University Wind Ensemble
Granville OH
Persichetti—Celebrations
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Denison University Wind Ensemble |
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Chris David Westover |
He is currently completing a critical wind-band transcription of Persichetti's Seventh Symphony to be premiered in the 2018-2019 season. He has lectured at Hong Kong Baptist University and CBDNA and will give a paper at the Internationale Gesellschaft zur Erforschung und Förderung der Blasmusik in July 2019. He has conducted across the United States and in the People's Republic of China and is currently developing artistic projects in Sri Lanka.
His career spans operatic performances and educational work with young singers and community orchestras. Westover commands a broad and diverse repertoire including the core symphonic repertoire and the contemporary repertoire of the symphony orchestra and wind ensemble. He served as a staff conductor for the 4x4 Prizes at OU, and has commissioned and premiered works by Ching-chu Hu, HyeKyung Lee, Kathryn Salfelder, Ken Amis, Michael Weinstein, Brad Baumgardner, Andrew McManus, and Dan Lazerescou. In 2010, Westover led the critically acclaimed Dallas premiere of Daniel Roumain’s “Darwin’s Meditation for the People of Lincoln” during the inaugural season of the Winspear Opera House. Westover’s conducting teachers include Jonathan Shames, John Carmichael, Jack Delaney, Kenneth Kiesler, and Eric Smedley. Dr. Westover is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Southern Methodist University, and Western Kentucky University.
Finalist Honorable Mention:
Nicholle Andrews
University of Redlands Chapel Singers
Redlands CA
Christopher Theofanidis—Messages from Myself
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University of Redlands Chapel Singers |
Finalist Honorable Mention:
Mark Bartley
West Texas A&M University Choirs and Orchestra
with Canyon HS Chamber Singers
Canyon TX
Rene Clausen—Psalm 150
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West Texas A&M University Choirs and Orchestra with Canyon HS Chamber Singers |
World-renowned composer Dr. René Clausen has served as conductor of The Concordia Choir since 1986. Prior to that appointment, Dr. Clausen was Director of Choral Activities at West Texas A&M University (WTAMU), then West Texas State University. The Choirs and Orchestra of WTAMU along with the Chamber Choir from Canyon High School salute him with a rare full-orchestra performance of his Psalm 150. http://wtamu.edu/academics/music.aspx
The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, COMMUNITY instrumental division, 2018-19
The American Prize winner:
Reuben Blundell
Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra
Lansdowne PA
David Stanley Smith / Carl Busch
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Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra |
The year was Reuben Blundell’s fourth as Music Director. Attaining degrees in violin performance in Australia, he attended Tanglewood and Michael Tilson Thomas’ New World Symphony. With a doctorate in conducting from Eastman (Neil Varon and Zvi Zeitlin), and Monteux School studies, his career has included two tenure-track positions, conducting three commercial CDs, directing the Riverside Orchestra in New York, and conducting the Chelsea Symphony, and orchestras in Chile, Iraq and Lebanon. He also teaches at Trinity School, NYC. www.reubenblundell.com
2nd Place (there was a tie):
Libi Lebel
Texas Medical Center Orchestra
Houston TX
Howard Hanson—Merry Mount Suite
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Texas Medical Center Orchestra |
Founder and music director Libi Lebel has dedicated herself to maintaining the group’s musical excellence while keeping the experience fun and accessible to both members and audiences.
2nd Place (there was a tie):
Lois Ferrari
Austin Civic Orchestra
Austin TX
Welcher / Still / Actor
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Austin Civic Orchestra |
It should be noted that the ACO’s 2017-2018 season, entitled Made in America, was devoted to performing music written entirely by American composers.
Lois Ferrari is Professor of Music at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas and has been a member of the faculty since 1993. Dr. Ferrari conducts the SU Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, teaches conducting classes, and serves as host and clinician for the SU Conductors Institute. In addition to conducting clinics and festivals throughout the state of Texas, Dr. Ferrari has conducted all-state and all-county ensembles in Washington and New York states. An enthusiastic champion of new music, Dr. Ferrari founded the ACO Composition Contest and is proud to have premiered more than twenty-five works during the course of her career. She has also been intimately involved with nurturing future virtuosi, most notably through the ACO's Pearl Amster Chamber Music Festival and Texas Rising Stars Contest. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where she received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting, Dr. Ferrari received a full doctoral fellowship and was appointed Assistant Conductor of the Eastman Wind Ensemble. Her principal teachers were Donald Hunsberger, Rodney Winther, David Effron, and Donald Neuen. Dr. Ferrari was awarded 2nd place in the 2016 and 2012 American Prize Competition in Community Orchestra Conducting.
3rd Place:
Curt Ebersole
Westchester Symphonic Winds
Tarrytown NY
Michael Daugherty—Brooklyn Bridge
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Westchester Symphonic Winds |
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Curt Ebersole |
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Steve Cohen |
Curt Ebersole has served as the Conductor/Music Director (John P. Paynter Memorial Chair) of WSW since 2008. He retired from high school teaching in 2013 and now teaches at The Masters School, in Dobbs Ferry, NY. He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Northwestern University, and is in frequent demand as a guest conductor and clinician.
Steve Cohen is active as both a soloist and chamber performer throughout the U.S. and around the world. He is the Professor of Clarinet at Northwestern University, and was formerly Principal Clarinetist with the New Orleans Symphony, later known as the Louisiana Philharmonic.
Finalist Honorable Mention
Special Judges’ Citation: Championing the Music of Morton Gould
Ronald Demkee
The Allentown Band
Allentown PA
music by Morton Gould
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The Allentown Band |
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Ronald Demkee |
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The Music of Morton Gould |
Ronald Demkee joined the Allentown band in 1964 as tuba soloist and was elected conductor in 1977. Under his leadership the band has recorded 31 Volumes of the highly acclaimed "Our Band Heritage" series of CDs which have reached listeners in all 50 states and 24 foreign countries. and traveled to Europe four times, performing concerts in Switzerland, Austria and France. He also serves as Principal Tuba, Associate Conductor and Pops Conductor with the Allentown Symphony Orchestra. Demkee served as Band and Orchestra Director at Freedom High School, Bethlehem, PA for 30 years and also served as an adjunct faculty in the music departments of both Muhlenberg and Moravian Colleges.
Finalist Honorable Mention:
Donald L. Appert
Clark College Orchestra
Vancouver WA
Donald L. Appert—Concerto for Cello and Orchestra
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Clark College Orchestra |
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Donald L. Appert |
Donald Appert has been Music Director/Conductor of the Clark College Orchestra since 1990. His music has been performed in the US, Japan, Australia, Central America, and throughout Europe. His Viola Concerto is currently a finalist in The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD in the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, COMMUNITY division. In 2015 the Rocco Parisi Bass Clarinet Quartet performed his Quartetto Basso at the Fifth Annual European Clarinet Festival in Ghent, Italy. They recorded the work in 2013 for Amirani Records (www.amiranirecords.com) on the CD “A tempo, a modo” Path-tracking Vito Marsico. In 2012 he was a Semifinalist for the American Prize in Composition – Orchestra, Professional Division. He has guest conducted orchestras in Europe, Central America, Japan and Australia. Currently he is a Professor of Music and Head of the Music Department at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington. In addition he is the Music Director/Conductor of the Oregon Sinfonietta and Music Director/Conductor of the Jewish Community Orchestra, both in Portland, Oregon. He received The American Prize in Orchestral Programming—Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award in 2011 for his work with the Oregon Sinfonietta.In 2014 he received the Lifetime Achievement in the Arts award from the Clark County Arts Commission. He has received the ASCAPLUS Award numerous times. His music may be heard via the Internet on his web site at www.maestrodonappert.com.
The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, COMMUNITY choral division, 2018-19
The American Prize winner:
Elizabeth Patterson, conductor emerita
Gloriae Dei Cantores Choir
Orleans MA
American Psalmody: Neswick / Rorem / Adler
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Elizabeth Patterson |
As the founding director in 1988, Elizabeth Patterson transformed Gloriæ Dei Cantores from a small church choir to a world-class concert choir. She established an aggressive program of study for the choir including three extended study tours in England with choral masters Dr. George Guest of St. John’s College, Cambridge, and Dr. Stephen Cleobury of King’s College, Cambridge. She has garnered respect from colleagues around the world, including Margaret Hillis, Keith Lockhart, Craig Timberlake, Dorothy Richardson, and Gerre Hancock.
Ms. Patterson directed the choir on numerous national and international tours, from New York to San Francisco, from London to Venice, from Prague to Moscow to Siberia. Her dedication to international understanding and cultural integrity have won her critical acclaim in concert halls throughout Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Wales.
In addition to conducting the choir’s discography of over 50 recordings, Elizabeth Patterson has overseen the development of a repertoire incorporating over 2,400 works, seeking to preserve sacred choral gems worthy of being heard and performed. In addition, she oversaw the commissioning and world premiers of numerous works including Transfiguration Mass by Samuel Adler, The Vision by Dominick Argento, Resurrexi by Gerald Near, and Folk Mass and Let Us Move by Grammy award-winning artist Mark O’Connor.
Under Ms. Patterson’s direction, Gloriæ Dei Cantores collaborated in ten holiday tours with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops; performed at the annual Christmas Tree-Lighting Ceremony at Rockefeller Center where Ms. Patterson directed the premiere of Bruce Saylor’s A Christmas Garland on a televised broadcast; sang with the Regimental Band of Her Majesty’s Coldstream Guards at Boston Garden; and opened the 900th Anniversary Celebration of the Basilica at San Marco in Venice.
“Ms. Patterson is a true choral alchemist, and never fails to draw truly golden sound and beautifully nuanced singing from her hard-working musicians. Sacred illumination is their mission, and they achieve it with spiritual sincerity and power.”
—AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE
Gloriæ Dei Cantores (Singers to the Glory of God) holds a passionate dedication to illuminate truth and beauty through choral artistry, celebrating a rich tradition of Sacred choral music from Gregorian chant through the twenty-first century.
Founded in 1988, Gloriæ Dei Cantores from Orleans, MA, under the direction of Richard K. Pugsley, has touched the hearts of audiences in twenty-three countries in Europe, Russia, and North America, receiving extensive critical acclaim for its artistic elegance, performance authenticity, and compelling spirituality. Distributed in the United States and internationally by Naxos, the choir’s catalog of more than fifty recordings showcases their extensive repertoire, encompassing both masterpieces and rarely performed musical treasures from Gregorian chant to the twenty-first century. “Superb” BBC; “Lovely, pure and radiant” Gramophone; “Rapturous a capella passages” Chicago Tribune.
Highlights of the choir’s career include three invitational tours to Russia, opening the 900th anniversary of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy, live radio and television broadcasts with the BBC, film soundtracks, the tree-lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Plaza, and performances in some of the finest concert halls throughout Eastern and Western Europe and across the United States.
The choir’s collaborative ventures have included a sixteen-city US tour of Mozart’s Requiem with Philippe Entremont and the Munich Symphony Orchestra (Columbia Artists, CAMI, LLC), performances in the United States and the United Kingdom with Her Majesty’s Coldstream Guards, concerts of of Mozart’s Requiem with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic in Russia, numerous collaborations with Vox Cæli Symphonia, world premiere concerts and recordings with Grammy-award-winning artist Mark O’Connor, and ten Holiday Tours with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Symphony Orchestra. They have also appeared on the concert stage and in recordings with John Williams, Samuel Adler, Stephen Cleobury, Vladimir Minin, and the late George Guest, Dr. Mary Berry, and Margaret Hillis, among others.
Gloriæ Dei Cantores makes its home at the Church of the Transfiguration (Orleans, MA) where the choir sings weekly worship services, seasonal concerts, and records throughout the year. The members’ ongoing life of worship—Sunday Eucharist, Choral Evensong, and Liturgy of the Hours in Gregorian Chant—is the foundation of the choir’s artistry, enabling their extensive repertoire to become a vibrant form of prayer in any setting. Their music conveys “a kind of utter, rapt, spiritual intensity, that you simply can’t imagine unless you’ve experienced it for yourself.” (American Record Guide)
2nd Place:
Philip Brunelle
Vocal Essence Chorus & Ensemble Singers
Minneapolis MN
Larsen / Heggie / Paulus
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Philip Brunelle |
3rd Place (there was a tie):
Ryan Brandau
Monmouth Civic Chorus
Red Bank NJ Corigliano—Fern Hill
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Monmouth Civic Chorus |
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Ryan Brandau |
3rd Place (there was a tie);
Erik Peregrine
Ensemble Companio
Niskayuna NY
Betinis / Trumbore
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Ensemble Companio |
The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, HIGH SCHOOL division, 2018-19
The American Prize winner:
Michael Isadore
Houston Youth Symphony Philharmonia
Houston TX
John Mackey—Red Line Tango
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Michael Isadore |
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Houston Youth Symphony Philharmonia |
In the community, HYS provides free private music lessons for talented youth in select economically disadvantaged communities through the Melody Program. In January 2015, HYS launched the Coda Music Program, an after-school effort modeled after El Sistema that brings graduated, intensive string instruction to three elementary schools using classical music and group instruction to build community and social transformation. (www.HoustonYouthSymphony.org)
An energetic and dynamic musician, Michael Isadore serves as Associate Conductor of the Houston Civic Symphony, Philharmonia Conductor with the Houston Youth Symphony, and director of orchestras at Dulles High School. Under his direction, the Dulles High School orchestra symphony and string orchestras have been consistent “commended winners” in the Mark of Excellence competition and recognized as the 2012 National Winner. Other honors include performances at the Midwest Clinic in 2016 and 2004 and runner up for TMEA Honor Orchestra in 2005. In 2010 Mr. Isadore was recognized with the Spec’s Charitable Foundation Award for Excellence in Music Education presented by the Houston Symphony. An accomplished clarinetist, Isadore also holds the second clarinet position with the Victoria Symphony and freelances in the Houston area. Isadore holds degrees in clarinet and conducting from Baylor University and the University of Missouri—Kansas City, Conservatory of Music.
2nd Place:
Chris Maunu
Arvada West HS Vocal Showcase
Arvada CO
Mulholland / Muehleisen
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Arvada West HS Vocal Showcase |
3rd Place (there was a tie):
Catherine Fish
Herricks HS Chamber Orchestra
New Hyde Park NY
Michael Daugherty / David Diamond
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Herricks HS Chamber Orchestra |
3rd Place (there was a tie):
David Hattner, conductor
Camerata PYP
Portland OR
Christopher Theofanidis—Muse
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Camerata PYP |
David Hattner is the fifth Musical Director of the Portland Youth Philharmonic Association. “The Portland Youth Philharmonic roared like a Maserati on Saturday in its first concert under music director David Hattner.” wrote David Stabler for The Oregonian in 2008. David Hattner’s conducting credits include the Eugene Symphony Orchestra, the Garden State Philharmonic Orchestra, Camerata Atlantica, and multi-media work with silent film in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, and Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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