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Ernst Bacon as a young man |
The American Prize wishes everyone safety and health during this difficult time.
The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David (Volosin) Katz, founder and chief judge, is honored to announce winners, runners-up, and honorable mentions of the ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, 2019-20, in the ensemble division. Congratulations! (An announcement in the solo division has been 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.
COVID EXTENSIONS: 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, application deadlines have been extended. We will accept applications from COMPOSERS, CLASSICAL VOCALISTS, PIANISTS, CHAMBER ENSEMBLES and INSTRUMENTAL SOLOISTS postmarked or emailed by Wednesday, October 14, 2020. Applications from CONDUCTORS, STAGE DIRECTORS, CONDUCTED ENSEMBLES, ARTS ADMINISTRATORS (arts marketing, arts education) and in the performance of American Music (BACON AWARD) will be accepted until Wednesday, October 14, 2020. Further extensions may be granted pending the most current information about the virus.
The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, PROFESSIONAL ensemble division, 2019-20
Oliver Caplan
Juventas New Music Ensemble
Boston MA
Shell & Wing (David Biedenbender)
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Juventas New Music Ensemble |
Since its founding in 2005, Juventas has performed the music of over 200 living composers. The ensemble has earned a reputation as a curator with a keen eye for new talent. It opens doors for composers with top-notch professional performances that present their work in the best possible light.
Recognition for the ensemble’s work includes the American Prize in Opera Performance and support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, and Boston Foundation. Juventas is featured on albums by Innova Recordings, Parma Records and New Dynamic Records, and has held residencies at Boston Conservatory, Harvard University, Longy School of Music, Middlebury College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Juventas has a storied history of dynamic collaboration with artists in other media, including dancers, painters, scientists, poets, puppeteers and robotics engineers. A leader in the field, Juventas also facilitates the Boston New Music Festival, a weeklong showcase of Boston’s contemporary music scene.
2nd Place:
Dean Whiteside
New World Symphony
Miami Beach FL
Chamber Symphony No. 2 (Arnold Schoenberg)
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Dean Whiteside |
Mr. Whiteside came to international attention after winning Second Prize and the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra Award at the Sixth International Competition of Young Conductors Lovro von Matačić. He has conducted orchestras including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, Juilliard Orchestra, Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier, Orlando Philharmonic, Polish Baltic Philharmonic, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Wiener Kammerorchester and Zagreb Philharmonic, as well as the Vanderbilt Orchestra on a five-city tour of China. Other awards include the 2017 Mahler Conducting Fellowship, Bruno Walter Memorial Foundation Conducting Scholarship, David Effron Conducting Fellowship at the Chautauqua Institution, Bayreuth Festival Scholarship, and David Rabin Performance Prize. He holds degrees from the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and Vanderbilt University.
3rd Place (there was a tie):
Tyson Deaton
US Army Soldiers' Chorus and Field Band
New York NY
The Falling and the Rising (Zach Redler/Jerre Dye)
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Tyson Deaton |
Frequently entrusted with new work development and premieres as a musical authority specifically with vocal and orchestral writing, Deaton conducted the world premiere of Zach Redler and Jerre Dye's The Falling and the Rising, co-commissioned by the United States Army Soldiers' Chorus and Field Band, and subsequent performances in New York City.
He joined San Francisco Opera for Sweeney Todd, soon followed by L'elisir d'amore at Opera Birmingham. Deaton has also worked with New York City Opera, American Modern Ensemble, Anchorage Opera, Atlanta Opera, Sarasota Opera, Opera Company of North Carolina, among many others.
Deaton made his Fort Worth Opera debut leading Cipullo's Glory Denied, which received much critical acclaim, along with the first professional recording of this work (Albany), rated “Best of 2013” (Washington Post), and one among “12 Best Full-Length Opera Recordings of 2014” (OperaNews).
Adept on the concert stage also as a pianist, Deaton has partnered with numerous artists including Denyce Graves, Michael Norsworthy, Talise Trevigne, Matthew Worth, Judith Kellock, Julie Landsman, Steven LaBrie, Matthew Grills, and Sherrill Milnes, at venues such as The John F. Kennedy Center and The Brooklyn Academy of Music. Tyson Deaton makes his home in New York City.
3rd Place (there was a tie):
Jason Lim
McKinney Philharmonic
McKinney TX
Three Latin American Sketches; Music for Movies (Copland)
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McKinney Philharmonic |
Known for his fine technique in performances and innovative programming, Jason began his conducting studies in Australia: first as an apprentice with the Canberra Youth Orchestra, and later as an Assistant Conductor with the Ku Ring Gai Philharmonic Orchestra in Sydney, a position that was awarded in conjunction with winning 1st Prize in the New South Wales Ministry of Arts Conducting Prize. Most recently, Jason won 1st Prize in the 2016-2017 the American Prize Competition for professional conductors. In 2015 Jason was the 2nd Prize Winner. Additionally, In 2016 Jason received the Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for excellence in performing American Music.
In 2010, Jason was among eight conductors selected to participate at the Ithaca International Conducting Workshop under the tutelage of Gustav Meier. Jason has also attended the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors in Maine. Jason remains an active performing violist, having performed with the Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra, Amarillo Symphony Orchestra, Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony of Malaysia, Australian National Opera Orchestra and Texas Baroque Ensemble. He served as conductor and educator for 10 years with the Abilene Summer Music Festival in conjunction with Hardin Simmons University, the Pan American Music Festival in Edinburgh Texas, as well as the Penang State Orchestra Workshop in Penang, Malaysia and serves as Artistic Director of the Summer Music Intensives in McKinney, TX since 2015. Jason currently also serves as Artistic Director of the Greater North Texas Youth Orchestra and is also Artistic Director of the Summer Music Intensives in McKinney, Texas.
Currently, Jason is the Artistic Director and conductor of the Odysseus North Texas Chamber Orchestra, a group he founded in 2012. In 2014 the orchestra was awarded second prize in the Professional Orchestra division of the American Prize Competition and third prize the previous year.
The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY ensemble division, 2019-20
The American Prize winner:
William B. Drury
New England Conservatory Symphonic Winds
Boston MA
Whitman Tropes (Richard Toensing)
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New England Conservatory Symphonic Winds |
2nd Place:
Carolyn Watson
University of Kansas Symphony Orchestra
Kansas City KS
Fanfare Ritmico (Jennifer Higdon)
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University of Kansas Symphony Orchestra |
3rd Place (there was a tie):
Dr. Eddie W. Airheart
The TCU Wind Symphony
Fort Worth TX
The Seven Deadly Sins (Robert Xavier Rodriguez)
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The TCU Wind Symphony |
Eddie W. Airheart earned his Doctoral of Musical Arts degree in Conducting at Texas Christian University, studying with Bobby R. Francis, Dr. Germán Gutiérrez and Dr. Christopher Aspaas. In August 2019, he was appointed Assistant Director of Bands/Professor of Music/Professor of Woodwinds at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas where he works extensively with both the Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band, as well as the over-200 member TJC Apache Marching Band.
Dr. Airheart has extensive experience with ensembles throughout his career and recent work at TCU and at TJC. He serves as Conductor-in-Residence for the Clear Creek Music Festival in Halfway, Oregon, and his wind band research has been presented for the College Band Directors National Association. He will be featured in Vol. XII of the “Teaching Music Through Performance in Band” series.
ENSEMBLE
Under the direction of Bobby R. Francis, the Texas Christian University Wind Symphony has established itself as one of the outstanding collegiate wind bands in America. Past performances of the ensemble include Fort Worth’s Bass Hall, New York’s Carnegie Hall, the prestigious 84th Annual Convention of the American Bandmasters Association, several National CBNDA Conferences as well as numerous performances at the Texas Music Educators Association annual convention.
COMPOSER
Robert Xavier Rodríguez is “one of the major American composers of his generation” (Texas Monthly). Born in 1946, Rodríguez received his musical education in San Antonio and in Austin (UT), Los Angeles (USC), Lenox (Tanglewood), Fontainebleau (Conservatoire Américain) and Paris. A student of Nadia Boulanger and others, Rodríguez first gained international recognition in 1971 when awarded the Prix de Composition Musicale Prince Pierre de Monaco. Rodriguez’s Tom Johanningmeier “The Seven Deadly Sins” was commissioned by the East Texas State University Wind Ensemble, Gary W. Hill, conductor, and premiered February 28, 1985 at the National CBDNA Convention in Boulder, Colorado.
3rd Place (there was a tie):
Scott Jones
Texas A&M University Kingsville Wind Symphony
KingsvilleTX
Innsmouth, Massachusetts—1927 (Roy D. Magnuson)
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Texas A&M University Kingsville Wind Symphony |
This distinguished ensemble has been recognized for its outstanding performances at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention in 1993, 2001, 2006, 2010 and 2019, and at the 2002 College Band Directors National Association Southwest Division Conference in Houston. In recent years, the ensemble has developed a tradition of commissioning new works by composers such as Joseph Schwantner, Frank Ticheli, James Syler, Zhou Tian, Jess Langston Turner, Roy Magnuson, and others.
Finalist Honorable Mention:
Daniel Cook
Northwestern University Chamber Ensemble
Evanston IL
Appalachian Spring
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Daniel Cook |
Daniel graduated magna cum laude with his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. There, he was also recognized as a Theodore Presser Scholar. Daniel holds his Master of Music degree in Conducting from Northwestern University.
Prior to his arrival in Evanston, Daniel taught in the public schools in Florida. His students have enjoyed success, earning superior ratings at district and state solo, small ensemble, and large group performance festivals. His ensembles have performed at the FMEA In-Service Conference and the Music for All National Concert Band Festival.
Daniel is an active clinician and guest conductor. Daniel is currently the assistant brass caption at the Phantom Regiment and has previously served on staff at the Blue Knights. During his time in Florida, he was a member of the Florida Bandmasters Association, chairing marching and concert band events. Additionally, he served as staff pianist and organist at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Daytona Beach His professional affiliations include NAfME, NBA, CBDNA, and Kappa Kappa Psi, and Phi Mu Alpha.
Finalist Honorable Mention:
Michael Hancock
University of Oklahoma Wind Symphony
Norman OK
Urban Requiem; Labyrinth of Love (Michael Colgrass/Michael Daugherty)
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Michael Hancock |
Dr. Hancock enjoys a diverse career that spans the United States and Europe, and is active in conducting professional and educational ensembles. As the Music Director of the Heidelberg Arts Ensemble in Germany, he conducted and oversaw a multifaceted ensemble presenting concerts throughout Europe. His commitment to the performance of new music have been praised by prominent contemporary composers including Michael Colgrass, Michael Daugherty, Paul Dooley, Joel Puckett, Steven Bryant, and Walter Mays. He continues his commitment for advocating an artful music education, and frequently serves as a guest conductor and clinician throughout the United States and Europe.
The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, COMMUNITY ensemble division, 2019-20
The American Prize winner:
Michael Driscoll
Andover Choral Society
Andover MA
Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight (Florence Price)
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Andover Choral Society |
Florence Price (1887-1953) was the first African-American woman to be recognized as a symphony composer and to have a composition played by a major orchestra. In 2009, a substantial collection of her works and papers was found in an abandoned house on the outskirts of Chicago, Illinois. Among these works was Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight, a 30-minute work for chorus, soloists, and accompaniment, set to a poem by Vachel Lindsay. Price left two versions of this work: one for orchestra and organ and the other for piano. From Price’s unpublished manuscript, Dr. Driscoll prepared a new performing edition of the piano version for this performance. This recording is believed to be the first recording of this version of Price’s work.
2nd Place:
Matthew Melendez
Great Bend Chorale & Youth Chorale
Union WA
Borders (John Muehleisen)
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Great Bend Chorale & Youth Chorale |
Imagine being visited by an entirely different race of people who look and dress very differently, wielding completely alien technology and an unrecognizable language – and choosing to sing a song of welcome to them! This was the response of several tribal communities from the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state upon first contact with European explorers. The Salish knew that making music meant making community; that singing illuminates all that we have in common.
Commissioned for the Great Bend Chorale’s Carnegie Hall debut, American composer John Muehleisen’s cantata Borders draws from many of the constituent cultures that make up the American tapestry. Scored for soprano solo, adult choir, children’s chorus, strings, piano, and percussion, and beginning with a Salish song of welcome, Muehleisen weaves together European, African, Asian, and Middle Eastern folk songs with settings of the poetry of Emma Lazarus, Brian Bilston, and Alberto Ríos in a powerful and moving musical journey that explores the historical roots of immigration and the modern relevance of America’s identity as the great melting pot.
3rd Place (there was a tie):
Donald L. Appert
Clark College Orchestra
Vancouver WA
Symphony No. 2 (David Diamond)
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Clark College Orchestra |
New music has been a consistent part of the programming: Amanda Harberg’s Viola Concerto with Brett Deubner who commissioned the work, Eric Ewazen’s Palmetto Suite for Alto Trombone and Orchestra composed for Ronald Barron, Principal Trombonist of the Boston Symphony and the Clark College Orchestra, Matt Doran’s Variations for Orchestra, and Symphony No. 5 works commissioned by the Clark College Orchestra.
3rd Place (there was a tie):
Erik Peregrine
Ensemble Companio
Northeastern US
Wonderous Glow; The New Colossus; Hard Times (Valverde; Choi; Foster)
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Ensemble Companio |
Ensemble Companio takes its name from a Latin form of “companion”, the etymology of which is “one with whom one shares bread.” The name reflects the musicians’ belief that sharing in choral music, like the sharing of food, is an essential, nourishing, and healing experience. With rehearsals and performances distributed throughout Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and other locations along the eastern seaboard, Ensemble Companio attracts a diverse community of highly dedicated, exemplary musicians from a variety of professions who are unified in their passion for the power of choral singing.
The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, YOUTH/SCHOOL ensemble division, 2019-20
The American Prize winner:
Wes Kenney
Denver Young Artists Orchestra
Denver CO
Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman #4 (Joan Tower)
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Denver Young Artists Orchestra |
The mission of the Denver Young Artists Orchestra Association (DYAO) is to provide the finest possible youth orchestra programs, inspiring and educating young musicians through the performance of great works of music, and offering valuable cultural opportunities to the community. For thirty-nine years, DYAO has nurtured the talents of the Rocky Mountain region’s finest young musicians. Today, the organization’s five orchestras and group strings classes train nearly 250 students ages seven to twenty-three annually.
Wes Kenney has been the Music Director and Conductor for the Young Artists Orchestra since 2013. In the past two seasons, DYAO has received the Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts as well as The American Prize for performance of American music.
2nd Place:
Michael Isadore
John Foster Dulles HS Honors Orchestra
Sugar Land TX
Supermaximum (Kenji Bunch)
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Michael Isadore |
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.
3rd Place:
Dr. Michael G. Martin
Hilliard Darby Symphonic Choir
Hilliard OH
Great God Almighty; Angelus Ad Virginem; Peace Like a River (Stacey G. Gibbs/ Carol Barnett/ Mack Wilberg)
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Hilliard Darby Symphonic Choir |
While at Ohio State, Martin had the opportunity to study with and serve as accompanist for Robert Shaw. He has performed/conducted major concerts throughout Germany, Switzerland, Austria, England, Italy, France, and has appeared on the BBC network.
He serves as Director of Music for New Albany Methodist Church and is called upon as clinician and commissioned composer for honor choirs and festivals.
The Hilliard Darby Symphonic Choir is a mixed, auditioned choir, relentless in its quest for vocal excellence. Conducted by Dr. Michael G. Martin and assisted by Mrs. Hannah Sterman-Wilson, the group continually ranks as one of the top choral programs in the country, receiving top ratings in local and international competitions. Whether singing in Salisbury Cathedral, or receiving superior ratings at adjudicated events, this group pursues its craft, putting teamwork, technique, and musicality at the forefront. Symphonic has performed multiple times for OMEA Conferences and have performed for two ACDA Central Division Conventions. In addition, they have worked with notable conductors, such as Dr. Donald Neuen, Eric Whitacre, Dr. Ann Howard Jones, Professor James Gallagher, and Dr. Craig Jessop.
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Congratulations!