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| Ernst Bacon |
The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David (Volosin) Katz, founder and chief judge, is pleased to announce FINALISTS for the ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, 2019-20, in the solo division. Congratulations! (An announcement of finalists in the ensemble division will be made separately.)
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.
"At The American Prize, there is never a set number of finalists in any category or division. We also try hard to not be about "winners" and "losers," but always seek to encourage excellence, creativity and imagination. That is one reason why we post the following statement with every finalist listing."—DK
If you are not a finalist this year, please remember that the contests are not yet over. The American Prize reserves the right to award Honorable Mentions and Citations for Special Achievement to any contestant, regardless of final placement. TAP has honored a number of semi-finalists and quarter finalists in the past--to recognize a unique talent or focus, unusual repertoire, vital programming or outreach. Citations and Honorable Mentions are usually awarded at the same time as winners and runners-up, but can be presented at any time up to the last winners' announcement of the contest year.
As the contests unfold, 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 the end of the contest year. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com
We invite 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.
REMINDER: Because of the current national and international situation, many rules have been changed and requirements eased to make it easier to apply for The American Prize 2020-21, In addition, we will accept applications from CLASSICAL VOCALISTS, PIANISTS, CHAMBER ENSEMBLES and INSTRUMENTAL SOLOISTS postmarked or emailed by the new extended deadline date of Monday, June 23, 2020. Applications from COMPOSERS, CONDUCTORS, STAGE DIRECTORS, CONDUCTED ENSEMBLES, ARTS MARKETERS and in the performance of American Music (BACON AWARD) will be accepted until Monday, July 20, 2020. Visit theamericanprize.org for complete contest information.
NATIONAL FINALISTS: The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, semi-finalists, PROFESSIONAL soloists or composers, 2019-20
Cayla Bellamy, bassoon
Cedar Falls IA
Jazz Variations (Larsen); Elegy and Dance (Davis); Deep (Shapiro)
Lisa Bryce, soprano
Brooklyn NY
Kiss Me Not Goodbye (Schuman); Po'Mo'ner (arr. Johnson); Compensation (Lloyd); Litany (Musto)
Luke Carlson, composer
Aether Eos
New York NY
Last Light, for violin and piano
Hyunjung Rachel Chung, piano
Roswell GA
My Cherished Garden—piano works by American Women Composers
(Higdon, Zwilich, Thomas, Park, Leon)
Alice Anne Light, mezzo-soprano
Lubbock TX
Abide with Me: 5 Songs of Love (Price Walden)
Susan Merdinger, piano
Highland Park IL
American Melting Pot
Pieces of China (Gould); Ballade in F-sharp minor (Vasquez); Piano Sonata (Aaron Alter); Toccata (Barilari)
Robert G. Patterson, composer
Rhodes College Mastersingers, Coro Rio, Memphis Symphony
MemphisTN
Requiem
Megan Roth, mezzo-soprano
Boston MA
Another Reason Why I Don't Keep a Gun in the House (Cipullo)
Wasting the Night (Wheeler)
Brutal Arithmetic (Case)
Kurt Sander, composer
PaTRAM Institute Singers
Chicago IL
The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
Jackie Schiffer, vocalist
New York NY
The Great American Songbook
Nolan Stolz, composer
Brno Philharmonic
Brno Czechoslovakia
Lincoln Highway Suite
Shiwei Wan, hip-hop/jazz fusion artist
APEX
Boston MA
Chemical Emotions
Ann Marie Wilcox-Daehn, mezzo-soprano
Elizabeth Avery, pianist
Springfield MO
Songs to the Moon (Heggie)
Heidi Louise Williams, piano
Tallahassee FL
Sonata for Piano, Op. 26 (Barber)
NATIONAL FINALISTS: The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, semi-finalists, COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY soloists or composers, 2019-20
Lindsay Bronnenkant, composer
Ann Arbor MI
Prayer of the Burdened
Cassidy Dixon, soprano
Newark DE
Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (Barber)
Martin Hebel, composer
CCM Wind Ensemble
CincinnatiOH
Tides Within
Dr. Terence G. Milligan, conductor
Annika Huprikar, pianist and composer
Deerfield IL
Ballade in F minor; Arabesque; Olympus
Young Jun Lee, composer
New Thread Saxophone Quartet
New York NY
Tsunami
Zachary Ploeger, composer
Tempe AZ
Sonata for Trumpet and Piano
Matt Ridge, composer
Bloomington IN
Small Talk (A Portrait of Social Skepticism)
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We invite 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 finalist in the (blank) division of The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, 2018-19. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing results 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.
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