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.
As the contests unfold, finalists, runners-up and winners will be selected from this list. 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.
All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until complete results in the contest are announced officially. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com
We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on their facebook page, tweeting the news, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.
The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD in the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, semi-finalists, PROFESSIONAL division, 2017-18
In most cases, and especially for those applicants who entered with multiple works, only the applicant, organization, city and state are listed.
Aaron Alter
New Mexico Bach Society Chorale
Santa Fe NM
Heather C. Barclay
Palomar/YPO Percussion Ensemble
San Diego CA
Mercury Rising—Nathan Daughtrey
Reuben Blundell
Gowanus Arts Ensemble
Brooklyn NY
Luke Cissell
New York NY
String Quintet—Luke Cissell
Nse Ekpo
Pazardjik Symphony Orchestra
Pazardjik Bulgaria
Lyric for Strings—George Walker
Richard Gordon Flauding
Richard Flauding Studio Orchestra
Arlington TX
Rebecca Grimes
Lone Star Lyric Opera
Houston TX
Michael S. Horwood
Sinfonia Varsovia
Warsaw Poland
Intravariations— Horwood
Roger McVey
pianist
Moscow ID
Suite From the Cloud Forest (1992)—Eric Ewazen
Ryan Murray
Townsend Opera
Modesto CA
Christopher Nichols
clarinet
Newark DE
Phoenix Park-Kim
Soprani Compagni
Marion IN
William Popp
composer, accordion
Denver CO
Sarah Richardson
soprano
Milwaukee WI
Peter Seivewright
Glasgow Scotland
Piano Sonata "Keltic"—MacDowell
Christine Steyer
soprano
Oak Park IL
Hainu Tan
composer
Ablaze Records
Boston MA
Nick Vasallo
Elevate Ensemble and ZOFO Duet
San Francisco CA
Ann Marie Wilcox-Daehn
Ann Maire Wilcox-Daehn and Elizabeth Avery
Springfield MO
The Forgotten Songs of Sergius Kagen
Rain Worthington
Missouri State University Symphony
Springfield MO
Giselle Wyers
Solaris Vocal Ensemble
Seattle WA
Judith Lang Zaimont
Elizabeth Moak, pianist
Hattiesburg MS
Sonata for Piano: Nocturne—La fin de siecle—Zaimont
The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD in the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, semi-finalists, COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY division, 2017-18
In most cases, and especially for those applicants who entered with multiple works, only the applicant, organization, city and state are listed.
Micheal Barnes
Norman OK
Tongue and Groove—Robert Paterson
Jennifer Bellor
UNLV Wind Orchestra
Las Vegas NV
Bordello Nights—Jennifer Bellor
Rod N. Chestnutt
FGCU Wind Orchestra
Fort Myers FL
Concertino for Tenor Saxaphone—James Hovlik
Jessica Crowell
Malone University Opera Theater
Canton OH
Beneath Suspicion—Jesse Ayers
Thomas Dickey
Oklahoma State University. Symphony Orchestra
Stillwater OK
Natalie Dietterich
Yale Camerata
New Haven CT
conversations with strangers—Natalie Dietterich
Natalie Dietterich
Yale Philharmonia
New Haven CT
aeolian dust—Natalie Dietterich
David Hahn
Eastman Repertory Singers
Rochester NY
Lynda Hasseler
Capital University Chapel Choir and Choral Union
Columbus OH
Jesse Henkensiefken
Kansas Wesleyan University String Orchestra
Salina KS
Strings and Threads Suite—Mark O'Connor
Stephen Heyde
Baylor Symphony Orchestra
Waco TX
Inmo Kang
University of SC Symphony Orchestra
West Columbia SC
Symphonette No. 2—Morton Gould
Christopher Kelts
Missouri State University Symphony
Springfield MO
Tracing a Dream—Rain Worthington
Chris Younghoon Kim
Cornell Orchestra
Ithaca NY
Clarinet Concerto—Joan Tower
William L. Lake, Jr.
University of NC at Greensboro Casella Sinfonietta Chamber Ensemble
Greensboro NC
Harris Malasky
NEC Symphonic Winds
Boston MA
Vaibhav Mohanty
Cambridge MA
Rhapsody No. 1—Vaibhav Mohanty
Zachary Ploeger
composer
Kalamazoo MI
Marguerite Richardson
Jacksonville University Orchestra
Jacksonville FL
Piano Concerto, Symphony No. 2—Howard Hanson
Corinne Rydman
San Francisco CA
Art Songs by Florence Price
Catherine Sailer
Universitty of Denver Lamont Chorale
Denver CO
Jennifer Trost
The PSU Piano Quartet
State College PA
Beethoven's Slippers: A Monodrama—Judith Cloud
Adam Waller
Peabody Wind Ensemble
Baltimore MD
Chris David Westover
Denison University New Music Ensemble
Granville OH
Chee Weng Yim
Frost Chamber Winds/Frost Wind Ensemble
Coral Gables FL
The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD in the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, semi-finalists, COMMUNITY division, 2017-18
In most cases, and especially for those applicants who entered with multiple works, only the applicant, organization, city and state are listed.
Donald L. Appert
Clark College Orchestra
Vancouver WA
Sacred Song Cycle—Appert
Donald L. Appert
Oregon Sinfonietta
Vancouver WA
Concerto for Viola and Orchestra—Appert
Patricia Brown
Texas Medical Center Orchestra
Houston TX
Appalachian Spring—Copland
Otter Dreaming
composer
Decorah IA
John B. Gordon / Thomas Rainey
Williamson County Symphony Orchestra
Round Rock TX
Gershwin & All That Jazz
William P. Gorton
Members of Philadelphia Orchestra & friends
NJ Master Chorale, Philadelphia Boys Choir
Haddonfield NJ
Darrell J. Jordan
Vox Nova
Columbia MO
Walter Morales
Edgewood Symphony Orchestra
Pittsburgh PA
Nicholas Simonelli
The Putnam Chorale, Ltd.
Carmel NY
Casey at the Bat—William Schuman
The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD in the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, semi-finalists, YOUTH & HIGH SCHOOL ORCHESTRA division, 2017-18
In most cases, and especially for those applicants who entered with multiple works, only the applicant, organization, city and state are listed.
Michael Isadore
Dulles HS Honors Orchestra
Sugar Land TX
Robert Truan
Decatur HS Wind Ensemble
Decatur GA
Robert Boardman
South Bend Youth Symphony
South Bend IN
Motown Dreamer—Jorge Muniz
Carolyn Watson
Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra
Interlochen MI
The Improvised Violin Concerto—Mark O'Connor
Carolyn Watson
Conservatorium HS Symphony
Sydney Australia
Star Wars Suite—John Williams
***
We invite semi-finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on their facebook page, tweeting the news, and including a link to this announcement on their 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 ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD in the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, 2017-18. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing finalists in my division soon. 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.
As these results are posted, each of us readers becomes more deeply aware of the breadth and depth of musicians and ensembles in America, encountering some we know and many we don’t. It’s such a valuable venue for celebrating and acknowledging what’s happening. Thank you, TAP!
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