
The
American Prize is honored to announce the winners, runners-up, honorable mentions and
citations recipients in the chamber music division of
The American Prize in Composition, 2015. Congratulations!
All finalists
receive written evaluations from a member of The American Prize judging
panel.
Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog.
Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com
The American Prize in Composition, 2015—chamber music (professional division):
For the first time in its history, The American Prize has had a tie
for first place in a competition. The American Prize in Composition
(chamber music—professional division) is awarded to two
distinguished creators, each for a string quartet. We congratulate these
exceptional artists and hope the awarding of The Prize will help
stimulate more performances of their music and additional recognition
for their exceptional artistry. In alphabetical order:
The American Prize winner:
DAVID GARNER San Francisco CA
for String Quartet No. 2
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DAVID GARNER |
Composer David Garner (b. 1954) is well known and often performed in the San Francisco Bay Area. His body of work reflects his historical knowledge, theatrical flair, and genre-defying technique. Critics call his works "alluring," "brilliant," "simple yet subtle," "beautiful," "imaginative," and "a heady and touching revelation." As Janos Gereben of the San Francisco Classical Voice states: “Bottom line: It's the kind of new music you want to hear again.”
Recent critically-acclaimed premieres include "Vilna Poems", for soprano, clarinet, cello and piano (released on the Pentatone Classics CD, "The Hours Begin to Sing"), and String Quartet No. 2, premiered by the Han Quartet for the San Francisco-Shanghai International Chamber Music Festival. Looking forward, Garner composing a full-length opera for Opera Parallèle’s 2016-2017 season. Set in 1880's San Francisco Barbary Coast, with libretto by Mark Hernandez, it promises to be a vital and compelling new work. Website: www.davidgarner.us
The American Prize winner:
JUDITH LANG ZAIMONT Maricopa AZ
for String Quartet 'The Figure'
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JUDITH LANG ZAIMONT |
Internationally recognized throughout the US., Europe and Asia as a distinguished composer. Composer of 120 works spanning all genres. Pieces awarded Gold Medal-First Prizes in international composition competitions, Guggenheim Fellowship, awards from both National Endowments (in Music // in Humanities), 2003 Aaron Copland Award, 2012 honors in Orchestral Composition (The American Prize), and top prizes chamber music (Third Millennium; Tempus Continuum). Recently designated 2014 Commissioned Composer by The Sorel Organization: 50-minute fourth symphony, Pure, Cool (Water), which received its world premiere by the Janacek Philharmonic in Vienna in November 2014, and is being recorded by that orchestra in spring 2015. Actively commissioned. Music used as competition repertoire for international contests in piano, conducting and voice. Two dozen CDs currently available (Naxos, MSR Classics, Navona, Leonarda, Albany). Two works on Century Lists (Chamber Music America, International Piano magazine ). Publisher: Subito Music. Also a distinguished educator, skilled writer and editor, and active juror for national competitions. www.jzaimont.com
2nd place:
SAHBA AMINIKIA San Francisco CA
for Tar o Pood (Warp and Weft)
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SAHBA AMINIKIA |
Born in 1981 in Tehran, Iran, Aminikia studied music composition in Russia at the St. Petersburg State Conservatory under Boris Ivanovich Tishchenko, a post-graduate student of Dimitri Shostakovich. In his homeland, Aminikia studied under renowned Iranian composer, Mehran Rouhani, a former student of Michael Tippet and Iranian pianists, Nikan Milani, Safa Shahidi and Gagik Babayan.
He received his Bachelor of Music and his Master of Music with honors from San Francisco Conservatory of Music under Dan Becker, David Garner and David Conte where he was the proud recipient of Phyllis Wattis Foundation scholarship. He has also received lessons from Conrad Susa, Richard Danielpour, John Corigliano, Oswaldo Golijov and John Adams. He is the recipient of many various commissions from ensembles such as Kronos Quartet, Symphony Parnassus, San Francisco Conservatory of Music New Music Ensemble, Mobius Trio, Delphi Trio, Areon Flutes, and Living Earth Show.
3rd Place (there was a tie):
DANIEL MCCARTHY Akron OH
for Visions of the Anointed
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DANIEL MCCARTHY |
Daniel McCarthy’s music has been described as "Sassy, foreboding, refreshing and kicky--it's called style" (USA Today). Numerous recordings of his music appear on Albany, Centaur, d'Note Classics, Gasparo, and Klavier Records and 117 publications with C. Alan Publications.
Among awards for his music are The "Doc Severinsen International Composition Prize, The Harvey Phillips Excellence Award, New Generations Commissioning Project, The Sackler Award, The International New Music Consortium Prize, (New York University), Belgrade ppIANISSIMO Composition Prize, and a Life-Time Achievement Proclamation The State of Michigan Legislature.
Daniel is Professor and Chair of Composition and Theory at the University of Akron School of Music where he holds the Distinguished University Research Award. He previously held the Theodore Dreiser Research/Creativity Award at the Indiana State University School of Music and served as Visiting Scholar at The University of Michigan, The Ohio University School of Music, and DePauw University. website: danielmccarthy.net
3rd Place (there was a tie):
FILIPPO SANTORO New Haven CT
for Duplum
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FILIPPO SANTORO |
Filippo Santoro is an Italian composer who studied with composers Luciano Pelosi, Boris Porena and Stephen Dembski and draws inspiration from the teaching of Franco Donatoni. Santoro was born in Rome and received a Master’s Degree in composition as well as diplomas in piano performance and chamber music from the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia in Rome. He graduated from University of Bologna with a Master’s Degree in music and semiotics and from State University of New York, Binghamton with a Master’s Degree in composition. He holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in composition at the University of Wisconsin where he was the recipient of the UW-Madison University Fellowship. His work Arioso Mistico for soprano and orchestra was the winner of the 2010 UW-Madison Concerto Competition. His most recent music takes inspiration from nature and the way biological forms grow and develop. Recent commissions and premieres of his music include the UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra, Clocks in Motion percussion ensemble, UW-Madison Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, the Boston duo based Transient Canvas, the ensemble Lakeshore Rush and solo virtuosos such as Marc Vallon, Kostas Tiliakos and Doug Lindsey. He has been an artist in residence at the Kimmel Nelson Center for the Arts. Filippo continues to work with ensembles and performers who are engaged in his musical language and he is keen to explore and promote new avenues for composer and audience interaction through technology. www.filipposantorocomposer.com
The American Prize in Composition, 2015—chamber music (professional division):
HONORABLE MENTIONS
MATTHEW H. FIELDS Ann Arbor MI
for Progeny of Memory
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MATTHEW H. FIELDS |
Matthew H. Fields focuses on the potential for non-verbal aspects of sound to fascinate, delight, and evoke wonder. The winner of the League-ISCM Composers Competition, Colorado State Music Teachers Association Composers Commission, Minnesota Orchestra Composers Institute and Reading Sessions, and various other honors, Fields follows Borodin's path by working for a hospital by day and composing by night. Born 1961 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Fields grew up Deerfield, Illinois, and earned degrees from Oberlin College, Oberlin Conservatory, Stanford University, and University of Michigan. Many of his works are recorded on the Centaur Records label. Fields is represented by Price Rubin and Partners, www.pricerubin.com/classical/index.php?summarynumber=576 Matthew H. Fields on the Web: www.MatthewFields.NET
STEFANIE LUBKOWSKI Cambridge MA
for This is the Light of Autumn
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STEFANIE LUBKOWSKI |
Stefanie Lubkowski studied flute, organ, and piano as a child before concentrating on the classical guitar. Early explorations with her mother’s Wurlitzer organ and in her high school’s electronic music studio nurtured Stefanie’s interest in creating sound worlds guided by harmony, punctuated by melody, and inspired by poetry and prose. She went on to study Music and Technology and Guitar Performance at Connecticut College and received her masters from New England Conservatory where her primary teachers were Lee Hyla and Pozzi Escot.
Stefanie has written for orchestra, voice, various chamber ensembles, and electronic media, including commissions from Auros Group for New Music, Ashleigh Gordon, Anthology, New Gallery Concert Series, Alea III, and The Fourth Wall Ensemble. She received her doctorate in composition from Boston University in 2014, where her teachers included Ketty Nez and Sam Headrick. Stefanie currently teaches at Brown University. To hear more of her music at www.stefanielubkowski.com.
KAMYAR MOHAJER Santa Clara CA
for String Quartet
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KAMYAR MOHAJER |
With significant new works, the composer Kamyar Mohajer’s passion for music has resurfaced. As a Silicon Valley tech executive, with a background in music and law, Mohajer resumed his pursuit of his true calling in 2007. Mohajer combines the influences of his Persian homeland with a unique approach to harmony, counterpoint and poly-tonality. He has studied with the celebrated Iranian-American composer Behzad Ranjbaran, as well as with award-winning west coast composer Giancarlo Aquilanti. Mohajer earned a BFA in music from York University in Toronto.
Mohajer’s compositions include his Symphony No. 1, Bliss for orchestra (2014), half a dozen solo piano works, and many chamber works including a string trio commissioned by Ensemble Epomeo to be premiered in 2015. In May 2015, his string quartet and 5 Songs (Based on Poetry of Hafez) is performed at Stanford University by the Ives Quartet, pianist Laura Dahl, and mezzo soprano Buffy Baggott. www.kamyarmohajer.com
REBECCA OSWALD Eugene OR
for Theseus and the Minotaur
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REBECCA OSWALD |
Rebecca Oswald is an awardwinning composer and pianist. She has written art songs, music for solo piano, various choral and chamber ensembles, string, chamber, and full orchestra, chorus with orchestra, a clarinet concerto, and the music for two CD-ROM games. Oswald’s discography includes two albums of original solo piano music (“Whereas” and “October Wind”), plus several chamber works and two orchestral works. She was a finalist for The American Prize 2014 in chamber composition and choral composition.
Oswald grew up in Oklahoma, Colorado, and Texas. She earned a BMus summa cum laude in music theory and composition (with piano as principal instrument and voice minor) from Westminster Choir College of Rider University (1998), and an MM in music composition from the University of Oregon School of Music (2001) where she was named Outstanding Graduate Student Composer of 2001. Today she calls Oregon home. For more information please visit www.rebeccaoswald.com.
JORGE ELIAS VARIEGO Knoxville TN
for Walls
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JORGE ELIAS VARIEGO |
Jorge Variego was born in Rosario, Argentina. He has a doctorate degree in music composition from the University of Florida, a masters of music degree in composition and clarinet performance form Carnegie Mellon University, where he attended as a Fulbright scholar, and a JD equivalent from the National University of Rosario. He is currently Lecturer in Music Theory and Composition at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Previously, he pursued research at the Institute of Sonology, and served as music faculty at Valley City State University and at the University of Florida. He participated in many international music festivals such as MATA, SEAMUS, EMS, Holland Festival, Sonoimágenes, and can be heard on many CDs, including his most recent solo CD's Necessity (Albany-2010) and Regress (CMMAS-2013), and in a recent album by SCI Pendulum (PARMA Records 2014). In June 2013, he was resident artist at the Visby Centre for Composers, in Sweden.
More information: www.jorgevariego.com
NICK VASALLO Eastvale CA
for When the War Began
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NICK VASALLO |
Award-winning composer, sound designer, teacher, vocalist and guitarist, Nick Vasallo is “a composer on a mission and one possessed of a distinctive voice” - Michael Quinn, 2012 (The Classical Review). His music exhibits “strokes of genius that blend the density of heavy metal with the harmonics of gamelan, the polyrhythms of taiko, and atonality” – François Couture, 2012 (Monsieur Délire). “…creating new sonic alloys never heard before. Vasallo’s work is a fresh music that may help usher in a new audience for classical music.” - Daniel L. Muñoz, 2014 (I Care If You Listen)
Director of Music Industry Studies at Diablo Valley College and Artistic Director for Composers, Inc., Vasallo has taught college-level courses in Music Theory, Composition, Digital Audio, Electronic Music, Music Appreciation, Form & Analysis, Counterpoint, Instrumentation, Music Industry, History of Rock & Roll, and Songwriting in addition to his work as a composer and performing artist. He has previously taught at Cal Poly Pomona, CSU East Bay, UC Santa Cruz, Gavilan College, and Los Medanos College. Vasallo currently composes, does lead vocals and plays bass for the modern extreme metal band Oblivion. His music is published by Santa Barbara Music Publishers and released by Innova Recordings and Unique Leader.
The American Prize in Composition, 2015—chamber music (professional division):
SPECIAL JUDGES' CITATION:
"Most Entertaining Work of the 2015 Contest Year"
DANTE DESILVA Tarzana CA
for Mr. Distinguished
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DANTE DESILVA |
Dante De Silva, a southern California native, studied composition at Humboldt State University, UC Santa Cruz, and UCLA, where his principal teachers were David Lefkowitz, Paul Reale, David Cope, Paul Nauert, J. Brian Post. He also studied piano with Deborah Clasquin and percussion with Eugene Novotney at Humboldt State University.
His compositions have been performed by such wonderful performers as Opera Parallèle, Gloria Cheng, the Talea Ensemble, What’s Next Ensemble, Phyllis Chen, Ryan MacEvoy McCullough, Arizona Women in Tune, Composer’s Inc., as well many others. He was the composer-in-residence with the Definiens Project (2005-2007) and the Tonoi Ensemble (2006-2007).
Upcoming premieres include Grunge Factory for The B Band, Teasdale Poems for Lucy Hazel Fitz Gibbon, and Drive-Thru Etudes, Book 2 for Ryan MacEvoy McCullough. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, two sons, and a cat. For more information, go to www.dantedesilva.com.
The American Prize in Composition—Chamber Music (student division)
The American Prize winner:
Derek David Boston MA
String Quartet No. 1, Viola Sonata
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Derek David |
Praised by composer John Adams for his “masterful
demonstration of technique” in his viola sonata, composer Derek David is
emerging as an exciting new musical talent of contemporary concert
music. Adams also went on to say that he was “dazzled by [David’s]
capabilities and musicality.”
As a composer, Derek has
been the recipient of the EAMA prize, Morton Gould ASCAP Award, and has
received composition fellowships from the EAMA and Aspen Music
Festivals. As an educator, Derek has been teaching keyboard harmony at
The New England Conservatory of Music since and has held an interim
faculty position at the Boston Conservatory in the fall semester of 2014
where he taught theory, musicianship, and keyboard harmony. Mr. David
is a current teaching fellow at Harvard University where he teaches
music theory.
He currently resides in Boston,
Massachusetts where he is completing his Doctor of Music degree in
composition at the New England Conservatory of Music in the studio of
Michael Gandolfi. For more information and a full biography, please
visit www.derekdavid.com
2nd Place:
Bin Li New York NY
What I Have Forgotten
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Bin Li |
Bin Li (b. 1987, Fuzhou, China) is an emerging
composer based in New York City. His music has been performed
internationally in festivals and venues such as the Aspen Music
Festival, Avanti! XXIX Suvisoitto (Finland), Palais Montcalm (Quebec),
Neuen Synagoge (Berlin), Yogyakarta Contemporary Music Festival
(Indonesia), the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, Midwest Composers Symposium
and SoundCrawl. Bin has won prizes from SCI/ASCAP Commissioning
Competition, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra Composition
Competition, International Society of Bassists Composition Competition
and Cortona Prize.
Bin holds degrees from the Jacobs
School of Music and the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.
His principle teachers at IU were P.Q. Phan, David Dzubay, Claude
Baker and Jeffrey Hass (Electronic). Additional studies include Samuel
Adler in Berlin (2012), George Tsontakis at Aspen Festival (2012), Georg
Friedrich Haas and Fred Lerdahl in France (2013), and Jukka
Tiensuu and Jouni Kaipainen at Sävellyspaja in Finland (2014). For more
information, please visit www.bindavidli.com
3rd Place:
Trevor Bumgarner New York NY
Everything Went Quiet
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Trevor Bumgarner |
From North Carolina, Trevor Bumgarner is a bassoonist
who first began composing during college. He is currently in the
Masters of Music Composition program at the Juilliard School studying
with Robert Beaser. His first composition received the Emerging Composer
mention, the first of three consecutive awards including honorable
mention, from the Tribeca New Music Young Composers Competition. Trevor
won the 2013 Edging the Cut competition and was an American Prize
semi-finalist. He has had performances or recordings by groups such as
the Cassatt Quartet, Dark in the Song, and members of the International
Contemporary Ensemble. Trevor has had performances at several
conferences including the Society of Composers Student National
Conference and the NASA region IV conference. Trevor Bumgarner graduated
from UNC-Greensboro summa cum laude with a BM in Composition and
Bassoon Performance studying with Mark Engebretson, Alejandro Rutty, and
Michael Burns. Website: www.LooseCanonMusic.net
The American Prize in Composition—Chamber Music (student division)
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Jean Patrick Besingrand Pittsburgh PA
Et le vent murmura le nom de Sarah
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Jean Patrick Besingrand |
Jean-Patrick Besingrand was born in France in 1985.
He has a Master’s degree in Musicology from the University of Bordeaux,
and graduated with high honors in Analysis, Harmony, Counterpoint,
Fugue, Composition, and Soundpainting from the Bordeaux Conservatory
under the tutelage of Patrice DeFaccio, Laurent Soulié, Jean-Louis
Agobet, and Etienne Rolin. Currently, he is enrolled in Carnegie Mellon
University’s Advanced Certificate in Composition program under the
supervision of Leonardo Balada. He is also working on his doctoral
thesis at the Sorbonne in Paris. Jean-Patrick has participated in
several festivals and masterclasses, and has received recognition from
composition competitions around the world.
His music
has been performed by the Mivos Quartet, the Carnegie Mellon
Philharmonic, the Carnegie Mellon Contemporary Ensemble, the Very Small
Consortium Ensemble, the Aurae Duo, and by the soloists Thomas Piercy,
Vilian Ivantchev, Elsa Seger, and Andrew White.
His music is published by Questions de Tempéraments.
Cody Brookshire Gainesville GA
PRISM
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Cody Brookshire |
Cody Brookshire's music has been performed at events
and venues such as the 2015 N_SEME at Bowling Green State University,
the OME Marathon Concert in Phoenix, Arizona, the New York City
Electroacoustic Music Festival at the Abrons Art Center, the Ammerman
Center for Arts and Technology Symposium in Connecticut, and the
Guangzhou Grand Theater in China. He has written music for So
Percussion, the Athens Guitar Duo, the University of Georgia Bands, and
the University of North Georgia String Orchestra. Awards include 1st
place in the 2014 SCL Competition with his guitar trio, Shrapnel, and
he was a semi-finalist for the 2013 American Prize in
Composition with Slumbers Kiss Your Golden Eyes for flute, viola, and
harp. Two of his electronic compositions have
been digitally released: Harmonic Meditation, No. 1 appears on the 2014
SEAMUS Electroacoustic Miniatures album Transients, and M3TA11UR6Y
appears on Sonic Flux released by the EMPiRES label.
Daniel Despins Wilmington DE
Off to War, Lads
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Daniel Despins |
Daniel Despins (b. 1994) is a composer of
contemporary classical music flavored with many different styles,
including jazz, rock, folk, and traditional music, with strong
influences from classical music of the 20th and 21st centuries. He has
written for choral, instrumental, and chamber ensembles, as well as
duets and smaller works for solo voices and instruments. He currently
resides in Newark, Delaware, where he studies music composition at the
University of Delaware. His works have been performed both throughout
the university’s campus and in communities throughout New Castle County.
His music can be found online at http://soundcloud.com/daniel-despins.
Zachary Ploeger Pipestone MN
Galactic Voyage
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Zachary Ploeger |
Trumpeter and Composer, Zachary Ploeger is a
promising up and coming musician. As a senior in high school, Zach began
to experiment in composition, having his first piece for band played
only months later. Zach now studies trumpet performance and composition
at Western Michigan University, one of the nations premier public
schools of music. Zachary’s primary teachers at Western are Scott
Thornberg, trumpet, and Dr. Richard Adams, composition.
As
a composer, Zach writes a wide range of works. His pieces are
frequently played on recitals and composers concerts at Western Michigan
University and in the surrounding Midwest area. Zach was recently named
a Minnesota Public Radio Finalist in their young composers contest.
Zach is also a published composer, having his pieces on the websites of
both J.W. Pepper and Sons, as well as Sheet Music Plus. He also
maintains a website where all of his pieces can be viewed, ordered, or
heard. Zach has studied composition with Dr. Richard Adams and Dr. Lisa
Coons and is a member of both The Society of Composers and ASCAP.
www.zacharyploeger.com
Weijun Chen Buffalo NY
Canoe
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Weijun Chen |
Weijun Chen (b. 1990) is a Chinese-American composer
of contemporary concert music. His music has been performed and read by
ensembles such as Eastman Wind Ensemble, Arditti Quartet (UK), TALEA
Ensemble, Momenta Quartet, Uusinta Ensemble (Finland), Deviant Septet,
Freya String Quartet, Cuong Vu Trio, Ensemble Son (Sweden), and
Either/OR, among others. A Presidential Fellow, Weijun is currently
pursuing his PhD at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where
he studies composition with David Felder. He has studied composition
with Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Lisa Bielawa, David Liptak, Carlos
Sanchez-Gutierrez, and Robert Morris. Weijun holds two BMs from the
Eastman School of Music in both composition and music theory (Highest
Distinction), as well as an Arts Leadership Certificate. For more
information, please visit http://www.weijunchen.com.
Hangrui Zhang Cincinnati OH
A Wild Runaway
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Hangrui Zhang |
Hangrui Zhang (b.1989) is a Chinese student composer.
Now, he is studying in College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) as a
third-year undergraduate student. Hangrui entered the world of music
much later than most of his contemporaries. At the age of 20, he found
his interest in music, and began his study as a beginner. During that
time, he studied music very independently, and often involving
self-teaching. After two-year music study and one-year English study, in
the year of 2012, he began his first formal music study in CCM. His
composition teachers include Jian Feng, Mara Helmuth, Douglas Knehans
and Michael Fiday. His music has been performed by such groups as the
Eurydice Quartet, the Donald Sinta Quartet, the CCM Chamber Players, and
by performers at the College-Conservatory of Music.
The American Prize in Composition—Chamber Music (student division)
YOUNG ARTIST CERTIFICATES:
Christopher Couling South Lyon MI
Apres un Reve
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Christopher Couling |
Christopher Couling attends South Lyon High School in
South Lyon, MI. He hopes to continue composing music throughout his
life, and is an avid supporter of melody. Chris can be contacted
a coulingmusic@gmail.com.
Brandon Rafal Epstein Dix Hills NY
Code-switch
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Brandon Rafal Epstein |
· Music Education:
-The Juilliard School, Private music composition student of Dr. Kyle Blaha, 2009-present.
-Piano (lessons and recitals), student of Robin Helfner: 2006-present.
-Viola (lessons and recitals), student of Siobhan Hohf: 2008-present.
· Orchestra:
-Gemini Youth Orchestra, Symphony (viola): 2014-present.
-Gemini Youth Orchestra, Philharmonia (viola): 2012-2014.
-Half Hollow Hills Cross Campus Chamber Orchestra (viola): 2013-present.
-Half Hollow Hills Symphony Orchestra (viola): 2014-present.
· Tri-M Music Honor Society: 2013-present.
· Performance History:
-Concerts
at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Gemini Youth Symphony Orchestra
(2015), Gemini Youth Philharmonia Orchestra (2013, 2014).
· Award History:
-Finalist in ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composers Award in 2014
-First Place Award and Overall Best Orchestra Award in Music in the Parks 2013 and 2014 Competitions.
Julia Riew St.Louis MO
Laughing Lake
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Julia Riew |
Julia Riew, 15, is a sophomore at John Burroughs
School. She started playing the violin at age four and studies with Joo
Kim at the Community Music School of Webster University (CMS). Julia
began composing at age 8 and recently has composed an orchestral piece
as well as a quartet piece, both of which were performed during concerts
at her school. Furthermore, Julia loves songwriting and has written
over a dozen songs as well her first musical this year.
Julia
currently sits as concertmaster of the John Burroughs Senior Orchestra.
Julia has also played in the Saint Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra and
four orchestras at CMS. She is honored to be the recipient of three
merit scholarships at the CMS. During her free time, Julia enjoys
singing, acting, playing the guitar and ukulele. She also enjoys
reading to preschool aged children in the Ready Readers Program.
Ben Vining Flagstaff AZ
Starry Night Over The Rhone
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Ben Vining |
Ben Vining is a young composer living in Flagstaff,
Arizona. A high school senior aged 16, The American Prize in Chamber
Music Composition is one of Mr. Vining's first major awards, for his set
of impressions for string quartet inspired by the van Gogh painting
"Starry Night Over The Rhone".
Mr. Vining enjoys writing concert music and performing as a cellist, but his ultimate goal is to write and stage opera.
In the fall, Ben will be attending Arizona State University to study music theory and composition.
***
Congratulations to all 2015 composition laureates.
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