Winners: COMPOSERS (shorter choral works), 2019-20

June 8, 2020, 3:00 pm

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Donald Skirvin

Donald Skirvin studied music at the Jordan Conservatory of Music, Indianapolis, and at Indiana University, Bloomington. He is a member of ASCAP, and his music is available through J. W. Pepper, SMP Press, Yelton Rhodes Music, and as self-published works. He is Resident Composer Emeritus for The Esoterics, a position he assumed after fifteen years as their Resident Composer. His choral music is available on eleven CDs, many of which are available from Naxos of America. Featured composer in the prestigious PROJECT:ENCORE catalog of juried works, recipient of National Endowment for the Arts grants, ArtsWA funding, and numerous commissions from both local and national ensembles, his music has been described as “rich in imagery wrought by imaginative use of harmony and apt, sensitive text-setting . . . gorgeous music that speaks well for this composer's facility with voices. . . meaningful, beautiful, heartfelt, (and) technically superb.” More information at www.donaldmskirvin.com

2nd Place:
Bruce Babcock
Pasadena CA
Be Still

Bruce Babcock

Bruce Babcock is an Emmy-winning composer who has been successful in both film and television, and the concert hall. Babcock holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in music composition from California State University, Northridge. Babcock’s mentors in Hollywood included Hugo Friedhofer, Paul Glass, and Earle Hagen.

Bruce's music has been performed at Carnegie Hall and Boston Metro Opera, and recorded by The Crossing, the Debussy Trio, Juliana Gondek, Doug Masek, and the Altius and Armadillo string quartets, and performed by Hila Plitmann, the Antioch Ensemble, the Donald Brinegar Singers, the Haga Motettkör of Göteborg, Sweden, the Space Coast Symphony, and at the Santa Barbara Chamber Music Festival and the Beverly Hills International Music Festival, as well as inside the dome of the 100-inch telescope at Mount Wilson Observatory. His music is included on six different albums on the Navona/Parma Recordings label.

3rd Place (there was a tie):
Oliver Caplan
Medford   MA
We Exist

Oliver Caplan

Award-winning American composer Oliver Caplan writes melodies that nourish our souls, offering a voice of hope in an uncertain world. Inspired by the resiliency of the human spirit and beauty of the natural world, his music celebrates stories of social justice, conservation and community.

Mr. Caplan’s works have been performed in over 125 performances nationwide. He has been commissioned by the Atlanta Chamber Players, Bella Piano Trio, Bronx Arts Ensemble, Brookline Symphony Orchestra, Columbia University Wind Ensemble and New Hampshire Master Chorale, among others. Winner of a Special Citation for the American Prize in Orchestral Composition, additional recognitions include two Veridian Symphony Competition Wins, the Fifth House Ensemble Competition Grand Prize, seven ASCAP Awards, and fellowships at VCCA and the Brush Creek Foundation. Recordings of Mr. Caplan’s music include his 2017 release You Are Not Alone, which has been featured on Apple Music’s Classical A-list, 2012 debut album Illuminations and a track on the Sinfonietta of Riverdale’s 2016 album New World Serenade (Albany Records).

Mr. Caplan is the Artistic Director of Juventas New Music Ensemble. He holds degrees from Dartmouth College and the Boston Conservatory, is a voting member of the Recording Academy, and resides in Medford, Massachusetts.

3rd Place (there was a tie):
Stacey Philipps
Portland OR
Sudden Light

Stacey Philipps

Stacey Philipps writes music exploring the human experience and the timbre of voices and instruments in minute, exposed detail and vibrant, sweeping gestures. A lifelong choral singer, Philipps is an early- and new-music devotee, and she sings with the Oregon Repertory Singers. Her vocal interests extend to a love of composing choral music and art song, as well as collaborating with solo instrumentalists and chamber music ensembles.

A sometime pianist and frequent dabbler in playing underappreciated instruments – Philipps has an accordion, mountain dulcimer, ukulele, and banjo and pines for a harpsichord, viola da gamba, and all the crotales – she holds degrees in music composition from Portland State University and in philosophy from St. John’s College, Santa Fe. She is a member of the American Composers Forum, the National Association of Composers, Cascadia Composers, and ASCAP and is the proprietor of Sirensong Publishing, the sole distributor of her work at www.staceyphilipps.com.

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Gerald Gurss
St. Paul MN
Chris & Gabe

Gerald Gurss

Dr. Gerald Gurss, native Kansan, received his Bachelor’s degree in voice at Emporia State University and his master’s degree in voice from Miami University, where he studied with William Bausano and Ethan Sperry. Gerald received his DMA in choral conducting from the University of South Carolina, where he studied with Dr. Larry Wyatt and Dr. Alicia Walker. His research focus is the inclusion and pedagogy of transgender singers in the choral rehearsal. From 2008-2018, Gerald resided in Charlotte, NC where he served as the artistic director for One Voice Chorus (Charlotte’s LGBT chorus).

Gerald has been commissioned by groups such as: One Voice Charlotte, The Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte, Providence United Methodist Church (Charlotte, NC, Turtle Creek Chorale (TX), Sine Nomine (Denver, CO), the University of South Carolina Women's Chorus, and Portland State University. Currently, Gerald serves as the artistic director for the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus.

The American Prize in Composition—Choral octavos (student division), 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
Christian Jesse
Dallas TX
Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis

Christian Jesse

Christian James Jesse (b.1994) is a composer who has a passion for writing in all mediums. As of Spring 2019, Christian has composed for various ensembles, musicians, video games and film.

Recently, Christian was awarded the Student Composer-in-Residence for the SMU-Irving Symphony Orchestra’s 2018-2019 season. Earlier in 2018, Christian participated in the Choral Arts Initiative Premiere|Project Festival. Christian has received awards and scholarships such as 1st place in the 2016 Wisconsin Alliance for Composers' Student Composer Competition, the 2017 Spring UWO Concerto Competition for Composition, the 2019 SMU Roy and Sue Johnson Award, and the 2016 UWO Edna and Judson Loomis Prize in Music.

Christian is pursuing his M.M. in Composition at Southern Methodist University, studying under Dr. Robert Frank and Dr. Kevin Hanlon. Christian received his B.A. in Music Composition at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh under the guidance of Dr. Eric Barnum, Dr. Ed Martin, and Dr. John Mayrose.

2nd Place:
Chung Hon Michael Cheng
Sugar Land TX
Veritas: Through the Centuries

Chung Hon Michael Cheng

Hong Kong-born Chung Hon Michael Cheng started piano at age four and composing around age six. Since coming to the U.S. in 2006, his mentors have included Prof. Robert Kyr and Dr. Ann Witherspoon.

Cheng was the third-place student winner of the 2018 American Prize in Choral Composition. He was also the national winner of the 2012 Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Composition Competition and the 2011/2014 national runner-up. In 2016, he was awarded the Hugh F. MacColl Prize in Music Composition by Harvard’s Music Department, and in 2017, his Cavatine was selected for PBS’s Poetry in America. He also earned the Licentiate of Trinity College London (LTCL) in Music Composition with Distinction in 2013. Major performances have included the Grammy-awarded Parker Quartet, the Antioch Chamber Ensemble, and the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, as well as the Harvard Commencement Choir. Cheng graduated from Harvard College in 2019 and currently attends MIT.

3rd Place:
Nicolas Chuaqui
Rochester NY
Pater, si non potest

Nicolas Chuaqui

Praised for its "sharp and precise imagery," the music of Nicolas Chuaqui has been recognized for its interest and imagination.

His acoustic music has been heard at many prominent showcases for young composers, such as June in Buffalo, and has been performed by such well-recognized ensembles as the Arditti Quartet and The Crossing. His music incorporating electronic media has been featured at several important venues, such as the International Computer Music Conference, New York City Electroacousic Music Festival, and Diffrazioni Multimedia Festival (Florence, Italy). His vocal and operatic music has been awarded by various organizations, and his first opera, The Forest of Dreams, was premiered in a fully-staged production by New Voices Opera in 2016.

In addition to composition, Chuaqui is very active as a vocalist and as a pianist. He is also a teaching assistant at the Eastman School of Music, where he teaches music theory and composition.

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Elisa K. Johnson
Seattle   WA
As I Journey Through My Life

Elisa K. Johnson

Elisa Johnson is in 8th grade and lives in the Pacific Northwest. She began playing the piano when she was five and composing when she was nine. She joined the Northwest Girlchoir (NWGC) in third grade. In 2017, it performed her first choral composition, Dreams are Here. In June 2019, the NWGC performed another piece by Elisa: As I Journey Through My Life.

Last year, Elisa was one of ten local young composers selected to participate in the Seattle Symphony’s Merriman Family Young Composers Workshop, where students are invited to work on all aspects of composing, including writing themes, learning orchestration and preparing a final score with parts. The 12-week composition course culminates in a chamber concert of their own world premieres, performed by Seattle Symphony musicians.

Elisa also plays the erhu, a two-stringed Chinese instrument and when time permits, performs with the Seattle Chinese Orchestra.

***

Congratulations!

↧

Winners: COMPOSERS (instrumental chamber music), 2019-20

June 9, 2020, 2:00 pm

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The American Prize wishes everyone safety and health during this difficult time.

The American PrizeNational Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David (Volosin) Katz, chief judge, is honored to announce the winners, runners-up and honorable mentions of The American Prize in Composition, 2019-20, instrumental chamber music division. Congratulations!

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

QUICKNOTES: Although The American Prize does not usually provide written evaluations to semi-finalists, some semi-finalist composers will receive in their certificate packets short comments, suggestions or overall impressions made during the judging. We hope they will prove valuable. All finalists receive written evaluations from a member of The American Prize judging panel.

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.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize in Composition—(instrumental chamber music) professional division, 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
Jakub Polaczyk
Cliffside Park NJ
OJIBBEWAY

Jakub Polaczyk

Jakub Polaczyk (b.1983) is a New York City based Polish composer. Jakub is currently teaching at the New York Conservatory of Music and since 2018 he has been also appointed a New Music Director of the Chopin and Friends Festival in New York where he is directing the “New Vision International Composition Competition” and since 2018 associated with IMONY organization as a composer and orchestrator.  Jakub obtained his Artist Diploma in Composition at Carnegie Mellon University (2013). He obtained his Master in Music Composition from the Academy of Music in Cracow, Poland (2010). His teachers were: Reza Vali, M. Chyrzynski, K. Penderecki, M. Choloniewski, Jan van Landeghem. In 2009 he also graduated with M.A. and B.A in Musicology from the Jagiellonian University of Cracow. His compositions were performed and premiered at many new music festivals around the world in: 10 countries in Europe, in Asia: Japan, China, South Korea, 16 states in the US including a couple of performances at the Carnegie Hall in NY. He achieved many accolades and scholarships for his music as: recently winning 4th SIMC International Composition Competition for Harpsichord at the Castello Sforesco in Milano (2019), winning Moniuszko Composition in Poland (2018), accolades on the A. Schnittke in Russia (2018), MACRO Contest in Madison (2018) and American Prize in Composition(2017). Moreover his music got first prizes on the: Iron Composition Instant Competition in USA(2013), Polish Composers Society Baird Award in Poland (2013), Orion Orchestral Contest in London(2010), Polish Music Publisher Competition (2007), John Paul II Days (2008) in Poland and many others. For his achievements he received artistic scholarship from the Minister of Culture of Poland (2013), Mayor of the City of Krakow(2010) and the Sapere Auso Foundation(2007, 2009). In 2019 he was nominated and ranked fourth for the Szaflarska Award in Arts: "Great-Global-Local" in Southern Poland.

Jakub is a music pedagogue and Steinway & Sons teaching partner. As a pianist he collaborated with many instrumentalists and singers such as: legendary cellist - Christine Valevska, Naya Rodriquez - student of Luciano and Placido Domingo, violinist Pei - Wen, clarinetist Ivan Ivanov, ballet companies in Poland and NY and a few contemporary ensembles in New York. Jakub’s works are published by PWM, Feniks, and Euterpe in Poland, online by Babel Scores and Aromics and are released by Ablaze Records.

2nd Place:
Tyler Goodrich White
Lincoln   NE
Three Views From The Mountain

Tyler Goodrich White

Tyler Goodrich White is Professor of Composition and Conducting at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is Composer-in-Residence with Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, White was raised there and in Manhattan, Kansas. White was educated at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and at Cornell University, with additional study at the University of Copenhagen and the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau. His principal teachers of composition have included Pulitzer Prize winners Steven Stucky and Karel Husa, as well as Niels Viggo Bentzon, and Roger Hannay. As a composer, Tyler White has received commissions from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra, and numerous other organizations. Other honors include awards and grants from ASCAP, BMI, American Music Center, The MacDowell Colony, the Omaha Symphony, Tulane University, Indiana State University, and the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau (Prix Maurice Ravel).

White also maintains an active career as a conductor: a protégé of the late Maestro Robert Shaw, White has served as Director of Orchestras at Nebraska since 1994. Under White’s direction, the UNL Symphony has been recognized as one of America’s outstanding collegiate orchestras; UNL opera productions conducted by him have twice won awards from the Waterford International Festival of Light Opera (Ireland) and three times from the National Opera Association. From 2000 to 2019 , White also served as Resident Conductor of Lincoln's Symphony Orchestra, having previously served as director of orchestras at Cornell University and at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

3rd Place: (there was a tie):
Gustavo Casenave
Astoria NY
Balance

Gustavo Casenave

Gustavo Casenave is a Four-time Latin GRAMMY® Nominee for Best Contemporary Classical Composition, Steinway Artist, Global Music Awards Gold Medal Winner, Uruguayan pianist and composer, based in New York City. He has performed worldwide, collaborated and recorded with artists as diverse as: Yo-Yo Ma, Bette Midler, Eddie Gomez, John Patitucci, Robert Duvall, Mark Egan, Neil Sedaca, Paquito D’ Rivera and the 12 cellist of the Berlin Philharmonic among many others. With 33 albums as a solo artist, he received the 2013 Con Edison Composers Residency Award, a 2013 New Music USA Grant, and “Belgian Artistic Promotion Award” Europe Jazz Contest 1999. He directed and performed in almost every major Tango show in the US, including Forever Tango, Tango Fire and Eternal Tango Orchestra among others. He is a former Jazz Department Director at the Harbor Conservatory, in addition to giving Master Classes at Juilliard, Oberlin, Eastman and Yale University.

3rd Place: (there was a tie):
Kyle Vanderburg
Fargo ND
Earmarks

Kyle Vanderburg

Composer Kyle Vanderburg (b. 1986) grew up in southeast Missouri where the Ozark foothills meet the Mississippi River valley. Raised on southern gospel and American hymnody, his music tries to walk the line between eliciting nostalgia and devising innovative sonic worlds. His electronic works often play with familiar sounds in new contexts, his acoustic works feature catchy melodies and too many time signatures. He holds degrees from Drury University (BA) and the University of Oklahoma (MM, DMA), and has studied under composers Carlyle Sharpe, Marvin Lamb, Konstantinos Karathanasis, and Roland Barrett. He has participated in composition masterclasses with David Maslanka, Chris Brubeck, Benjamin Broening, and others. When not composing, Kyle runs the musical workshop NoteForge. He'd be delighted if you checked out KyleVanderburg.com to learn more.

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Bruce Babcock
Pasadena CA
The Present Moment

Bruce Babcock

Bruce Babcock is an Emmy-winning composer who has been successful in both film and television, and the concert hall. Babcock holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in music composition from California State University, Northridge. Babcock’s mentors in Hollywood included Hugo Friedhofer, Paul Glass, and Earle Hagen.

Bruce's music has been performed at Carnegie Hall and Boston Metro Opera, and recorded by The Crossing, the Debussy Trio, Juliana Gondek, Doug Masek, and the Altius and Armadillo string quartets, and performed by Hila Plitmann, the Antioch Ensemble, the Donald Brinegar Singers, the Haga Motettkör of Göteborg, Sweden, the Space Coast Symphony, and at the Santa Barbara Chamber Music Festival and the Beverly Hills International Music Festival, as well as inside the dome of the 100-inch telescope at Mount Wilson Observatory. His music is included on six different albums on the Navona/Parma Recordings label.

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Jennifer Margaret Barker
Newark DE
Na Tri Peathraichean

Jennifer Margaret Barker

Described as “a composer of profound sensibility”, Jennifer Margaret Barker has received performances of her compositions on six continents. Her compositions have been performed by orchestras such as the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and the Virginia Symphony; chamber and choral ensembles such as Orchestra 2001, Network for New Music, Vocal de Cámara Platense and Bearsden Choir; and an extensive list of international artists including Martin Jones. Recent international festivals in which her music has been featured include Malta’s Victoria International Arts Festival, Brazil’s Festival Internacional Compositores de Hoje, and America’s Festival Mozaic. Her compositions have been broadcast on American, Hong Kong and Swedish public radio, and the BBC. Published by Boosey & Hawkes, Theodore Presser, Southern Percussion, Vanderbeek & Imrie, and McKenna-Keddie, Barker’s compositions have been released on the Naxos, New World Records, Composers Recordings Inc., Meyer Media, and PnOVA labels. www.jennifermargaretbarker.com

The American Prize in Composition—(instrumental chamber music) student division, 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
Chris Shelton
Windermere FL
Serpent Mound

Chris Shelton

Chris Shelton is an internationally performed composer and teacher of guitar and music theory. His music has been performed by ensembles such as: PHACE, the SOLI Chamber Ensemble, and Quinteto Pierrot. He is currently a doctoral student in composition at the University of Florida and has earned a Bachelor of Music degree in composition from Berklee College of Music and a Master of Music degree in Theoretical Studies from New England Conservatory. His composition and theory teachers include:   Pozzi Escot, John Bavicchi, Roger Graybill, and Vuk Kulenovic. Additional studies with: Justin Dello Joio, George Tsontakis, and Oliver Weber. He has had works performed in South America, Europe, and throughout the United States. As a founding member of the Boston-based composers’ group Aggregate he has had pieces, ranging from solo piano to string orchestra, performed in and around the Boston area and in New York.

2nd Place:
Daniel Whitworth
Highland Park IL
Ripples in Infinity

Daniel Whitworth

Daniel Whitworth (b. 1996) is an award-winning composer and saxophonist dedicated to expanding the relevancy and accessibility of contemporary music. He is working towards a bachelor’s degree from Lawrence Conservatory of Music where he studies primarily with composer Asha Srinivasan and saxophonist Steven Jordheim. Daniel is the recipient of several awards, most recently winning the Lake George Music Festival Composition Competition where he was invited to serve as the composer-in-residence for the 2019 season, and the first prize winner of both the 2018 Frost International Composition Competition and the 2018 Wisconsin Alliance for Composers Composition Contest. As a saxophonist, Daniel frequently collaborates with dancers, visual artists, and actors to give his performances depth and purpose, and he has performed extensively throughout the United States. Please visit DanielWhitworthMusic.com for more information on Daniel's recent projects and compositions.

3rd Place:
Ming-Jui Liu
Arcadia CA
Mirror of the Sunshine, op. 3

Ming-Jui Liu

Besides his performance career as a classical guitarist, Ming-Jui Liu is a prolific arranger and has published several arrangements for solo guitar and chamber music in important publications, including Gendai Guitar magazine in Japan and Taiwan Guitar Society. As a composer, Ming-Jui’s The Magic Hour, Passacaglia: A Song for the Ropewalker, Monologue No. 1: Leaf, Me, and Mirror of the Sunshine have been published by Canadian publishing house Doberman-Yppan. Ming-Jui studied harmony, composition, and arrangement with Wen-Chuan Hu, Howie Kenty, and João Luiz Rezende Lopes. Currently, Ming-Jui is pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts at Stony Brook University under the tutelage of guitarist and lutenist Jerry Willard.
https://www.mingjuiliuguitarist.com/
https://www.facebook.com/mingjuiliuguitarist/

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Daniel Farrell
Brooklyn NY
Puppet Show

Daniel Farrell

Daniel Farrell (b. 1996) is a composer, arranger, and conductor living in New York, NY. Daniel is a Master’s of Music in Screen Scoring candidate at the prestigious New York University Steinhardt program where he studies privately with Dr. Paul Chihara and Michael Patterson. Daniel earned his Bachelor’s of Music in Music Composition and Theory at Jacksonville University (’18) where he studied with Dr. Jianjun He and George “Tony” Steve. His concert work has seen festival performances across the globe, and he has studied with several notable composers including Donald Crockett, Christopher Dobrian, and Amy Beth Kirsten. Daniel has worked on several award-winning films including Paternitas (dir. Daney Kang), Eight Hundred (dir. Emerson Duggan), and A Happy Smile (dir. Patrick Farrell & Michael Csorba) among others. His music is performed on concerts around the United States and is always described as sounding like an “instant classic”.
www.danielfarrellmusic.com

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Joseph Foster Harkins
Middletown PA
Mountain Streams of Consciousness

Joseph Foster Harkins

Joseph Foster Harkins (b. 1995, Harrisburg, PA) is a composer of stylistically diverse contemporary concert music for audiences that “will be truly impressed” (Press & Journal). He crafts evocative and highly expressive works that feature unique conceptions, textural and contrapuntal vitality, inventive formal ingenuity, and prominent lyricism. His music been performed and disseminated by esteemed ensembles and performers across North America, most recently including violist Michael Hall, Unheard-of//Ensemble, F-Plus, and with members of Fifth House at the Fresh Inc Festival. Mr. Harkins will make his record label debut in 2019 through Centaur Records on the compilation disc Polychrome. https://www.josephfosterharkins.com

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Elisa K. Johnson
Seattle WA
Shine

Elisa K. Johnson

Zachary Ploeger

Zachary S. Ploeger is quickly emerging as one of the most promising musicians of his generation. As an active conductor, trumpeter, and composer, he is constantly in demand. At 24 years of age, he has already performed for audiences all around the world.
 
Zach is currently pursuing a doctorate in trumpet performance at the University of Minnesota where he holds a Music Fellowship and studies with Professor Marissa Benedict. He recently completed a master's degree at Arizona State University where he was the Rafael Mendez Scholar in Brass. At ASU he studied with Regents Professor David Hickman, one of the most highly regarded trumpet pedagogues of all time. Zachary also holds undergraduate degrees in trumpet performance and composition from Western Michigan University, where he graduated summa cum laude. At WMU, Zach studied with Professor Scott Thornburg, trumpet, and Dr. Richard Adams, composition.
 
Zachary has received numerous awards and accolades. Among them are five “American Prize” awards for excellence in the field of music composition. He is also frequently commissioned and his works regularly performed. Recent engagements include the Mivos String Quartet, the Western Michigan University Symphonic Band, the International Trumpet Guild, and many prominent soloists. A CD of his own original trumpet works composed and performed by Zachary has been released. And an album of standard trumpet repertoire is currently in progress.

***
Congratulations!

↧

Winners: COMPOSERS (orchestral music), 2019-20

June 10, 2020, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Finalists: BACON AWARD (AMERICAN MUSIC) soloists and composers, 2019-20

≪ Previous: Winners: COMPOSERS (instrumental chamber music), 2019-20

Tyler Goodrich White

Tyler Goodrich White is Professor of Composition and Conducting at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is Composer-in-Residence with Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, White was raised there and in Manhattan, Kansas. White was educated at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and at Cornell University, with additional study at the University of Copenhagen and the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau. His principal teachers of composition have included Pulitzer Prize winners Steven Stucky and Karel Husa, as well as Niels Viggo Bentzon, and Roger Hannay. As a composer, Tyler White has received commissions from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra, and numerous other organizations. Other honors include awards and grants from ASCAP, BMI, American Music Center, The MacDowell Colony, the Omaha Symphony, Tulane University, Indiana State University, and the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau (Prix Maurice Ravel).

White also maintains an active career as a conductor: a protégé of the late Maestro Robert Shaw, White has served as Director of Orchestras at Nebraska since 1994. Under White’s direction, the UNL Symphony has been recognized as one of America’s outstanding collegiate orchestras; UNL opera productions conducted by him have twice won awards from the Waterford International Festival of Light Opera (Ireland) and three times from the National Opera Association. From 2000 to 2019 , White also served as Resident Conductor of Lincoln's Symphony Orchestra, having previously served as director of orchestras at Cornell University and at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

2nd Place (there was a tie):
Leanna Primiani
Santa Monica CA
1001

Leanna Primiani

For award-winning composer Leanna Primiani, her signature modern classical aesthetic is distinguished by a seamless fusion of synthetic and organic instrumentation where it’s often hard to distinguish pure orchestral passages from electronic-based motivic movements.

Leanna’s concert catalog has been embraced internationally including performances at the Nashville Symphony, the Cabrillo and Aspen Music Festivals, the Ensemble Aventure Freiburg (Germany), and the Centre de Création Musicale Iannis Xenakis.

Informing her compositional work is her distinguished background as a conductor, having conducted for the LA Opera, National Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Dallas Opera Orchestra, California Opera Association the Central California Ballet.

Leanna currently lives in Santa Monica, and earned a DMA in composition from USC. She's studied with Leonard Slatkin and Peter Eötvös, among others. 2019 saw the debut of 1001 for Orchestra and Prerecorded Electronics in Seattle and will release a clarinet and electronic album fall 2019. Visit leannaprimiani.com for more information.

2nd Place (there was a tie):
Maxim Samarov
Harvey LA
Ars moriendi

Maxim Samarov

Maxim Samarov was born in Moscow, Russia in a family of musicians and started his music studies at the age of five. He studied cello at Junior College of the Moscow Conservatory and later at Jerusalem Music Academy and Southern Methodist University, and performed extensively as a cello soloist, chamber music player and orchestra member in Russia, Europe, Israel, and the United States. He studied orchestral conducting at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Michigan State University, in addition to extensive studies with Kenneth Kiesler in summer workshops and privately. Dr. Samarov is currently the orchestra director at Tulane University, where he also teaches music theory, orchestration, and conducting. He has previously held faculty positions with St. Cloud State University (MN) and Luther College (IA).

Besides his Tulane duties, Dr. Samarov has been active as a guest conductor (both orchestral and opera); he also co-founded New Orleans Chamber Orchestra, which is now in its 5th year of activities. He studied composition privately with Jerry Sieg and Alan Belkin and is the author of a symphony, a guitar concerto, an opera "Feast at the Time of Plague," and a number of other works. He resides in New Orleans with his wife Tanya, a pediatrician, and their son Julian.

3rd Place (there was a tie):
Lee Actor
Monte Sereno CA
Symphony No. 2

Lee Actor

Composer and conductor Lee Actor (http://www.leeactor.com) has received numerous commissions, and has won many awards for his compositions, which are characterized by their dramatic impact and emotional expressivity. Since 2001, he has created an extensive catalog of works for large ensembles, including 3 symphonies and 9 concertos, which have been performed by nearly 80 orchestras and bands in the U.S. and around the world. He has studied composition with Donald Sur, Brent Heisinger, Charles Jones, and Andrew Imbrie, and conducting with Angelo Frascarelli, David Epstein and Higo Harada. Actor has been Composer-in-Residence of the Palo Alto Philharmonic since 2002, following his appointment as Assistant Conductor in 2001. In 2014 he was one of the first five composers selected as an "Honored Artist of the American Prize". In March 2018 he was invited to conduct two all-Actor programs with the top professional orchestras in Ankara and Izmir, Turkey.

3rd Place (there was a tie):
Larry Tuttle
Van Nuys CA
Thousand Mile Suite

Larry Tuttle

Larry Tuttle writes iconic and optimistic music with a strong sense of story and narrative arc. His music is driven by 21-st Century rhythms and sensibilities, while being rooted with the power of archetypal musical elements.

Larry won the Pittsburgh Symphony’s 2014 Audience of the Future Composition Competition with his work CHORALE AND FIDDLE TUNE. His concert overture BY STEAM OR BY DREAM won second prize at the 2016 Keuris Composers Competition in The Netherlands, in the category of Youth Symphony Orchestra, and his wind ensemble piece TO A LOST WORLD finished as first runner-up in the 2018 World Projects Composition Contest.

Larry is a composing and performing member of Composers Ensemble of Los Angeles, a workshop group dedicated to the development of new music. Larry is also renowned as a master of the Chapman Stick. You can find out more about his music at www.larrytuttle.com.

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Jean Ahn
Orinda CA
Woven Silk

Jean Ahn

Jean Ahn finished her B.A. and M.M. at Seoul National University and Ph.D. at UC Berkeley. Recently, her collaborative piece for “Saltdoll” has won the Isadora Duncan Award. Other awards include 1st prize from the Renée Fisher Award, the Korean National Music Composers Award, 1st prize from the Sejong Music Competition and the 2nd prize for National Flute Association Composers Competition . Jean’s music was featured at Aspen Music Festival, June in Buffalo, the Oregon Bach Festival, the Etchings Festival, IAWM Beijing Congress, New Music Miami, the Spark Festival, Women Composers Festival at Hartford, New York City Electronic Music Festival, among others. Commissions include works for the SF Choral Artists, Volti Chamber Choir, Leftcoast Chamber Ensemble, Duo Camaraderie, Gayaguem Soloist JUL, Locrian Chamber Players, and the Pianissimo. Her works have been performed by Earplay, Memphis Symphony, Berkeley Symphony, UC Davis Orchestra, Diablo Symphony, Ensemble Sur Plus, pianist Lisa Moore (Bang on a can), Contemporaneous Ensemble, Untwelve, Enhake, Pakk-Calloway Duo, Muse Trio, Unheard of Ensemble and others. She is a Lecturer at UC Berkeley and the director of Ensemble ARI.

Finalist Honorable Mention:
John Baboukis
New Cairo Egypt
A Symphony for Cairo

John Baboukis

John Baboukis is Professor of Music and Director of the Music Program at the American University in Cairo, in Cairo, Egypt.

He is the conductor of the Cairo Choral Society, a community chorus, and the Cairo Festival Orchestra, a professional ensemble in residence at AUC. He is also the founder and co-director of the Lions of Cairo, which performs medieval, renaissance and baroque Western music, Byzantine chant, and classical Arab music.

He has written a substantial body of vocal music, chamber works, and music for piano, harpsichord, clavichord and organ. His concerto for bassoon and string orchestra, Three Walks in Zamalek, and his Symphony for Cairo were both premiered by the Cairo Symphony.

He has been awarded a McKnight Composition Fellowship, and, in addition to receiving numerous private commissions, has twice won composer commissioning grants from the Jerome Foundation, through the American Composers Forum.

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Robert J. Bradshaw
Gloucester MA
Echoes in the Deep: meditation on the depth of our impact on the Earth's oceans

Robert J. Bradshaw

Award-winning composer ROBERT J. BRADSHAW's music has been heard around the world from Lincoln Center to Australia, and beyond. Bradshaw continues to push the boundaries of modern art music. Socially conscious and relevant to our daily lives, Bradshaw’s music is infused with modern culture, historical significance, and speaks with a vibrant and engaging musical language. Commissions include works for the James Pappoutsakis Flute Competition and the New England String Ensemble Musical Heritage Initiative. Of particular note is the Australian Trumpet Guild's commission of the opera “.Gabriel”, premiered at the 35th Annual Conference of the International Trumpet Guild, courtesy of Opera Australia and Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra. For more information: www.robertjbradshaw.com

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Mark Dal Porto
Portales NM
Mystic Mountain

Mark Dal Porto

Dr. Mark Dal Porto has had his works performed by numerous instrumental and vocal ensembles throughout the US and abroad. His commissions include those from the Orchestra of Southern Utah, the College Orchestra Directors Association, and the Pemigewasset Choral Society of New Hampshire.

In 2013, Dal Porto was also awarded first prize in the CODA (College Orchestra Director’s Association) 2013 International Composition Contest for his orchestral work Song of Eternity.

Dal Porto serves on the faculty of Eastern New Mexico University as Professor of Music and Coordinator of Music Theory and Composition and frequently serves as a guest composer and conductor. A former student of Donald Grantham, Dal Porto received degrees from California State University, Sacramento, and the University of Texas at Austin.

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Penka Kouneva
Tujunga CA
BETRAYAL OF TECHNOLOGY

Penka Kouneva

Los Angeles-based composer Penka Kouneva is known for her "exceptional talent" (Billboard). Her orchestral music has been called "fantastic,""breath-taking" (NPR) and "luminous" (Forbes.) She has scored The Mummy VR game (Universal), Hellboy VR film (Lionsgate), the NASA museum Heroes and Legends at the Kennedy Space Center, the iconic game "Prince of Persia" and feature films. Her orchestral music has been performed at the Hollywood Bowl and Lincoln Center. Universal Music released her orchestral albums Woman Astronaut and Rebirth of Id to 5-star press. Penka's chamber music has been commissioned by Lark and Ciompi Quartets & Elixir Trio. Penka's awards include Sundance Composer Fellowship, Distinguished Duke Alumna, Meet the Composer Fellowship and Recognition Award from Game Audio Guild. In 2019 Penka's orchestral commission "Betrayal of Technology" was premiered by Sofia Philharmonic to great critical acclaim. Penka received the first-ever Ph.D. in composition at Duke University where she studied with Stephen Jaffe and Scott Lindroth. www.penkakouneva.com

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Hye Kyung Lee
Granville OH
Climbing Tomorrow

Hye Kyung Lee

An active composer/pianist, HyeKyung Lee has written works for diverse genres and media: from toy piano to big concerto, from electronic music to children’s choir. Recent commissions include the Bonnie McElveen Commission for Maestro Gerard Schwarz and Eastern Music Festival, Renée B. Fisher Piano Competition, and Meg Quigley Vivaldi Bassoon Competition.

Lee’s music has been described as “virtuosic fantasy where continuous rhythmic motion smoothly joined contrasting moods and effectively propelled from one section to another…. showing a penchant for colorful timbres, expressive lines, and lively rhythmic interaction of instruments”.

Born in Seoul, Korea, HyeKyung studied at YonSei University and University of Texas at Austin where she received DMA in composition and piano performance certificate. Her music has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, Meet the Composer Fund, and residencies at Yaddo and MacDowell Colony. She is Associate Professor of Music at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. https://www.hyekyunglee.com

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Lucas Richman
Bangor ME
Symphony: This Will Be Our Reply

Lucas Richman

GRAMMY award-winning conductor/composer Lucas Richman has served as Music Director for the Bangor Symphony Orchestra since 2010 and held the position as Music Director for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra from 2003-2015. Resident/Assistant Conductor for the Pittsburgh Symphony from 1998-2004, he has also appeared as guest conductor with numerous orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Pops, Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Oslo Philharmonic, and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Guest conducting highlights for the 2018-19 season include debuts with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Florida Orchestra, the Stamford Symphony, the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra and the Israel Camerata Orchestra Jerusalem. As a composer, Mr. Richman’s music has been performed by over two hundred orchestras across the United States and has been recorded by organizations such as the San Diego Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony and the Debussy Trio. For more information, visit www.lucasrichman.com and www.ledorgroup.com.

Finalist Honorable Mention:

Lauren Spavelko
Pickerington OH
Kéyah

Lauren Spavelko

Lauren Spavelko (b. 1989) is a composer, arranger, studio teacher, performer, and visual artist. People are her favorite part of music—here, we can all experience beauty, craft, connection, love, and the joy. Her most notable works are Baby Book (winner of Festival dei Due Mondi’s 2017 Young Composers Competition in Spoleto, Italy), a six-movement song cycle for soprano on miscarriage, pregnancy, and motherhood; and Keyah, a work for orchestra in collaboration with nature photographer Frank Lee Ruggles and commissioned by the Central Ohio Symphony. Lauren is a graduate of the University of Louisville (M.M. Composition) and Ohio Wesleyan University (B.M. Music Education). Her works have been performed across the United States and in Italy. Lauren has studied composition with Steve Rouse, Clint Needham, and Jason Bahr. Learn more: www.LaurenSpavelko.com

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Aaron Spotts
Tallahassee FL
Life for Life

Aaron Spotts

Aaron Spotts (b. 1980) graduated in 2018 with a doctorate in music composition from Florida State University, having studied with Ladislav Kubik, Clifton Callender, and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. His recent activities include: being selected as a finalist in the Tampa Bay Symphony’s Call for Scores Composition Competition; music featured on the Chicago Ensemble’s “Discover America IX” concert series; acceptance to the 2019 Society of Composers, Inc. (SCI) Region VI Conference; a commission from The Ambassador Trio, premiered in Vancouver, B.C.; being a finalist in ICEBERG New Music’ 2018-19 call for scores; having music performed in the 2018 Frontwave New Music Festival and 2018 SCI Student National Conference; the premiere of his electric string quartet in Washington D.C. in 2017; and being chosen as a finalist in the 2016 Bruno Maderna Composition Competition.

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Kevin Wilt
Boynton Beach FL
Song of the Phoenix

Kevin Wilt

Kevin Wilt composes music that balances sophistication with accessibility and experimentation with craftsmanship. He composed Running on Rooftops for The Florida Orchestra in honor of their 50th anniversary season. He won the Fresh Squeezed Opera Call for Scores with his chamber opera, Prix Fixe, and the Musical Chairs Chamber Ensemble Composer Search. He was awarded a grant by the ACC Band Directors Association to create Urban Impressions, a multi-movement work for wind ensemble. He was a finalist for the ASCAP/CBDNA Frederick Fennel Prize, the Symphony Number One Call for Scores III, and the Hartford Opera Theater Call for Scores. He is equally at home composing for film and television, earning him a Michigan Emmy® Award Nomination for Best Musical Composition. Kevin holds degrees from Michigan State University (D.M.A. and M.M.) and Wayne State University (B.M.). He is Associate Professor of Music and Composer-in-Residence at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.

The American Prize in Composition—Orchestra (student division), 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
Nicholas Bentz
Los Angeles CA
A Cosmos in Stone, Respawning

Nicholas Bentz

Composer-performer Nick Bentz seeks to find relationships across time and space through his fascination with historical objects and cultural throughlines. His work has responded to subjects as diverse as anthropology, astrophysics, cinema, neuroscience, and video games. Nicholas has written for the Charleston Symphony, Occasional Symphony, yMusic, and SONAR New Music Ensemble, and has had his music played by the Jacksonville Symphony, USC Symphony, and the Peabody Modern Orchestra. Winner of the 2020 Tribeca Young Composer's Competition, Nick was the recipient of an EarShot New Music Reading through American Composer’s Orchestra and the Sadye J. Moss Prize from the University of Southern California. His music has been featured at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, New Music on the Point, and Sounding Now Festival in Singapore. Nick is currently a composition teaching artist fellow with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

As a violinist, Nick has soloed with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Thornton Edge, and the Pacific Philharmonic. He has also performed with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra. Nick attended the Aspen Music Festival and School for seven summers. An avid interpreter of new music, Nick has commissioned and premiered over thirty pieces ranging from chamber and solo pieces to concerti and multimedia works. Nick received a master’s in composition from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s from the Peabody Conservatory. He received a master’s and bachelor’s in violin from the Peabody Conservatory. His mentors include Donald Crockett, Ted Hearne, Andrew Norman, Kevin Puts. Yiorgos Vassilandonakis, and Felipe Lara, and his previous violin teachers include Lina Bahn, Herbert Greenberg, Yuriy Bekker, Espen Lilleslåtten, and Diana Cohen.

2nd Place (there was a tie):
Moni Guo
Los Angeles CA
Night Ghost

Moni Guo

Composer/pianist Moni (Jasmine) Guo, born in China, has studied music since she was three.
After her piano and composition studies at Interlochen Arts Academy, The Peabody Institute and Rice University, she is currently a first-year Ph.D. student at UCLA studying composition under Peter Golub and Kay Rhie.

Her previous composition teachers include Pierre Jalbert, Shih-hui Chen, Michael Hersch, Samuel Adler, Jason Eckardt, Amy Kirsten, and Cynthia Van Mannen. She has also had master classes with many great masters including Steven Stucky, Shulamit Ran, and Christopher Rouse.

Her pieces have been read/performed by famous soloists such as Miranda Cuckson, Courtney Orlando, Michael Kannen, Kyung Wha Chu, also ensembles such as IIIZ+, Deviant Septet, and Winsor Music.

Jasmine is now a member of The Pi Kappa Lambda Society. She has received numerous awards in both composition and piano. Her music has been performed in the US and Europe.

2nd Place (there was a tie):
Evan Jay Williams
Baltimore MD
"That Which We Cannot Live Without"

Evan Jay Williams

Evan Jay Williams (b.1989) is an American composer based in Baltimore, where he is a doctoral student of Du Yun at the Peabody Conservatory. His music has been performed across the U.S. and Europe and, as part of Carnegie Mellon University's Moon Ark Project, even sent to The Moon. Although he has composed prolifically for instrumentalists and ensembles, as well as for multimedia projects, he has focused recently on writing for the voice. He is currently working on setting texts ranging from Ovid and Shakespeare to those of living poets.

3rd Place (there was a tie):
Zachary Gulaboff Davis
Salem OR
Tailwind

Zachary Gulaboff Davis

Zach Gulaboff Davis is a composer who strives to write music that is enjoyable and meaningful for audiences and performers alike. Zach’s compositions have been performed across the globe at such venues as Carnegie Hall, Bulgaria’s National Plaice of Culture, Norway’s Arctic Cathedral, the International Trumpet Guild, and at schools of music and conservatories across the country. Zach holds a B.A. in piano performance and composition/theory, summa cum laude, from Linfield College, Oregon, and a M.M. in composition from Mannes College of Music in New York City. He is currently a doctoral student in composition at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, studying under Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts. This summer, Zach will serve as the Brevard Institute's composition fellow under a full fellowship.

3rd Place (there was a tie):
Wai Leung William So
Kennedy Town    Hong Kong
Blue Fire

Wai Leung William So

Wai Leung William So is a young composer born in Hong Kong, who graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree (Composition Major) at Berklee College of Music in 2019. William will begin his Master Degree in music within the near future. William is capable of composing music in many different styles such as Classical, Contemporary, Jazz and as well as Film Scoring. His music was selected to be performed in several concerts in Berklee and the Boston Conservatory. His pieces were played/read by the famous Esterhazy Quartet, Jack Quartet and several faculty members at Berklee. He was awarded the Berklee Achievement Scholarship of 2018, the MTNA Composition Competition Massachusetts (Honorable mention, Young Artist Catergory) 2018, and the 1st-Place - 200K SoundCloud Plays Melody Competition in 2017. On the 1st of March 2019, William had great success with his personal debut concert at Berklee, which showcased his original compositions.

Personal website: https://s081186.wixsite.com/williamso
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheS081186/featured?disable_polymer=1

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Cory Brodack
Saint Peters MO
Nodus Tollens

Cory Brodack

Cory Brodack (b. 1997) is a composer, orchestrator, arranger, and copyist from the St. Louis area. He composes for both electronic and acoustic mediums, with an emphasis on timbre and the uncontrollable phenomena that arise in both human performance and electronic systems. His music is inspired by individual aspects of the human condition and the unique connection between performer, score, and audience. He has worked for the Municipal Theatre Association of St. Louis (The Muny) on projects such as the first staging of Jerome Robbins's Broadway since 1989, and a new orchestration of The Wiz during The Muny's historic centennial season.

Cory's recent awards include the 2020 ASCAP Rudolf Nissim Prize and East Carolina University's New Music Initiative Orchestra Composition Competition for his piece, Nodus Tollens. When not composing, Cory enjoys playing the horn and painting. He is currently pursuing his masters studies in composition at Bowling Green State University with Christopher Dietz and Mikel Kuehn. Prior to Bowling Green, he earned his bachelor's degree in music composition from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where he studied composition with Kimberly Archer.

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Patrick Andrew Thompson
Jersey City NJ
Through a Glass, Darkly

Patrick Andrew Thompson

Patrick Andrew Thompson (patrickandrewthompson.com) is a composer of dramatic musical narratives. Described as “a musician bursting with ideas,” (Atlanta Journal Constitution) he strives to carefully craft works of great emotional breadth and immediacy, marked by colorful, poignant harmonies, rich textures, and constant evolution.  

His pieces have been performed and read by a wide range of ensembles including So Percussion, the Dover Quartet, the College of New Jersey Wind Ensemble, the Peabody Modern Orchestra, and the Princeton University Orchestra. Current projects include a piece for the Beo string quartet and a solo marimba commission for Robert Rocheteau. He was a composition fellow at the Brevard Summer Institute in 2018. 

Patrick currently studies with Kevin Puts while completing an MM in composition at the Peabody Institute. He has an AB in Mathematics from Princeton University, where he also studied composition and orchestration with Paul Lansky and Steven Mackey.

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Miranda Yu
Palo Alto    CA
Reflections of A Sixteen Year Old Girl

Miranda Yu

Miranda Yu is a composer, oboist, pianist, and a high schooler in Palo Alto, CA. She has studied under composers Vivian Fung and Jessica Mao and composed works characterized by neoclassical sounds for piano and orchestra. In 2018, her orchestral work was chosen as a finalist for the National Young Composers Challenge.

Yu is an oboist in the Henry M. Gunn High School Wind Ensemble and the Silicon Valley Youth Orchestra. She and the Wind Ensemble received a Unanimous Superior rating in the 2019 CMEA State and Local Festivals. At the age of twelve, she received the Piano Certificate of Merit Level 10, Branch Honor Award, and was selected to perform at the Music Teachers’ Association of California State Conference.

As a volunteer, Yu has taught music to students in East Palo Alto elementary and middle schools without music programs and Teen Challenge’s substance abuse recovery program members.

***
Congratulations!

↧

Finalists: BACON AWARD (AMERICAN MUSIC) soloists and composers, 2019-20

June 11, 2020, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Finalists: BACON AWARD (AMERICAN MUSIC) ensembles, 2019-20

≪ Previous: Winners: COMPOSERS (orchestral music), 2019-20

Ernst Bacon

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 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)

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 (Copland); 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, soprano
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 Threat 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)

***

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.

↧

Finalists: BACON AWARD (AMERICAN MUSIC) ensembles, 2019-20

June 19, 2020, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Winners: MUSICAL THEATER COMPANIES, 2019-20

≪ Previous: Finalists: BACON AWARD (AMERICAN MUSIC) soloists and composers, 2019-20

Ernst Bacon

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 pleased to announce NATIONAL FINALISTS for the ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, 2019-20, in the ensemble division. Congratulations! (Finalists in the solo division were published last week on this blog.)

"Many semi-finalists have been advanced. At The American Prize, it is never about 'too many finalists'—why should there be an arbitrary number?—but about respecting (and encouraging) artists at all levels of endeavor—and never more so than during this very difficult time in the world history of the performing arts."—DK

The finalist categories are listed below in this order:
   *professional ensembles
   *college/university ensembles
   *community ensembles
   *youth ensembles

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.

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 winners 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 COVID deadline date of Monday, July 20, 2020. (The new date is not yet published on the website, but applications will be accepted.) Applications from COMPOSERS, CONDUCTORS, STAGE DIRECTORS, CONDUCTED ENSEMBLES, ARTS MARKETERS and in the performance of American Music (BACON AWARD) will be accepted through 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, PROFESSIONAL ensemble division, 2019-20

Oliver Caplan
Juventas New Music Ensemble
Boston   MA
Shell & Wing (David Biedenbender)

Tyson Deaton
US Army Soldiers' Chorus and Field Band
New York NY
The Falling and the Rising (Zach Redler/Jerre Dye)

Audrey Johnson
Chicago IL
Songs of Sac Prairie (a song cycle) (Ronald William Hill)

Jessica Koebbe
Prairie Duo
Prairie Village KS
La boite `a bijoux (The Jewelry Box) (Philip Lasser)

Jason Lim
McKinney Philharmonic
McKinney TX
Three Latin American Sketches; Music for Movies (Copland)

Dean Whiteside
New World Symphony
Miami Beach FL
Chamber Symphony No. 2 (Arnold Schoenberg)

NATIONAL FINALISTS: The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY ensemble division, 2019-20

Dr. Eddie W. Airheart
The TCU Wind Symphony
Fort Worth   TX
The Seven Deadly Sins (Robert Xavier Rodriguez)

David Anderson
Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra
Lake Geneva       WI
Hold fast to dreams (Dana Wilson)

Heather C. Barclay
Palomar/YPO Percussion Ensemble
San Marcos CA
Sofapilla (Chuck Ricotta); Fidget (Nathan Daughtrey)

Daniel Cook
Northwestern University Chamber Ensemble
Evanston IL
Appalachian Spring

William B. Drury
New England Conservatory Symphonic Winds
Boston MA
Whitman Tropes (Richard Toensing)

Tracelyn Gesteland
University of South Dakota Opera
Vermillion SD
The Consul

Michael Hancock
University of Oklahoma Wind Symphony
Norman OK
Urban Requiem; Labyrinth of Love (Michael Colgrass/Michael Daugherty)

Janet Heukeshoven
St. Mary's University of Minnesota Concert Band
Winona   MN
Nigun Prophecy; Ayshet Chayil (A Woman of Valor) (David Ashalomov / Steven L. Rosenhaus)

Scott Jones
Texas A&M University Kingsville Wind Symphony
KingsvilleTX
Innsmouth, Massachusetts—1927   (Roy D. Magnuson)

Minji Kim
University of Maryland University Chorale
College Park MD
A Jubilant Song (Norman Della Joio)

Tremon Kizer
University of Central FL Wind Ensemble and
Orlando FL
(Grainger, Holst, Thomas, Reed)

Thomas Kociela
New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble
Boston MA
Double Quintet (Gunther Schuller)

Hon Pan Benson Lee
TCU Symphony Orchestra and TCU Chamber Orchestra
Fort Worth   TX
A Christmas Festival; Adagio for Strings (Anderson/Barber)

Thomas G. Leslie
UNLV Wind Orchestra
Las Vegas NV
Festive Music (Morton Gould)

James Reddan
Western Oregon University Chamber Singers
Monmouth OR
(Rudoi, Berger, Erb, Foster/Keller, Guillaume)

Carl T. Rowles
Kansas Wesleyan University Wind Ensemble
Salina KS
Concerto for Flute and Wind Ensemble (Peter Senchuk)

Ethan Stolen
Queens College Conductors Workshop Festival
New York NY
Divertimento (Bruce Sayon)

Hugh Murphy
SUNY Purchase Opera
Purchase NY
Confession (Raphael Lucas)

Adam Waller
Peabody Wind Ensemble
Baltimore MD
Requiem (David Maslanka)

Carolyn Watson
University of Kansas Symphony Orchestra
Kansas City KS
Fanfare Ritmico (Jennifer Higdon)

Brian J. Winnie
Western IL University Singers
Macomb   IL
(Runestad, Dawson, Whitacre, Smith)

NATIONAL FINALISTS: The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, COMMUNITY ensemble division, 2019-20

Donald L. Appert
Clark College Orchestra
Vancouver WA
Symphony No. 2 (David Diamond)

Patricia Brown
Texas Medical Center Orchestra
Houston TX
Libi Lebel, conductor
New Beginnings (Peter Boyer)

Ronald Demkee
The Allentown Band
Allentown PA
(Reed, Hanson, Daughtery, Williams, Meij)

Michael Driscoll
Andover Choral Society
Andover MA
Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight (Florence Price)

Nancy Magee
Harmonium Choral Society
Morristown   NJ
Song of the Open Road (Mark Miller)

Matthew Melendez
Great Bend Chorale & Youth Chorale
Union   WA
Borders (John Muehleisen)

John J. Palatucci
Orpheus Club Men's Chorus
Ridgewood NJ
(Benz, Martin, Lane, Van Heusen)

Erik Peregrine
Ensemble Companio
Northeastern US
Wonderous Glow; The New Colossus; Hard Times (Valverde; Choi; Foster)

Martha Stoddard
Oakland Civic Orchestra
Oakland CA
(Reiprich, Johnson, Stoddard)

NATIONAL FINALISTS: The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, YOUTH division, 2019-20

Michael Isadore
John Foster Dulles HS Honors Orchestra
Sugar Land TX
Supermaximum (Kenji Bunch)

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)

Kelly Waltrip
Denver Young Artists Orchestra
Denver CO
Wes Kenney, conductor
Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman #4 (Joan Tower)

***

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, 2019-20. 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.

↧

Winners: MUSICAL THEATER COMPANIES, 2019-20

June 29, 2020, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Winners: CONDUCTORS (musical theater), 2019-20

≪ Previous: Finalists: BACON AWARD (AMERICAN MUSIC) ensembles, 2019-20

The American Prize wishes everyone safety and health during this difficult time.

Marilyn Miller, 1920s-30s Broadway star

The American PrizeNational Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David (Volosin) Katz, chief judge, is honored to announce the winners and runners-up of The American Prize in Musical Theater Performance, 2019-20. Congratulations!

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

REMINDER—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, we will accept applications from CLASSICAL VOCALISTS, PIANISTS, CHAMBER ENSEMBLES and INSTRUMENTAL SOLOISTS postmarked or emailed by the new extended deadline date of Monday, July 20, 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.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize in Musical Theater Performance, 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
Bob Jones University
Dr. Darren P. Lawson
Greenville SC
Titanic

Titanic

The Bob Jones University Opera Association was founded in 1942 as part of the university’s commitment to liberal arts training for all of its students, who are provided free tickets to the productions. It has become a national award-winning organization that mounts major operatic works, including Aida, Mefistofele, Samson et Dalila, Tosca, Andrea Chenier, L’Elisir d’Amore, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Il Trovatore, Rigoletto, La Cenerentola, and others. The group also presents large-scale musicals as part of its season, including Little Women: The Broadway Musical and Titanic: The Musical. Productions are presented regularly, with guest artists featured in the principal roles along with student and faculty soloists. Supporting roles and chorus parts are taken by students who show requisite ability. http://www.bju.edu/events/fine-arts/concert-operadrama/archive/

2nd Place:
Belmont University
School of Music
Nancy Allen
Nashville TN
Side Show

Side Show

Belmont University is the home of our award-winning, nationally ranked musical theatre training program located in Nashville, TN. Our program is known for excellence in the vital foundational training required to sustain a career in musical theatre performance; Belmont University provides an outstanding liberal arts education in a faith based environment. Our alumni are currently on Broadway, in television and film, and performing in equity houses throughout the country. For more information, please go to belmont.edu/music or contact coordinator, Nancy Allen at nancy.allen@belmont.edu.

3rd Place:
University of Wisconsin—Madison
David Ronis
Madison WI
Into the Woods

Into the Woods

UW-Madison University Opera is a cultural service of the Mead Witter School of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Madison whose mission is to provide comprehensive operatic training and performance opportunities for students and operatic programming to the community. Since 1992, we have presented an annual season of two fully staged operas, as well as evenings of opera scenes. Our recent production of Falstaff won an Honorable Mention in the 2017-18 American Prize Competition in Opera Performance. Four other recent productions – The Turn of the Screw, Le nozze di Figaro, Albert Herring, and Transformations - won awards in the National Opera Association Opera Production Competition. Other recent productions have included Falstaff, The Magic Flute, Ariodante and Beatrice et Benedict. Many alumni of the program are currently enjoying significant opera careers, performing at major houses in the U.S. and abroad. http://www.music.wisc.edu/opera/

***
Congratulations!

↧

Winners: CONDUCTORS (musical theater), 2019-20

June 29, 2020, 3:00 pm

≫ Next: Winners: OPERA COMPANIES, 2019-20

≪ Previous: Winners: MUSICAL THEATER COMPANIES, 2019-20

The American Prize wishes everyone safety and health during this difficult time.

The American Prize, David (Volosin) Katz, chief judge, is honored to announce the winner and runners-up of The American Prize in Conducting, Musical Theater Division, 2019-20. Congratulations!

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

REMINDER—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, we will accept applications from CLASSICAL VOCALISTS, PIANISTS, CHAMBER ENSEMBLES and INSTRUMENTAL SOLOISTS postmarked or emailed by the new extended deadline date of Monday, July 20, 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.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize in Conducting, Musical Theater Division, 2017-18

The American Prize winner:
Michelle Perrin Blair
Revival Theatre Company
Cedar Rapids IA
Sunday in the Park with George

Michelle Perrin Blair

Director of Orchestras and Assistant Professor of Music at Coe College, Michelle Perrin Blair was one of twelve fellows for the 2018 International Women's Conducting Workshop in New York City. Blair's other recent honors include the Perrine Faculty Fellowship (2016), the PEO Scholar Award (2014), the Schissler Fellowship in Orchestral Conducting (2013), and the Bernard Osher Scholarship (Monteux School 2012). Blair currently serves as Founder & Artistic Director of PREMIER Chamber Orchestra, Conductor-in-Residence of Revival Theatre Company, and Conductor of Durward Contemporary Chamber Ensemble. Blair holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Houston, where she studied with Franz Anton Krager and served as Assistant Director of the AURA Contemporary Ensemble. Blair earned her Master of Music degree in conducting from the University of Texas at Arlington under Dr. Clifton Evans. An active violinist, Blair holds a Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance from Southwestern University. https://michellepblair.wixsite.com/conductor

2nd Place:
Russell G. McCutcheon
Department of Theater & Sunderman Conservatory of Music
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg PA
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Russell G. McCutcheon

Russell McCutcheon serves as Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music in the Sunderman Conservatory of Music at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where he conducts the Wind Symphony and teaches courses in conducting and music education.

Dr. McCutcheon received his Ph.D. in Music Education with a concentration in Wind Conducting from the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he studied conducting with Dr. David A. Waybright. He earned an M.S. in Music Education from Troy University in Troy, Alabama.

McCutcheon is the founding conductor of the Atlantic Chamber Winds and Musical Director of the Pennsylvania Lions All-State Band. Bands under his direction have performed at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Smetana Hall in Prague, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He is a contributor to the best-selling book series, “Teaching Music through Performance in Bands,” and is an active clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator.

3rd Place:
Ana Flavia Zuim
NYU Steinhardt School
New York NY
Anything Goes

Ana Flavia Zuim

Ana Flavia is an award winning musical director, an accomplished conductor, pianist, singing health specialist and electric bassist. She is a Music Assistant Professor serving as Director of Vocal Performance at Steinhardt School at NYU. She concluded her bachelors at State University of Londrina (UEL - 2003) in her native country, Brazil. She holds a Masters in piano performance (Lynn University - 2006), a Doctorate - PhD in Fine and Performing Arts (FAU - 2012) and a Vocology certification (University of Utah -2015).

Prior to joining NYU she served as Director of Contemporary Voice at the Frost School of Music with a secondary appointment as Lecturer of Otolaryngology at the Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami. Among her credits are the Broadway Musical Hamilton (Rehearsal Pianist), the Broadway Across America tours of Billy Elliot (Associate Conductor/Vocal Coach), and key’s sub on Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Matilda, Kinky Boots, The Wizard of Oz, Annie and The Sound of Music. Website: www.anaflaviazuim.com

***
Congratulations!

↧

Winners: OPERA COMPANIES, 2019-20

June 30, 2020, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Winners: CONDUCTORS (chorus), 2019-20

≪ Previous: Winners: CONDUCTORS (musical theater), 2019-20

The American Prize wishes everyone safety and health during this difficult time.

The American PrizeNational Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David (Volosin) Katz, chief judge, is honored to announce the winners, runners-up, and citation recipients of The American Prize in Opera Performance, 2019-20, in both divisions. Congratulations!

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

QUICKNOTES: Although The American Prize does not usually provide written evaluations to semi-finalists, some semi-finalist composers will receive in their certificate packets short comments, suggestions or overall impressions made during the judging. We hope they will prove valuable. All finalists receive written evaluations from a member of The American Prize judging panel.

REMINDER—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, we will accept applications from CLASSICAL VOCALISTS, PIANISTS, CHAMBER ENSEMBLES and INSTRUMENTAL SOLOISTS postmarked or emailed by the new extended deadline date of Monday, July 20, 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.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize in Opera Performance, professional division, 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
Pacific Opera Project
Josh Shaw
Los Angeles CA
Madame Butterfly / Magic Flute

Madame Butterfly

Pacific Opera Project (POP) was founded in July 2011 with the mission of providing "accessible, affordable, and ENTERTAINING" opera to audiences across Los Angeles. Over the past nine seasons, POP has performed over 30 operas employing hundreds of singers and musicians from Southern California and across the country. Noteworthy productions include an updated take on La bohéme, subtitled "The Hipsters" (now and annual tradition), a setting of Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio as an episode of Star Trek, and an updated setting of The Magic Flute which sets the opera in the worlds of 1980s video games. Perhaps POP's most ambitious production is a reimagining of Madama Butterfly, sung as if the story really happened, in Japanese and English featuring a cast of over 40 singers, all appropriately cast with Japanese-American singers for the Japanese roles.

2nd Place:
Queen City Opera
Isaac Selya
Cincinnati OH
Iolanta

Iolanta

Queen City Opera was founded in 2012 to advance the careers of emerging singers, instrumentalists, designers, and conductors by giving them valuable professional engagements in high-quality productions. In recognition of their high artistic quality and work to transform neighborhoods through the arts, the company was profiled in August 2014 in the Business section of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Recent projects have combined high-caliber opera with relevant contemporary issues: Their production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni featured workshops on sexual assault and consent, and their production of Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta was presented in collaboration with the Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Their performance of Siegfried was the first complete performance of the work in the state of Ohio in over a century. For more information or to see recordings of any of our past productions, visit QueenCityOpera.Org.

3rd Place:
Heartland Opera
Rachel M. Harris
Joplin MO
La Boheme

La Boheme

Heartland Opera Theatre strives to bring professional performances of opera and musical theatre to the Four-State Area, engaging regional, national, and international performers, as well as promoting exceptionally talented local artists. Heartland Opera Theatre is a 501(c)(3) performing arts organization established in 1998 by Terrence O’Brien. Since its creation the Heartland Opera Theatre, or HOT, has provided professional performances of opera and musical theatre to the Four-State Area. HOT has hosted performers from around the globe and toured full productions through Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma. HOT strives to not only engage national and international performers, but also to showcase exceptional local artists from the community and surrounding universities. Heartland Opera Theatre has worked for years in collaboration with Missouri Southern State University, Pittsburg State University, the upsideDown Theatre, Crowder College, Community Theatre Productions and others, striving to bring professional theater to the Four-State Community.

The American Prize in Opera Performance, college/university division, 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
The Crane School of Music
SUNY Potsdam
Kirk Severtson
Potsdam    NY
MAYO (Cipullo)

MAYO (Cipullo)

The award-winning Crane Opera Ensemble at The Crane School of Music is a significant source for opera and music theatre in the North Country region of New York State. The ensemble is unique as it integrates the SUNY Potsdam mission of teaching, scholarship and public service, into its fully staged production each semester. MAYO, by Tom Cipullo, was the 2018 winner of the Domenic J. Pellicciotti Opera Composition Competition, which awarded a full commission and production award for the composer to create this work, which was premiered by the Crane Opera Ensemble in November 2018. https://www.potsdam.edu/academics/Crane/opera

2nd Place (there was a tie):
University of NC at Greensboro
David Holley
Greensboro NC
Falstaff

Falstaff

The UNCG Opera Theatre, led by David Holley, is highly acclaimed and the recipient of a number of awards. Seven productions have won First Place in the National Opera Association Opera Production Competition, including Susannah, Little Women, Orpheus in the Underworld, The Consul, Dialogues of the Carmelites, Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Don Giovanni, and five production have placed Second: Galileo Galilei, L’Enfant et les sortilèges, La vida breve, Albert Herring and Gianni Schicchi; Amahl and the Night Visitors also won Third Place.

2016's Amahl received honorable mention recognition in The American Prize Competition and other productions have been finalists: Galileo Galilei (2015), Dialogues of the Carmelites (2016), and Die Zauberflöte (2018). The UNCG Opera Theatre commissioned renowned American composer Libby Larsen to write an opera based on William Inge’s play, Picnic, with a libretto written by David Holley. Picnic was premiered in April 2009. For more information: http://opera.uncg.edu.

2nd Place (there was a tie):
Turner-Fischer Center for Opera at
Louisiana State University
Dugg McDonough
Baton Rouge LA
Elizabeth Cree (Puts)

Elizabeth Cree (Puts)

The Turner-Fischer Center for Opera at LSU embodies one of the first major university programs in the United States, producing exceptional singers who have graced world opera stages such as the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera, New York City Opera, The Santa Fe Opera, and the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. LSU annually creates four new productions, two fully staged, designed, costumed, and accompanied by the LSU Symphony Orchestra, alongside two smaller shows and additional outreach performance possibilities. Mainstage repertoire is balanced between standard and classical European operas, performed in a variety of original languages, and a strong dedication to American contemporary works, often collegiate premieres. At LSU, in addition to private voice lessons with faculty, students receive one-on-one coachings with the opera music director and extensive training in acting and stagecraft from the opera stage director.

3rd Place:
Lawrence University
Copeland Woodruff
Appleton   WI
Mass (Bernstein)

Mass (Bernstein)

Lawrence University and Conservatory of Music is an all-undergraduate, liberal arts institution. The opera studies division is dedicated to training the young singing actor in all the elements for success: musical styles, acting, text/languages, and modern as well as traditional theatrical techniques. Recent productions have garnered national attention, because of their well-crafted and dedicated musical and dramatic performances. Offering performance opportunities as varied as improvised micro-operas, scenes programs, main stage operas, and re-imagined recital formats, LU is preparing the 21st-Century singing artist to meet the challenges of today’s market. Opera studies faculty: Copeland Woodruff and Andrew Crooks. Voice faculty: Kenneth Bozeman, Joanne Bozeman, Steven Paul Spears, Karen Leigh-Post, John Holiday, and John Gates.

***
Congratulations!

↧

Winners: CONDUCTORS (chorus), 2019-20

July 1, 2020, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Winners: BANDS / WIND ENSEMBLES, 2019-20

≪ Previous: Winners: OPERA COMPANIES, 2019-20

The American Prize wishes everyone safety and health during this difficult time.

The American PrizeNational Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David (Volosin) Katz, chief judge, is honored to announce the winners and runners-up of The American Prize in Conducting, 2019-20, in the choral divisions. Congratulations!

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

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, July 20, 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.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize in Conducting—chorus (community division), 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
Anthony Blake Clark, conductor
Baltimore Choral Arts Society
Baltimore MD

Anthony Blake Clark

Music Director Anthony Blake Clark has conducted Baltimore Choral Arts for three seasons and is one of the freshest young voices in classical music. Mr. Clark is Director of Choral Activities in The George Washington University’s Corcoran School of Art and Design. He has prepared choruses for esteemed maestros Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Simon Halsey, CBE, and Gijs Leenaars for concerts with internationally renowned ensembles, including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker, and the National Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Clark prepared choruses for David Lang’s 1,000-voice the public domain and John Luther Adams’ In the Name of the Earth at Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival.

A Texas native, Mr. Clark studied composition and conducting at Baylor University School of Music and earned a Master of Music in conducting from the University of Birmingham under Simon Halsey, CBE. His compositions have been heard across the U.S. and Europe.

2nd Place:
Timothy McDonnell
Catholic University of America Chamber Choir
Washington DC

Timothy McDonnell

Timothy McDonnell has served as the Director of Choral Activities at The Catholic University of America since 2016. Before coming to CUA, he served as the Director of Choral Activities at Ave Maria University in Florida where he led the Ave Maria University Choir and the Ave Maria University Chamber Choir. Under McDonnell’s direction, the University ensembles won enthusiastic recognition and critical acclaim for their self-produced concerts as well as their collaborations with the Naples Philharmonic and the Southwest Florida Symphony in numerous masterworks. In spring of 2018, McDonnell prepared the CUA Chamber Choir for a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony by the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel. Dr. McDonnell is active as a composer and arranger. His works have been performed by orchestras and choruses around the world, including the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Chamber Orchestra of Flanders, the Kennet Symphony, and the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra. http://www.timothy-mcdonnell.com/

3rd Place:
Carol M. Cei
Paoli Presbyterian Church Sanctuary Choir
Paoli PA

Carol M. Cei

Carol Cei, B. Mus Ed., M.M., Ch.M. is Director of Traditional Music at Paoli Presbyterian Church. Ms. Cei has conducted choruses in area private schools, and at numerous area churches. She also spent a year as interim Artistic Director/Conductor for the Choristers, based in Lansdale, PA.

During the summer months, Ms. Cei participates in Choral and Orchestral Conducting Institutes. In June 2018, she was an Honorable Mention for the Respighi Prize for Orchestral Conducting with the Chamber Orchestra of NY. She was also recognized by Thomas LaVoy for her conducting of “I Shall Not Live In Vain”. Chosen by audition, Ms. Cei will participate in the first Women’s Conducting Institute and Halifax Conducting Institute in Nova Scotia where she conducted in a public concert in August 2019. Recently, Ms. Cei was named Conductor of the New Horizons Glee Club in Narberth, PA.

The American Prize in Conducting—chorus (school division), 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
Philip Brown
Angelica Cantanti Treble Singers
Bloomington MN

Philip Brown

Philip Brown is the director of choral activities at Thomas Jefferson Senior High School in Bloomington and conductor of the Treble Singers and Cantanti Singers with Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs. He graduated summa cum laude from Bethany College (KS), majoring in K-12 music education. He received his M.M. degree in music education from Northern Arizona University. His choral groups have been selected for performances at CMEA Conference, CU-Boulder Madrigal Festival, MMEA Mid-Winter Conference, ACDA-MN Fall Conference, NC-ACDA Conference, MSU-Mankato Choral Festival, ACDA-MN Choral Arts Finale, St. Olaf College Choir Festival, Concordia College Choir Festival, and the Northern Voice Festival. Choirs under his conducting have collaborated with the Minnesota Oratorio Society, Minnesota Choral Artists - The Singers (Morten Lauridsen Festival), Great Northern Union, VocalEssence (!Cantare!), Northern Lights Chorale, and Cantus. While on tours to New York, Florida, Wisconsin, and Illinois, his choirs have consistently received superior ratings, best in class awards, and grand sweepstakes awards.

2nd Place:
Brian J. Winnie
Western IL University Singers
Macomb    IL

Brian J. Winnie

Brian J. Winnie, D.M.A., is the Director of Choral Activities at Western Illinois University where he teaches undergraduate and graduate choral conducting & literature courses and conducts the University Singers. An active festival conductor and adjudicator, Dr. Winnie has worked with festival choirs throughout the United States and in Russia. He has presented at state and regional NAfME, ACDA, and International Conferences. He has published articles in the Voice and Speech Review, ChorTeach, and is editor and contributing author of "The Voice Teacher's Cookbook."

Dr. Winnie received his B.S. in Music Education from the Pennsylvania State University, Master of Music Education from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and his Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from the University of Washington. He is an Estill Master Trainer and Estill Mentor & Course Instructor of Estill Voice Training, and currently serves on the Editorial Board of the Voice and Speech Review. http://brianwinnie.com/

3rd Place:
Michael G. Martin, conductor
Hilliard Darby Symphonic Choir
Hilliard OH

Michael G. Martin

Michael G. Martin is the Director of Choral Activities at Hilliard Darby High School. Martin pursued a college career at The Ohio State University, earning a Bachelor, Masters, and Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in choral music education and conducting.

While at OSU, Martin had the opportunity to study with and serve as accompanist for Robert Shaw. He has performed and conducted major concerts throughout Germany, Switzerland, Austria, England, and France and performed on the BBC network. Martin has conducted the Hilliard Darby Symphonic Choir on tours of England, Ireland, Italy, and the United States.

Martin has prepared choirs for notable conductors, and his compositions are published with Alliance Music, Lawson Gould, and Alfred Publications.

He currently serves as Director of Music for New Albany Methodist Church and is called upon as clinician and commissioned composer for various honor choirs and festivals throughout the Great Lakes region.

***
Congratulations!

↧

Winners: BANDS / WIND ENSEMBLES, 2019-20

July 2, 2020, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: DAVID DANIELS is the first recipient of The American Prize National Arts Award

≪ Previous: Winners: CONDUCTORS (chorus), 2019-20

UNLV Wind Orchestra

THE UNLV WIND ORCHESTRA has received international acclaim for its fresh and creative approach to music making. Performing contemporary repertoire in addition to classical masterworks, the Wind Orchestra at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas has been responsible for commissioning and premiering numerous significant new works by America’s finest young contemporary composers including Eric Whitacre, Wendell Yuponce, Jonathon Newman, Steven Bryant, and many others. In addition, the Wind Orchestra has recently commissioned and premiered new compositions by landmark American contemporary composers Bruce Broughton, Roger Nixon and James Barnes. Special highlights to past UNLV Wind Orchestra performances showcase many of the world’s finest musicians. Such notables include Brian Bowman, Eric Marienthal, Stefan Karlsson, Steve Houghton, Hideo Sano, Gregg Field, Ted Atkatz, and other fine musicians. The ensemble is comprised of music majors, non-majors and includes select graduate students enrolled in the masters and doctoral performance degree programs at UNLV.

2nd Place:
Texas A&M Kingsville Wind Symphony
Scott Jones
Kingsville TX

Texas A&M Kingsville Wind Symphony

Comprised of 60 talented musicians from South Texas, the Wind Symphony is the premiere concert band at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Directed by Dr. Scott Anthony Jones, the Wind Symphony maintains a highly active annual performance schedule of five to six concerts, regular collaborations with composers, and serves as host ensemble to the winners of the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Music Department Concerto and Conducting Competitions. The ensemble is also committed serving the region through concert tours, clinics, and its High School Invitational Concert series. Since 2014, the Wind Symphony has performed off-campus for over 40 public schools and more than 10,000 students, educators and families.

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.

3rd Place:
Liberty University Wind Symphony
Stephen Kerr
Lynchburg VA

Liberty University Wind Symphony

The Liberty University Wind Symphony, Liberty’s premier wind band, is a select instrumental ensemble comprised entirely of musically advanced residential students. Repertoire includes original and transcribed exceptional wind symphony works from all eras, including exploration of new sounds and rhythms by contemporary composers. Directed by Dr. Stephen Kerr, this fabulous ensemble has enjoyed critical acclaim from audiences, composers, and peer review. Each year, the Wind Symphony records an album, performs at least 8 times on campus, and travels on an extensive spring tour, where they perform multiple concerts at a variety of prestigious venues, including multiple performances at the CBDNA Southern Division Conferences. The Wind Symphony is proud to perform advanced works from the finest composers writing for wind bands, including John Mackey, Steven Bryant, Philip Sparke, David Maslanka, Mason Bates, and many others. In addition, the Wind Symphony regularly participates in commissions of new works for wind band.

The American Prize in Band / Wind Ensemble Performance, community band division, 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
Boulder Concert Band
Kenneth Singleton
Boulder CO

Boulder Concert Band

The first records of a performing band in the city of Boulder, Colorado, date back to 1870. The ICC Silver Cornet Band, as it was known, performed weekly concerts in the pioneer town of Boulder. In the spring of 1897 a larger band organization was formed. This group, called the Boulder Band, was said to be the best organization of its type in Colorado. Several decades later, the Boulder Municipal Band was formed and was the first to include women musicians.

The Boulder Concert Band as we know it today was reorganized in 1976 by the late Hugh McMillen, former Director of Bands at the University of Colorado. Considered to be one of the premier adult community bands in the state, the current organization has more than 60 volunteer musicians. Its members are from the business, professional, and educational communities in the Boulder County and Denver metro area.

2nd Place:
Connecticut Flute Orchestra
Nadya Potemkina
Middletown CT

Connecticut Flute Orchestra

The Connecticut Flute Orchestra (CTFO), founded in 2016 by a handful of enthusiastic flute players, is a collective of professional flutists that celebrates the rich culture of our state with the unique sound palette, ambitious and engaging repertoire, and diversity of a multi-flute orchestra that features piccolo, E-flat flute, C flute, as well as alto, bass, contrabass, and sub-contrabass flutes. CTFO members greatly enjoy negotiating exciting musical challenges together in a supportive and nurturing environment, and strive to make a difference in their communities by providing unique, inspiring musical and educational experiences suitable for listeners of all ages and from all walks of life.

3rd Place:
The Allentown Band
Ronald Demkee
Allentown PA

The Allentown Band

Since its first performance on July 4, 1828, Allentown Band’s venerable existence is a testament to the value the community has placed upon its contributions to the arts, culture and education. Celebrating 190 years of service in 2018, the band has broadened its impact and reach through increased concert programming and extensive concert repertoire. Presenting 45+ stellar concerts annually with national and regional guest artists the band additionally offers high-quality youth educational opportunities reaching more than 14 regional school districts. As a charitable organization the band presents unparalleled music experiences for all ages with performance level concerts like those performed by the premier U.S. military service bands in Washington DC and major symphony orchestras. Band members are highly engaged in the success of the organization. Membership represents diverse occupations that include: doctors, dentists, banking personnel, educators, administrators, private business owners and accountants, all who value musicianship and stellar artistic standards.

The American Prize in Band / Wind Ensemble Performance, high school band division, 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
Cuthbertson Blue Note Winds
Todd Ebert
Waxhaw   NC

Cuthbertson Blue Note Winds

Cuthbertson High School opened in 2009. The instrumental program challenges students to pursue a musical journey of excellence. In its tenth year, the band has grown from 29 students to over 160 today and houses three band classes including the nationally recognized Blue note Winds.

The Blue Note Winds Performances include NCMEA State Convention in 2012 and 2015. The Percy Grainger Festival in 2014. A Featured Band at the Music for All National Band Festival in 2015 and 2018. The MFA Southeast Regional in 2017. The University of Georgia and South Carolina Band Festivals, and as one of two bands selected as a North Carolina Honors Band at Highpoint University.

Cuthbertson has won the Southeast division award for the National Band Associations Blue Ribbon of Excellence and a Merit winner for 5 years with the NAMM foundation. The Band received a residency with the John Lennon Tour Bus In 2017.

2nd Place:
Rivera Wind Ensemble
Alex R. Torres
Brownsville TX

Rivera Wind Ensemble

The Rivera High School Wind Ensemble serves as the Flagship ensemble for the Rivera Raider Band program. Located in the city of Brownsville at the very southern tip of Texas, the Rivera Band is proud to contribute to the incredible depth of musical culture found within the high school programs of the city. The Rivera Raider Band consistently receives Division I ratings in both UIL Marching and Concert evaluations in addition to strong representation at TMEA Region, Area and State contests of individual competition. Under the recent direction of Alex R. Torres the band has put together some of the most accomplished concert programs in the history of the program, gaining both local and regional attention.

3rd Place:
James Bowie Wind Symphony
Rumaldo Solis
Arlington TX

James Bowie Wind Symphony

The James Bowie Wind Symphony is a premiere group at James Bowie High School in Arlington, Texas. The Wind Symphony has been a featured performer at the Western International Band Clinic in Seattle, Washington. The Wind Symphony has been selected as a National Commended Winner in the Mark of Excellence Project and is a consistent 1st division award winner at the University Interscholastic League Concert and Sight reading contest. Through a broad range of repertoire, the students are challenged and committed to achieve excellence and artistry at a high level.

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Congratulations!

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DAVID DANIELS is the first recipient of The American Prize National Arts Award

July 4, 2020, 9:00 am

≫ Next: DAVID DANIELS is posthumous recipient of The American Prize National Arts Award

≪ Previous: Winners: BANDS / WIND ENSEMBLES, 2019-20

Maestro David Daniels

Conductor, colleague, mentor, professor and historian DAVID DANIELS has been selected posthumously as the first recipient of The American Prize National Arts Award, given annually at this time of year to an individual (or organization) who has provided exceptional service to the art and profession. The award, which consists of a beautifully framed citation recognizing important contributions to the art, coincides with the announcement of the David Daniels Scholarship Endowment Fund,created by The American Prize organization to provide up to 80% fee assistance to high school-age musicians who wish to apply for the contests of The American Prize. Gifts to the David Daniels Scholarship Endowment Fund are held in perpetuity; only the income they generate will be used to fund the scholarship program.

David Daniels, author of five editions of "Daniels' Orchestral Music" spanning almost 50 years, passed away Friday morning, April 24, 2020 of natural causes in Rochester Hills, Michigan. David Daniels was an easy friend, colleague and mentor to many. He humbly and openly shared his extensive knowledge. His smile was contagious, his patience had no boundaries, and his eyes sparkled when he was ready to share something humorous. People knew of him locally, nationally, and internationally. Yet, he had an innocence to his fame and name recognition.

Daniels had five published editions of the "Daniels' Orchestral Music" (the "Daniels") with the 1st edition printed in 1972 and the 5th edition in 2015. Daniels had the forethought to recruit two conductors, David Rahbee and David Oertel, (both laureates of The American Prize), to carry on his work. The 6th edition will be released in 2022 on the 50th anniversary of his 1st edition. More editions of the “Daniels” are already planned for the years to come. A website also hosts his database and is updated monthly. His legacy continues.   Daniels is survived by his beloved wife of 64 years, Jimmie Sue, and his three children.

The announcement of The American Prize National Arts Award, the first of a number of new initiates The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions will be announcing in the month of July 2020, was in the works before David's passing. Following his death, the family's gave its permission for this recognition. Abigail Daniels, daughter of the recipient, wrote "(we) would be proud to accept The American Prize National Arts Award on Dad's behalf…And having the scholarship program named in his memory -- that is an amazing gesture, and I know it would have been very near and dear to Dad's heart. Thank you for bestowing these honors on Dad. As I've said before, my brothers and I grew up knowing Dad touched many people's lives through his teaching and conducting, and it's only been as adults that we have realized just how much of an impact he has had on the classical music world through his books. It's been an eye-opening experience, learning about his influence from people all over the world…"

Donations toThe American Prize David Daniels Scholarship Endowment Fundmay be made through this Paypal link. https://www.paypal.me/theamericanprize.
(Hat City Music Theater, Inc. is the registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that administers The American Prize contests.) Donors wishing to give to the Fund in other ways should contact David Katz, chief judge of The American Prize, at theamericanprize@gmail.com. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law, each will be listed on our website, and all will receive an emailed receipt for their tax records. Donations to the Daniels Scholarship Endowment Fund are held in perpetuity. Only the income of the Fund maybe used for scholarship purposes.

Parents, teachers and others interested in applying for a Daniels Scholarship, which covers up to 80% of application fees to The American Prize contests for high school-age students only (currently enrolled or home schooled in any U.S. state, territory or protectorate), please write to David Katz, chief judge of The American Prize, at theamericanprize@gmail.com. Place the words "Daniels Scholarship Endowment" in the subject line of the email. The number of scholarships is limited. Please apply early. Sorry, there are no refunds for previously submitted applications but those current high school applicants who request it will be on the top of the list to receive scholarships for the 2021-22 season of contests.

Upon his passing, David Katz wrote on the death of David Daniels: "David Daniels was a wonderful colleague who I had the pleasure to know for close to thirty years.

We first became acquainted via our podiums, a couple of dozen miles apart in southeast Michigan. Later, he was an early, lasting and vocal champion of The American Prize. Even later he provided meaningful opportunities for me to share with his audiences “Muse of Fire,” my one-man play about Charles Bruck and the art of conducting.

He was a warm, gracious and kind friend and I will miss him dearly.

God’s speed, David. The whole profession thanks you."

To read more about the contests of The American Prize, please visit: http://www.theamericanprize.org/

To read more about the life and accomplishments of David Daniels, please follow this link:
http://ucmapps.oakland.edu/NewsArchive/Data/20150225-David-Daniels-A-Life-in-Music.html

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DAVID DANIELS is posthumous recipient of The American Prize National Arts Award

July 5, 2020, 10:10 am

≫ Next: Winner: ARTS MARKETING, 2020

≪ Previous: DAVID DANIELS is the first recipient of The American Prize National Arts Award

Maestro David Daniels

Conductor, colleague, mentor, professor and historian DAVID DANIELS has been selected posthumously as the first recipient of The American Prize National Arts Award, given annually at this time of year to an individual (or organization) who has provided exceptional service to the art and profession.

The award, which consists of a beautifully framed citation recognizing important contributions to the art, coincides with the announcement of the David Daniels Scholarship Endowment Fund, created by The American Prize organization to provide up to 80% fee assistance to high school-age musicians who wish to apply for the contests of The American Prize in any eligible category.

David Daniels, author of five editions of "Daniels' Orchestral Music" spanning almost 50 years, passed away Friday morning, April 24, 2020 of natural causes in Rochester Hills, Michigan. David Daniels was an easy friend, colleague and mentor to many. He humbly and openly shared his extensive knowledge. His smile was contagious, his patience had no boundaries, and his eyes sparkled when he was ready to share something humorous. People knew of him locally, nationally, and internationally. Yet, he had an innocence to his fame and name recognition.

 Daniels had five published editions of the "Daniels' Orchestral Music" (the "Daniels") with the 1st edition printed in 1972 and the 5th edition in 2015. Daniels had the forethought to recruit two conductors, David Rahbee and David Oertel, (both laureates of The American Prize), to carry on his work. The 6th edition will be released in 2022 on the 50th anniversary of his 1st edition. More editions of the “Daniels” are already planned for the years to come. A website also hosts his database and is updated monthly. His legacy continues.   Daniels is survived by his beloved wife of 64 years, Jimmie Sue, and his three children.  

The announcement of The American Prize National Arts Award, the first of a number of new initiates The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions will be announcing in the month of July 2020, was in the works before David's passing. Following his death, the family's gave its permission for this recognition. Abigail Daniels, daughter of the recipient, wrote "(we) would be proud to accept The American Prize National Arts Award on Dad's behalf…And having the scholarship program named in his memory -- that is an amazing gesture, and I know it would have been very near and dear to Dad's heart. Thank you for bestowing these honors on Dad. As I've said before, my brothers and I grew up knowing Dad touched many people's lives through his teaching and conducting, and it's only been as adults that we have realized just how much of an impact he has had on the classical music world through his books. It's been an eye-opening experience, learning about his influence from people all over the world…"  

Donations to The American Prize David Daniels Scholarship Endowment Fund may be made through this Paypal link. https://www.paypal.me/theamericanprize.  (Hat City Music Theater, Inc. is the registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that administers The American Prize contests.) Donors wishing to give to the Fund in other ways should contact David Katz, chief judge of The American Prize, at theamericanprize@gmail.com. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law, each will be listed on our website, and all will receive an emailed receipt for their tax records. Donations to the Daniels Scholarship Endowment Fund are held in perpetuity. Only the income of the Fund maybe used for scholarship purposes.  

Parents, teachers and others interested in applying for a Daniels Scholarship, which covers up to 80% of application fees to The American Prize contests for high school-age students only (currently enrolled or home schooled in any U.S. state, territory or protectorate), please write to David Katz, chief judge of The American Prize, at theamericanprize@gmail.com. Place the words "Daniels Scholarship Endowment" in the subject line of the email. The number of scholarships is limited. Please apply early. Sorry, there are no refunds for previously submitted applications but those current high school applicants who request it will be on the top of the list to receive scholarships for the 2021-22 season of contests.  

Upon his passing, David Katz, founder and chief judge of The American Prize, wrote on the death of David Daniels: "David Daniels was a wonderful colleague who I had the pleasure to know for close to thirty years.  We first became acquainted via our podiums, a couple of dozen miles apart in southeast Michigan. Later, he was an early, lasting and vocal champion of The American Prize. Even later he provided meaningful opportunities for me to share with his audiences “Muse of Fire,” my one-man play about Charles Bruck and the art of conducting.  He was a warm, gracious and kind friend and I will miss him dearly.  God’s speed, David. The whole profession thanks you." 

 To read more about the contests of The American Prize, please visit: http://www.theamericanprize.org/  

To read more about the life and accomplishments of David Daniels, please follow this link: http://ucmapps.oakland.edu/NewsArchive/Data/20150225-David-Daniels-A-Life-in-Music.html

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Winner: ARTS MARKETING, 2020

July 23, 2020, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Winners: CONDUCTORS (opera division), 2020

≪ Previous: DAVID DANIELS is posthumous recipient of The American Prize National Arts Award

The American Prize wishes everyone safety and health during this difficult time.

The American Prize is honored to announce the winner of The American Prize in Arts Marketing, 2019-20. Congratulations!

The American Prize in Arts Marketing recognizes and rewards the best marketing campaigns by performing arts organizations in America, based on submitted applications from professional or community groups. The contest seeks evidence of campaigns that combine inspiration and creativity with demonstrable success, regardless of the budget available.

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

REMINDER—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, we will accept applications from COMPOSERS, CLASSICAL VOCALISTS, PIANISTS, CHAMBER ENSEMBLES and INSTRUMENTAL SOLOISTS postmarked or emailed by the new Covid-extended deadline date of Wednesday, September 9, 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, September 9, 2020. Further extensions may be granted pending the most current information about he virus. Visit theamericanprize.org for complete contest information.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize in Arts Marketing, 2019-20
The American Prize winner:
ARTS QUINCY
Quincy, IL

Arts Quincy, America’s first community arts council, was founded in 1947 and works to foster, strengthen and expand the arts.

We work to sustain Quincy's renowned cultural vitality and enrich our community through the arts. We're working to influence academic achievement, drive economic prosperity, and improve the overall health and well-being of ourselves and our neighbors. Our national-award winning programs are made possible because of the support we receive from our generous donors.

Each year, Arts Quincy:
·        Brings arts activities to local schools for  7,500+ students through Instant Arts Classroom Funds
·        Increases access to public art, culture and  entertainment through Arts Dollars Matching Grants
·        Promotes 55 area nonprofit arts and culture organizations  through our semi-monthly Arts Blast email, weekly Arts Beat Media Segments, the bi-monthly Arts Quincy Magazine, Social Media posts,  and more than 12,000 Public Service Announcements. Visit https://www.artsquincy.org/

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Congratulations!

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Winners: CONDUCTORS (opera division), 2020

July 24, 2020, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Winners: CHORUSES, 2020

≪ Previous: Winner: ARTS MARKETING, 2020

The American Prize wishes everyone safety and health during this difficult time.

The American PrizeNational Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David (Volosin) Katz, chief judge, is honored to announce the winners and runners-up of The American Prize in Conducting, 2019-20, in the opera divisions. Congratulations!

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

REMINDER—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, we will accept applications from COMPOSERS, CLASSICAL VOCALISTS, PIANISTS, CHAMBER ENSEMBLES and INSTRUMENTAL SOLOISTS postmarked or emailed by the new Covid-extended deadline date of Wednesday, September 9, 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, September 9, 2020. Further extensions may be granted pending the most current information about he virus. Visit theamericanprize.org for complete contest information.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize in Conducting—opera (professional division), 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
Walter Morales
Pittsburgh Festival Opera
Pittsburgh PA
Das Rheingold (Wagner/Dove)
Walter Morales

Walter Morales is the Music Director of the Edgewood Symphony Orchestra. His previous positions include Music Director of Undercroft Opera, Music Director of the Carnegie Mellon University Contemporary Ensemble, Head of Music of Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, Principal Guest Conductor of the Pittsburgh Philharmonic, Assistant Director of Orchestral Studies at Carnegie Mellon University and Assistant Conductor of the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic. He has been a guest conductor with the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, Heredia Symphony Orchestra, Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, Butler County Symphony Orchestra, McKeesport Symphony Orchestra, University of Costa Rica Symphony Orchestra, University of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Duquesne University Opera & Orchestra, Pittsburgh Youth Chamber Orchestra and Rutgers Chamber Orchestra. For more information please visit: www.waltermoralesmusic.com

2nd Place:
Isaac Selya
Queen City Opera
Cincinnati   OH
Iolanta

Isaac Selya

A musician of remarkable versatility, Isaac Selya is a conductor, pianist, vocal coach, cellist, and entrepreneur. In recognition of his work as Founder and Artistic Director of Queen City Opera, he was featured in Musical America as a Spotlight Artist. He holds a Doctorate with specialization in Mozart’s operas, and has conducted all of Mozart’s German-language operas. At the Glimmerglass festival, he coached and conducted the first-ever reading of the revised version of Philip Glass’s Appomattox, with the composer present. Equally at home in symphonic repertoire, Isaac’s guest conducting credits include the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Xiamen Philharmonic, the Dayton Philharmonic, the National Symphony of Guatemala, the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and the Chelsea Symphony. Committed to ensuring that musical education is accessible to anyone, Isaac teaches cello and conducts orchestras at the MYCincinnati Youth Orchestra, a free, El Sistema inspired program. He has two cats, named Tosca and Aida.

3rd Place:
Eric Peterson
Savoynet Performing Group
Harrogate UK
Patience (Gilbert and Sullivan)

Eric Peterson

Eric Peterson is a New York City-based musical director, instrumentalist and coach. Studying horn at William & Mary and Peabody Conservatory, he soon branched out as a singer, accompanist and conductor. He worked for years with LGBT community music groups, helping to found the Philadelphia Freedom Band and conducting New York City’s Big Apple Corps concert band for seven seasons. As a theater conductor, he has led The Mikado, The Gondoliers and Die Fledermaus with Troupers Light Opera in Connecticut, Mame, Forum and A Little Night Music with NYC’s Blue Hill Troupe, and served as BHT’s choral director for two seasons. At the annual International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival in northern England, he has conducted three productions with the Savoynet Performing Group, most recently their 2018 festival-winning production of Patience.  www.ericpetersonmusic.com

The American Prize in Conducting—opera (college/university division), 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
Kirk Severtson
The Crane School of Music—SUNY
Potsdam NY
MAYO (Cipullo)

Kirk Severtson

Kirk Severtson is a conductor and coach on the faculty of The Crane School of Music (SUNY Potsdam) and on the music staff at numerous opera companies, including The Dallas Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, The Atlanta Opera, and Opera Saratoga. He serves as music director and administrator for the Domenic J. Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize, which commissioned and premiered Mayo by Tom Cipullo in November 2018. He has conducted or coached at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, Opera Viva (Verona, Italy), the Institute for Young Dramatic Voices, Opera North (NH), the Opera Theater of Lucca (Italy), and the Cincinnati Opera outreach program, among others. He serves as music director of the Crane Opera Ensemble and Orchestra and was a recipient of the SUNY Potsdam President’s Award and the SUNY Chancellor’s Award. He holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati (D.M.A. and M.M.) and Luther College.

2nd Place:
Peter Perret
University of North Carolina—Greensboro
Greensboro NC
Falstaff

Peter Perret

Peter Perret (Conductor) was Music Director of the Winston-Salem Symphony from 1978 to 2004 and served on the faculty of the UNC School of the Arts. In addition, Maestro Perret was the Principal Conductor of the Capetown Symphony (South Africa) and served the Buffalo Philharmonic as Exxon/Arts Endowment Conductor. Perret has conducted concerts in Belgium, Brazil, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Spain, South Africa, and Switzerland as well as in many major metropolitan centers in the USA, and has recorded frequently with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Switzerland) and the Hessischer Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester (Frankfurt, Germany). Currently, Perret directs the Philharmonia of Greensboro and contributes reviews to the Classical Voice of North Carolina (CVNC.org). Maestro Perret is the co-author of the book, “A Well-Tempered Mind; Using Music to Help Children Listen and Learn,” published by the Dana Press in October 2004 and in paperback in 2006. (Maestro Perret did not participate in judging during the 2019-20 season of The American Prize.)

3rd Place:
Matthew Mailman
Bass School of Music—Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City OK
Cendrillon

Matthew Mailman

Dr. Matthew Mailman is Professor of Conducting in the Wanda L. Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University, a position he has held since 1995. He serves as a Music Director for the Oklahoma Opera and Music Theater Company and Conductor of OCU's Wind Philharmonic. He teaches graduate and undergraduate conducting and coordinates OCU's Masters in Conducting program.

At OCU, Dr. Mailman has conducted forty-six operas and musicals. Recent opera performances include Le Nozze di Figaro, La Bohème, Die Zauberflöte, and Dialogues des Carmélites, Cendrillon, and Nico Muhly’s opera Dark Sisters. As Conductor/Artist in Residence at Opera in the Ozarks, he conducted Carlisle Floyd's opera Susannah in 2007 and Mozart's Cosí fan Tutte in 2008.

Dr. Mailman earned his bachelor of music and master of music degrees from Northwestern University. He earned his doctorate in conducting at the University of North Texas.

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Congratulations!

↧

Winners: CHORUSES, 2020

July 27, 2020, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Winners: ORCHESTRAL PROGRAMMING (Marijosius Award), 2020

≪ Previous: Winners: CONDUCTORS (opera division), 2020

The American Prize wishes everyone safety and health during this difficult time.

The American PrizeNational Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David (Volosin) Katz, chief judge, is honored to announce the winners, runners-up, honorable mentions and citation recipient of The American Prize in Choral Performance, 2019-20, in all divisions. Congratulations!

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

REMINDER—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, we will accept applications from COMPOSERS, CLASSICAL VOCALISTS, PIANISTS, CHAMBER ENSEMBLES and INSTRUMENTAL SOLOISTS postmarked or emailed by the new Covid-extended deadline date of Wednesday, September 9, 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, September 9, 2020. Further extensions may be granted pending the most current information about he virus. Visit theamericanprize.org for complete contest information.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize in Choral Performance, professional division, 2019-20
(There were co-winners in the division this season.)

The American Prize co-winner:
Dallas Chamber Choir
Jon L. Culpepper
Dallas TX

Dallas Chamber Choir

Founded in 2014 by its artistic director and conductor, Jon L. Culpepper, The Dallas Chamber Choir delivers choral programs of stylistic, linguistic, and cultural significance with interest in works of contemporary and emerging composers whose music and texts explore a decidedly humanistic perspective. The professional ensemble of 24-30 singers, comprised of exceptional vocal talent with diverse careers, skills, and interests in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, has collaborated with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Hans Zimmer, and Ramin Djawadi, score composer for the Grammy-nominated 2008 Marvel film, Iron Man, and the TV series, Game of Thrones and Prison Break, among others. DCC has released its debut album, Love Manifested (2018), and has recorded the Mozart Requiem with chamber orchestra at Moody Performance Hall in Dallas, Texas, due to release in 2019. https://dallaschamberchoir.org

The American Prize co-winner:
mirabai
Sandra Snow, artistic director
East Lansing MI

mirabai

mirabai aims to enhance the artistic expectations of women's choral singing by connecting powerful music of women, past and present; and performing, commissioning, and recording new and innovative musics that express the rich emotional terrain of a woman's life. A resident ensemble in the College of Music at Michigan State University, mirabai's artists are professionals in a variety of music-related careers including music educators in schools, universities, and professional singers. Inspired by the spirit of our namesake, the 16th century mystic singer and poet who created her own destiny amid societal expectations to the contrary, each artist values the opportunity to share not only singing but mentorship and connectivity with women engaged in their own communities as agents of change for young women and the arts. For more, visit www.singmirabai.org.

2nd Place:
Madison Choral Project
Albert Pinsonneault
Madison WI

Madison Choral Project

What is the "project" in the madison choral project?
Our project is to enrich lives in our community  by giving voice to the great music of our diverse world;  to express, to inspire, to heal;  to garner joy in the experience of live music;  and to educate and strengthen the next generation of singers and listeners. The madison choral project is not just a choir,  it's a movement to improve our human experience through music.

The American Prize in Choral Performance, college/university division, 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
Baylor A Cappella Choir
Dr. Brian A. Schmidt
Waco TX

Baylor A Cappella Choir

The Baylor A Cappella Choir is the flagship choral ensemble at Baylor University. Selected by competitive audition, the choir combines some of the most advanced singers at Baylor, both music majors and non-music majors, and focuses on cultivating meaningful fellowship and rich, artistic singing. The A Cappella Choir performs a wide variety of musical styles, both solo performances and collaborative projects with other areas of the School of Music. Additionally, the choir is involved with performances for Family Weekend in the Fall, the annual televised “A Baylor Christmas” production, the Baylor Choral Invitational, and is active in the community, throughout the state, and across the country. The Baylor A Cappella Choir has performed by invitation for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Texas Music Educators Association Convention, the Texoma Region of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and the prestigious National Convention of the American Choral Directors Association.

2nd Place:
East Carolina University Chamber Singers
James Franklin
Greenville   NC

East Carolina University Chamber Singers

The Chamber Singers are the select choral ensemble at East Carolina University. The ensemble is typically comprised of 36-40 auditioned singers, most of whom are voice majors from within the School of Music. The vast majority of the singers are undergraduate students working towards a BM in Music Education, Performance, Therapy, and/or Composition. The Chamber Singers have performed by invitation at regional and national conferences of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and international choral competitions, including the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing, and tour North Carolina annually. The group is quite diverse, containing singers of various races and socio-economic groups from across the state. More information about the Chamber Singers and East Carolina University made be found at https://music.ecu.edu/vocal-studies/choral/

3rd Place:
Western IL University Singers
Brian J. Winnie
Macomb IL

Western IL University Singers

The Western Illinois University Singers is the “flagship,” auditioned choral ensemble at Western Illinois University. University Singers performs diverse repertoire from Renaissance to Contemporary Commercial Music with special focus on versatility and authenticity of vocal quality. Though primarily music majors, membership is open to all university students, most of who receive talent grant awards. This nationally recognized ensemble of highly motivated singers presents two major concerts per semester, including the student choral conductor concert; performs in the annual Holiday Festival of Music; an annual recruiting tour; and yearly major works with the WIU Symphony Orchestra & Concert Choir. The University Singers have performed at regional and national conventions for the National Association for Music Education and the American Choral Directors Association. They have also appeared on professional venues with the Kansas City Symphony, the Dallas Brass, the Peoria Symphony, and the Phoenix Symphony. http://www.wiu.edu/cofac/choirs/

The American Prize in Choral Performance, community division, 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
San Francisco Choral Artists
Magen Solomon, conductor
San Francisco CA

San Francisco Choral Artists

www.sfca.org Acclaimed as “...amongst the foremost unaccompanied singing groups...on this or any other coast” (artssf.com), San Francisco Choral Artists is a chamber ensemble specializing in innovative programming, performance excellence, and fostering the work of living composers. Affirming our reputation for eclectic programming and stunning performances of music spanning 600 years, SFCA has premiered over 300 works and is winner of the 2012 and 2015 ASCAP/Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming. Through our Roger Nixon Living Music Initiative, SFCA supports living composers and the creation of new music in programs such as our New Voices Project for composers under 30, Composer-in-Residence and Not-In-Residence programs, Composers Invitational, and SFCA+1 Artist Project. We also actively seek to encourage and develop young student composers through student-composer outreach programs. We offer audiences three concert sets per season in locations across the San Francisco Bay Area, showcasing new works by living composers programmed alongside masterworks and favorites from the choral repertoire.

2nd Place (there was a tie):
Baltimore Choral Arts Society
Anthony Blake Clark, conductor
Baltimore   MD

Baltimore Choral Arts Society

The Baltimore Choral Arts Society, now in its 54th season, is one of Maryland's premier cultural institutions. The Symphonic Chorus, Chorus, and Chamber Singers perform throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, as well as in Washington, D.C., New York, and Europe. Choral Arts’ international profile rises with a tour to England in January 2020, following previous tours to France and Spain. Choral Arts provides a number of thoughtful and impactful music education programs that serve Baltimore-area youth.

Choral Arts enjoys artistic partnerships with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Maryland Symphony Orchestra, Maryland Institute College of Art, Peabody Youth Orchestra, and others. Baltimore Choral Arts’ innovative programs often feature both choral and orchestral music, stage and theater works.

For 24 years, ABC’s WMAR-TV has featured Choral Arts in a broadcast special on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This Emmy Award-winning program, called Christmas with Choral Arts, is also broadcast on WBJC-FM and WYPR-FM.

2nd Place (there was a tie):
Susquehanna Chorale
Mitchell Sensenig
Mechanicsburg PA
Linda Tedford, conductor

Susquehanna Chorale

Called “a treasure in central Pennsylvania” by the late choral and conducting icon Robert Page, the Susquehanna Chorale is a nationally acclaimed adult chamber ensemble of 36 auditioned singers. Founded in 1981 by Artistic Director and Conductor Linda L. Tedford, the group is known for its commitment to artistic and expressive performance of a wide range of repertoire. Audiences have consistently cited the Chorale’s “ethereal blend,” “unparalleled tone,” and emotional connection to the music.

In addition to its subscription concerts, the Chorale frequently performs major works with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, and has performed by invitation or audition at American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) conventions, The Chautauqua Institution in New York, and at venues throughout Europe.

The Chorale’s eight nationally-distributed professional recordings include three that were considered for Grammy® nomination.The group works to inspire future generations of choral enthusiasts through its highly successful educational choirs for children and youth.
Learn more at www.susquehannachorale.org.

3rd Place:
Illuminati Vocal Arts Ensemble
Tony Thornton
Amherst MA

Illuminati Vocal Arts Ensemble

Founded in 2013 by Dr. Tony Thornton, Director of Choral Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Illuminati Vocal Arts Ensemble is an auditioned group of 32-36
skilled singers, carefully selected for musicianship, vocal color, and commitment to beautiful, communicative performance. Our mission is to deepen and enrich the artistic/emotional life of our community. Over seven seasons, performing 3-5 concerts a year, we have offered programs of choral miniatures, masterworks, and new music by local composers, and collaborated with the
UMass Bach Festival, the Hampshire Young People’s Chorus, Arcadia Players baroque orchestra, and the Springfield Symphony.

The American Prize in Choral Performance, youth division, 2019-20

The American Prize winner:

Angelica Cantanti Treble Singers
Philip Brown
Bloomington MN

Angelica Cantanti Treble Singers

The Treble Singers is made up of soprano and alto voices in grades 9-12 with members that come from 29 high schools and communities from all over the Twin Cities. The group rehearses once a week, September-May at the Bloomington Center for the Arts, Bloomington, Minnesota. Through the intense study and performance of our art, our primary goal is to share our hearts and minds with each other and our audience, ultimately making a positive impact on the world in which we live. The organization provides a premiere musical experience through consistent, high quality choral music education and artistic excellence in performance.
angelicacantanti.org

2nd Place:
Parker Elementary School Chorus
Marianna Parnas-Simpson
Houston TX

Parker Elementary School Chorus

Since 1975, Parker Elementary School in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) has been a magnet school for music dedicated to the development of musical talent and skill. Over 700 children are involved in Music Program at Parker Elementary. Suzuki Violin, Cello, Guitar, Piano, Band and Chorus instructions are offered to the students. Its excellence has been recognized by the National GRAMMY® Foundation which named it a Signature Elementary School of the Year in 2002.
Under the direction of Marianna Parnas-Simpson, Parker’s Chorus grew from 30 to 250 students.
The Parker Advanced Chorus performs extensively for community events in the city of Houston and in Texas and USA.

Parker Chorus was the only one elementary school chorus ever selected to perform at the American Choral Director’s Association (ACDA)Convention, and it happened three times-New York 2003, Miami 2007& Dallas, 2013.

Other Parker Chorus performance highlights include:
Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Convention -2003, 2005, 2012 & 2017
Houston Chamber Choir Invitational Choral Festival-2001, 2002, 2009, 2013 & 2019
Mahler 3rd Symphony with the Houston Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Andres Orozko-Estrada, 2015

Here is one of many testimonies about Parker Chorus. This one is from Dr. Anton Armstrong, Professor of Choral Studies at St. Olaf College: "The concert presented by the Parker Elementary School Chorus was THE HIGHLIGHT of the ACDA National convention for me. Your young choristers sang with incredible beauty of vocal technique and an exceptional maturity of musical expression. Your impressive pedagogy reminded us that GREAT music and artistry CAN happen in our public elementary schools."

3rd Place:
Notre Dame Children's Choir
Dr. Mark Doerries
Notre Dame   IN

Notre Dame Children's Choir

Founded in 2013, the Notre Dame Children's Choir Chamber Choir has toured from Los Angeles to New York City, performed for the Hymn Society, the Organ Historical Society, National Pastoral Musicians’ Association, the Indiana Music Education Association, and led the TEDx Talk What If Children Were More Than Cute?. O Emmanuel, a commissioned cantata, debuted at #1 on Billboards’ Chart of Traditional Classical Music. In 2018 the choir released Arturo Sandoval’s Christmas at Notre Dame with ten-time Grammy winning trumpeter Arturo Sandoval. The ensemble toured England and performed at Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas in 2019. The choir publishes through the Notre Dame Children’s Choir Choral Series and records on Universal, Arsis, and Dynamic Catholic labels. Their album, Magnificat: Evening Prayer with the Notre Dame Children’s Choir, includes commissioned music for Evensong and Vespers. Dr. Mark Doerries is the Artistic Director; sma.nd.edu.

The American Prize in Choral Performance, high school division, 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
Urbandale Singers
Ted Brimeyer
Urbandale    IA

Urbandale Singers

Urbandale Singers is the premier Urbandale High School choir of students who exhibit developed musical skill, are young people of high integrity, and are committed to excellence in choral music. Membership is earned through an audition comprised solo singing, sight-reading, and tonal memory exercises. Work in this choir emphasizes healthy singing technique, musical independence, advanced literacy, and precision with a deliberate emphasis on unaccompanied singing. Students in this ensemble volunteer for frequent performances throughout the community. Urbandale Singers performs a wide variety of choral repertoire in multiple concerts throughout the school year, often sharing concerts with renowned collegiate choirs. Each singer participates in the department’s solo contest. The choir’s success has recently been recognized with invitations to present solo programs for the 2016 North Central Division ACDA Conference, 2017 Iowa Choral Showcase in Pella, 2018 Dorian Vocal Festival at Luther College, and the 2019 American Choral Directors Association Conference.

2nd Place:
Connetquot HS Concert Choir
Brad Drinkwater
Bohemia NY

Connetquot HS Concert Choir

Connetquot High School is a large, suburban high school in Suffolk County, NY. The CHS Concert Choir is an eight-part choral ensemble comprised of tenth- through twelfth-grade students. The choir and its director are proud of its reputation for quality performances of sophisticated choral music, particularly newer works by American composers. The choir regularly tours the United States with director Brad Drinkwater, often collaborating with collegiate and other high school choirs. Most importantly, the choir serves as a means for students, alumni, and our community to engage with each other through the arts.

3rd Place:
Centennial HS A Cappella Choir
Francis Vu
Frisco TX

Centennial HS A Cappella Choir

The Centennial High School A Cappella Choir is a 20-voice treble choir comprised of the finest singers and musicians at Centennial High School in Frisco, TX. Under the direction of Mr. Francis Vu, the CHS A Cappella has performed at state and regional competitions throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Known for their “beautiful concept of tone,” “masterful vocal technique,” and their “beautiful attention to style and musicianship,” the CHS A Cappella has received consistent Superior ratings in Concert and Sight Reading at the Texas UIL Contests. The singers in this premier ensemble also have the experience of singing in All-Region and All-State Choirs. This ensemble of voices strongly believes that music can change lives, and sings to inspire their audiences through their remarkable choral performances.

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Congratulations!

↧

Winners: ORCHESTRAL PROGRAMMING (Marijosius Award), 2020

July 28, 2020, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Winners: BACON AWARD (American Music Performance)—solo division, 2020

≪ Previous: Winners: CHORUSES, 2020

Vytautas Marijosius

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 pleased to announce the 2019-20 winners and runners-up in orchestral programming, The Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award. Congratulations!

The American Prize—Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award in Orchestral Programming honors the memory of the great Lithuanian conductor, Maestro Vytautas Marijosius, music director of the Lithuanian State Opera, and for nearly thirty-five years Director of Orchestral Activities at the Hartt School of Music. The Prize recognizes and rewards the best achievement in the unique field of orchestral programming, where the selection of repertoire by knowledgeable, creative and courageous music directors builds orchestras and audiences, educates young people and adults, and enriches the community.

You can read more about Maestro Marijosius here: http://rememberingmarijosius.blogspot.com/2010/11/t-o-t-h-e-r-e-c-i-p-i-e-n-t-o-f-h-e-v-y.html
Or visit the collection of historic documents, programs and photographs of the artist here: https://marijosius.tumblr.com/

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

REMINDER—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, we will accept applications from COMPOSERS, CLASSICAL VOCALISTS, PIANISTS, CHAMBER ENSEMBLES and INSTRUMENTAL SOLOISTS postmarked or emailed by the new Covid-extended deadline date of Wednesday, September 9, 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, September 9, 2020. Further extensions may be granted pending the most current information about he virus. Visit theamericanprize.org for complete contest information.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize in Orchestral Programming / Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award—college/university division, 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
Brian Coffill
The Randolph-Macon Ensemble
Randolph-Macon College
Ashland VA

Brian Coffill

Dr. Brian Coffill, DMA, is the Founding Director of Instrumental Ensembles and Assistant Professor of Music at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, where he created the R-M Ensemble, a cutting- edge chamber orchestra focused on the performance of works from across the musical spectrum. He is a conductor and pedagogue committed to the expansion of the instrumental repertoire, the performance of works by under-represented composers, and the development of twenty-first century performance experiences for musicians and audiences alike. He maintains an active schedule as a conductor and clinician throughout the United States. Brian holds postgraduate degrees in conducting from the University of Maryland and the University of Illinois, as well as undergraduate degrees in music and education from the University of Connecticut. He lives in Richmond, Virginia.


2nd Place:
David A. Rahbee
University of Washington Symphony Orchestra
Seattle WA

David A. Rahbee

David Alexander Rahbee is currently Senior Artist in Residence at the University of Washington School of Music in Seattle, where he is Director of Orchestral Activities and teaches conducting. He also serves of faculty of the Pierre Monteux School and Music Festival as Conducting Associate. He is recipient of the American- Austrian Foundation's 2003 Karajan Fellowship for Young Conductors, the 2005 International Richard-Wagner-Verband Stipend, and the Acanthes Centre in Paris in 2007. He has recently worked with the Seattle Symphony, Orchesterakademie der Bochumer Symphoniker, the Seattle Modern Orchestra, and Orquesta Sinfónica de Loja. He participated in masterclasses with Kurt Masur, Sir Colin Davis, Jorma Panula, Zdeněk Mácal, Peter Eötvös, and Zoltán Peskó. His principal conducting teachers were Charles Bruck and Michael Jinbo at the Monteux School. He holds degrees from Indiana University, New England Conservatory, and University of Montreal. He also studied at Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Vienna.

3rd Place (there was a tie):
Nadya Potemkina
Wesleyan University Orchestra
Middletown CT

Nadya Potemkina

Conductor, violist, and educator Nadya Potemkina (Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT) directs Wesleyan University Orchestra and Concert Choir, coaches chamber ensembles, teaches courses in instrumental conducting and orchestral literature, and is the music director of Connecticut Flute Orchestra, FluteFest, and AD HOC BACH Collective, all performance and community engagement initiatives. Professor Potemkina remains active as a violist and welcomes every opportunity to play chamber music with her colleagues and to perform works by student composers. She enjoys guest-conducting opportunities, in the United States and abroad, with regional, community, and youth orchestras. Prior to Wesleyan, Nadya Potemkina served as an assistant conductor of The University of Memphis Orchestras, as the music director of Mid-South Young People’s Orchestras in Memphis, TN, and was the founding conductor of Memphis Occasional Orchestra, an all-volunteer community outreach ensemble.

3rd Place (there was a tie):
Rachel L. Waddell
University of Rochester Orchestras
Rochester   NY

Rachel L. Waddell

Rachel L. Waddell is a vibrant young conductor rapidly gaining recognition for her artistic leadership, innovative programming, and creative collaborations. She currently serves as Music Director of the University of Rochester Orchestras in New York, where she won second place for the American Prize’s Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award for her 2017-18 season. She previously held positions with the Canton Symphony Orchestra and Canton Youth Symphonies. In addition Waddell has appeared as a guest conductor with ensembles throughout the United States including the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra, and Las Vegas Philharmonic, among others. In 2019 Waddell was selected for the prestigious Hart Institute for Women Conductors at the Dallas Opera. She continues to dedicate herself to the advocacy of classical music and strives to curate innovative seasons of the highest artistic caliber.

The American Prize in Orchestral Programming / Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award—community division, 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
Donald L. Appert
Clark College Orchestra
The Jewish Community Orchestra of Portland
Vancouver   WA / Portland OR

Donald L. Appert

Donald Appert has been Music Director/Conductor of the Clark College Orchestra since 1990 and Music Director/Conductor of the Jewish Community Orchestra in Portland, Oregon since 2012. He has guest conducted orchestras in Europe, Central America, Japan and Australia. Currently he is a Full 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 Jewish Community Orchestra in Portland, Oregon and of the Oregon Sinfonietta. He received The American Prize in Orchestral Programming—Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award in 2011, an Honorable Mention in 2012, 3rd Place in 2014, and 2nd Place in 2015. He was also Honored Artist of the American Prize in 2015. In 2014 he received the Clark County (WA) Arts Commission Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award. He has received the ASCAPLUS Award numerous times. Videos of his conducting and his original compositions may be seen and heard via the Internet on his web site at www.maestrodonappert.com.

2nd Place:
Mark Perlman
Willamette Falls Symphony
Tualatin Valley Symphony
Oregon City and Tualatin OR

Mark Perlman

Mark Perlman is Music Director and Conductor of the Willamette Falls Symphony (Oregon City, OR) and Tualatin Valley Symphony, as well as founder and Music Director of the Oregon Mahler Festival. He has conducted internationally in Germany, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, and the U.K.. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, where his father, David Perlman, was Principal Bass with the Cleveland Orchestra. Also a bass player, he later attended Ohio State University and received a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Arizona. His conducting mentor was Dr. Leonard Pearlman, and his studies of conducting include work with Jorma Panula, Sian Edwards, Murry Sidlin, Petr Gribanov, Leonid Kochmar, Adrian Gnam, Diane Wittry, and Alexander Polishchuck. Dr. Perlman is also Professor of Philosophy at Western Oregon University, and has written books and articles on philosophy of mind, biology, law, and music.

3rd Place:
David William Oertel
Starlight Symphony Orchestra
Wimberley   TX

David William Oertel

David William Oertel is the Music Director and Conductor of the Starlight Symphony Orchestra (TX) and the Austin Philharmonic. David Oertel is working with David Daniels and David Rahbee as co-authors for the “gold-standard” reference book, Daniels’ Orchestral Music, 6th Edition (2022). Oertel is also co-author of Choral-Orchestral Repertoire: A Conductor’s Guide, Omnibus Edition (2019). He has appeared as guest conductor with several orchestras and has been on the faculty of universities in North Carolina. He has conducted youth orchestras, musical theatre and opera pit orchestras, concert and jazz orchestras. Oertel received a Bachelor of Music from the University of North Texas, a Master of Music from the University of Houston and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Oertel’s influential conducting mentors include Robert Linder, David Daniels, Max Rudolf, Hans Graf, Niklaus Wyss, Adrian Gnam, Franz Krager, and David Holley.

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Congratulations!

↧

Winners: BACON AWARD (American Music Performance)—solo division, 2020

July 29, 2020, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: WELCOME four new DISTINGUISHED JUDGES of The American Prize

≪ Previous: Winners: ORCHESTRAL PROGRAMMING (Marijosius Award), 2020

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 pleased to announce winners, runners-up and honorable mentions of the ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, 2019-20, in the solo division. Congratulations! (An announcement in the ensemble division will be made separately.)

REMINDER—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, we will accept applications from COMPOSERS, CLASSICAL VOCALISTS, PIANISTS, CHAMBER ENSEMBLES and INSTRUMENTAL SOLOISTS postmarked or emailed by the new Covid-extended deadline date of Wednesday, September 9, 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, September 9, 2020. Further extensions may be granted pending the most current information about he virus. Visit theamericanprize.org for complete contest information.

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 division, soloists or composers, 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
Hyunjung Rachel Chung, piano
Roswell GA
My Cherished Garden
piano music by Higdon, Zwilich, Thomas, Park and Leon

Hyunjung Rachel Chung, piano

Since making her Carnegie Hall New York debut recital in 1996, Korean-American pianist Hyunjung Rachel Chung has paved a multifaceted path as a performer, educator, recording artist, and avocational composer. Her solo and collaborative recitals have taken her throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. She has appeared as a performer, presenter, and master teacher in many conferences and music festivals including National Music Teachers Association National Conference, College Music Society International Conference, San Giacomo Festival, Grumo Festival, Forty Fingers–Manifestazione Pianistica Internazionale, South Carolina Chamber Music Festival, Arioso Musica Domani International Composition Prize, and Piano at Peabody Workshop.

Dedicated to the music of our time as well as the neglected and forgotten music, she has performed and recorded various piano solo works by women composers in her two award-winning albums in the Studio Jeeb label: My Cherished Garden: Piano Works by American Women Composers (2017) and Three Piano Sonatas by Women Composers (2018). She has enjoyed collaborations with many instrumentalists and singers. Also, Rachel frequently shares a stage with her husband and a tenor Dr. Sungbae Kim.

A devoted educator, Hyunjung Rachel Chung is an associate professor at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. Chung earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Seoul National University, a Master of Music degree and a Professional Study Diploma from the Mannes College of Music, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.

2nd Place (there was a tie):
Robert G. Patterson, composer
Rhodes College Mastersingers, Coro Rio, Memphis Symphony
William Skoog, conductor
Memphis TN
Requiem

Robert G. Patterson, composer

Robert G. Patterson resides in Memphis, Tennessee. His music is infused with the popular rhythms and melodic fragments around him, and these provide source material for his personal voice. A student of George Crumb and Don Freund, he is a resident composer with the Luna Nova Ensemble and recent accomplishments include commissions from Opera Memphis, the One Coin Concert series in Osaka, Japan, and First Prize in the NATS Art Song Composition Award. His Requiem for massed choir, soloists, and orchestra received its premiere in November, 2018 by the Rhodes Mastersingers and Memphis Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to his musical activities, Patterson also has been a professional software developer. This led him to become an expert in musical engraving using a computer. His Patterson Plug-Ins Collection for Finale software is a staple of composers and copyists worldwide.

William Skoog, conductor

William Skoog is Professor of Music at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, where he served as Chair of the Department of Music from 2009-2018, and continues as Director of Choral Studies. He conducts the Rhodes Singers, Chamber Singers, and the MasterSingers Chorale, conducting them with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.

2nd Place (there was a tie):
Nolan Stolz, composer
Brno Philharmonic
Brno   Czechoslovakia
Lincoln Highway Suite

Nolan Stolz, composer

Nolan Stolz is a composer, scholar, and drummer living in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Stolz’s compositions are firmly rooted in the contemporary classical tradition yet clearly influenced by a performance background in jazz fusion and progressive rock. His flute piece Princess Ka‘iulani was published in SCI Journal of Scores (51) and released on Modes, vol. 30 of SCI’s CD series on Navona/PARMA. His Lincoln Highway Suite was recorded in the Czech Republic in 2017 and released on Ablaze Records in 2018; many orchestras and concert bands around the U.S. have performed the suite or movements from it. Several other compositions of his have been released on Ablaze Records, ESM, Six String Sounds, and Tributary Music.

Dr. Stolz is Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Music at University of South Carolina Upstate. Previously, he taught at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Southeast Missouri State University, University of South Dakota, and at two community colleges in Connecticut. Stolz has been Artist-in-Residence at Goldwell Open Air Museum, Osage Arts Community, Prairie Center of the Arts, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, and VCCA.

Third Place (there was a tie):
Susan Merdinger, piano
Highland Park IL
American Melting Pot:
Pieces of China (Gould), Ballade in F-sharp minor (Vasquez), Piano Sonata (Alter), Toccata (Barilari)

Susan Merdinger, piano

Steinway Artist, Susan Merdinger has been internationally acclaimed in prestigious newspapers and journals for her stunning performances, particularly noted for her recordings of Schumann, Brahms, and Beethoven. Among her many honors, Merdinger is a two-time First Prize Winner of the Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition in Professional Solo and Duo Piano, Gold Medalist of the Global Music Awards, Winner of the Dewar’s Young Artists Award in Music, Winner of the Artists International Young Musicians Competition, and 2nd Prize Winner in the American Prize for Chamber Music. Performing her sold-out solo recital debut in Carnegie Recital Hall at age twenty-four, Merdinger has continued to grace the stages of some of the world’s best concert halls. She has appeared as soloist with professional orchestras such as the Chicago Philharmonic, the State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico and the Northbrook Symphony and has been a frequent Visiting Artist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chamber Music Series. Merdinger’s live performances and recordings have been broadcast worldwide on WQXR, WFMT, BRT-3 (Belgian National Radio), NPR and BBC Television. Merdinger received her formal education at Yale University, the Yale School of Music, and the Manhattan School of Music. She is on the Faculty of Summit Music Festival in New York, and is Artistic Director of Sheridan Music Studio, The Five Greene, Sheridan Solisti, and Pianissimo! Ensemble.

3rd Place (there was a tie):
Ann Marie Wilcox-Daehn, mezzo-soprano
Elizabeth Avery, piano
Springfield MO
Songs to the Moon (Heggie)

Ann Marie Wilcox-Daehn, mezzo-soprano

Mezzo soprano Ann Marie Wilcox-Daehn thrives on a performing career that includes oratorio, opera, art song, and musical theater. She has soloed at Carnegie Hall in the Mozart Requiem, Haydn’s Creation Mass, and Vivaldi’s Gloria. Internationally and domestically she performs in solo and chamber recitals with traditional as well as obscure repertoire. Of the over 35 opera roles to her credit, favorites include Carmen; Dorabella in Cosí fan Tutte; Isabella in The Italian Girl from Algiers; and the role she created for Libby Larsen’s jazz opera Picnic, Rosemary. Ann Marie is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, UNC-Greensboro, and Miami University.

Elizabeth Avery, piano

Pianist Elizabeth Avery concertizes and gives masterclasses regularly throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. She has given world premiere performances at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall and Steinway Hall (New York City) and premiered Italian operas with International Opera Theater in the Umbria and Piemonte regions of Italy. Dr. Avery coaches repertoire and diction at the University of Oklahoma School of Music, and has been on the facultyat Indiana University, the Up North Vocal Institute, and the Songe d'été en musique festival in Québec. She has played under such prominent conductors as Slatkin, Guerrero and Mauceri. Avery was a Master's fellow under Martin Katz and earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Eastman School of Music.

The collaboration of Dr. Ann Marie Daehn and Dr. Elizabeth Avery earned the pair the 2017-2018 Ernst Bacon American Prize for their performance of songs by Sergius Kagen.

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Cayla Bellamy, bassoon
Cedar Falls IA
Jazz Variations (Larsen), Elegy and Dance (Davis), Deep (Shapiro)

Cayla Bellamy, bassoon

Dr. Cayla Bellamy currently serves as Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the University of Northern Iowa and contrabassoonist with wcfsymphony. In addition to performing at regional and national conferences for the National Association of Wind and Percussion Instructors and the College Music Society International Conference, Cayla will be appearing as an invited recitalist at the upcoming conference for the International Double Reed Society. In September 2018, Cayla released her debut album entitled Double or Nothing under the Mark Records label, a collection of previously unrecorded bassoon solos and duos including works by Libby Larsen, Alex Shapiro, John Steinmetz, Roger Boutry, Michael Daugherty, and William Davis.

In the 2019 season, she will be featured performing Libby Larsen’s Full Moon in the City (Northern Iowa Symphony Orchestra) and Joan Tower’s Red Maple (wcfsymphony), as well as premiering John Steinmetz’s new Concerto for Bassoon and Strings (Herricks High School). A dedicated educator, Cayla spends her summers as Conductor for the New York Summer School of the Arts and has held positions with Interlochen Arts Camp, Gwinnett County Public Schools, and the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra. Cayla completed the Doctor of Music degree from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in 2015, and she also holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Music Education and Bassoon Performance from the University of Georgia, where she was distinguished as a National Presser Scholar and invited to perform with the American Wind Symphony Orchestra. Find out more online at www.caylabellamy.com.

The American Prize ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, college/university division, soloists or composers, 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
Matt Ridge, composer & percussionist
Bloomington IN
Small Talk (A Portrait of Social Skepticism)

Matt Ridge, composer & percussionist

Matt Ridge is a composer, arranger, and performer who enjoys a wide scope of influence and output. He seeks to access the full human spectrum of emotional and intellectual engagement in his body of work, which bridges the realms of concert music, electronics, the marching arts, live multimedia, and collaborative art installations.

Matt comes from a diverse performance background, running the gamut from contemporary vocal music with Indiana University’s acclaimed NOTUS to years of world class DCI/WGI membership as a percussionist. He gained recognition as the winner of The American Prize (Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music) for the 2019-20 season, as well as finalist standing in two categories of The American Prize in Composition.

Matt maintains an active presence within the marching arts community, writing for ensembles of varying skill level each year. Most notably, he has earned two WGI Concert World Class championships and three BOA Grand Nationals semifinals appearances with Fishers High School (IN), for whom he regularly writes and consults. His performance experience in this realm spans four seasons with The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps and two with Music City Mystique, serving a prominent leadership role in both ensembles.

Matt holds a BM in Composition (high distinction) from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, with a minor in electronic music and specialized studies in orchestration, scoring for media, and choral music. His teachers included Tansy Davies, David Dzubay, Sven-David Sandström, Jeffrey Hass, Claude Baker, Don Freund, John Gibson, Aaron Travers, and Larry Groupé. In addition to his formal studies, Matt developed skills as an engraver working for percussion-oriented publisher Tapspace Publications, LLC.

Currently residing in his hometown near Indianapolis, IN, Matt is a member of ASCAP, PAS, and SEAMUS. Outside of music, he takes interest in science, film, the universe, and the endless void of Internet humor. Discover more at www.mattridgemusic.com.

2nd Place (there was a tie):
Martin Hebel, composer
CCM Wind Ensemble
Dr. Terence G. Milligan, conductor
Cincinnati OH
Tides Within

Martin Hebel, composer

Martin Hebel composes expressive, emotionally direct music for a wide variety of ensembles.  In his orchestral compositions, Martin explores strategies for engaging new audiences, seeking to enrich and enhance concert experiences for contemporary listeners, combining varied traditional symphonic forms with his contemporary harmonic language.  Martin Hebel’s Symphony No. 3 in E Minor: Concert in Three Acts, second place winner of the 2019 American Prize and National Finalist in the 2015 Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, was recorded by Mikel Toms and the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra and released internationally in August 2016 by ABLAZE Records.   Born in Hamden, Connecticut in 1990, Martin Hebel received his M.M. in composition from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 2018 where he studied with Douglas Knehans and Ellen Ruth Harrison. He graduated with honors from the University of Connecticut in 2015, where he studied composition with Dr. Kenneth Fuchs. www.martinhebel.com

2nd Place (there was a tie):
Zachary Ploeger, composer & trumpeter
Tempe AZ
Sonata for Trumpet and Piano

Zachary Ploeger, composer & trumpeter

Zachary S. Ploeger is quickly emerging as one of the most promising musicians of his generation. As an active conductor, trumpeter, and composer, he is constantly in demand. At 24 years of age, he has already performed for audiences all around the world.

Zach is currently pursuing a doctorate in trumpet performance at the University of Minnesota where he holds a Music Fellowship and studies with Professor Marissa Benedict. He recently completed a master's degree at Arizona State University where he was the Rafael Mendez Scholar in Brass. At ASU he studied with Regents Professor David Hickman, one of the most highly regarded trumpet pedagogues of all time. Zachary also holds undergraduate degrees in trumpet performance and composition from Western Michigan University, where he graduated summa cum laude. At WMU, Zach studied with Professor Scott Thornburg, trumpet, and Dr. Richard Adams, composition.

Zachary has received numerous awards and accolades. Among them are five “American Prize” awards for excellence in the field of music composition. He is also frequently commissioned and his works regularly performed. Recent engagements include the Mivos String Quartet, the Western Michigan University Symphonic Band, the International Trumpet Guild, and many prominent soloists. A CD of his own original trumpet works composed and performed by Zachary has been released. And an album of standard trumpet repertoire is currently in progress.

3rd Place:
Young Jun Lee, composer
New Thread Saxophone Quartet
New York NY
Tsunami

Young Jun Lee, composer

YoungJun Lee is a distinguished composer, pianist, conductor and a businessman, born in 1991. He started learning how to play the piano at the age of 7. He is an awarded musician from Berklee Composition department for Vuk Kulenovic/Memorial Prize as one of the best composition students of the year in 2019. He got a masterclass with George Lewis. His music has been premiered by renowned musicians such as Jack Quartet(String_US) and New Thread Saxophone Quartet(US). Also, he co-wrote the concerto for electronic instrument for Suzanne Ciani. He is currently studying in Berklee College of Music with Professor Andrew List, Alla Cohen, Dennis Leclaire and Marti Epstein. And he got nominated to Dean’s list for 4 semesters in a row. (CGPA 3.98/4.0) You can check him more in his website - http://www.youngjunleonlee.com

Finalist—Career Encouragement Certificate
Annika Huprikar, composer & pianist
Deerfield IL
Ballade in F minor; Arabesque; Olympus

Annika Huprikar, composer & pianist

Annika Huprikar, a rising senior in high school, is a pianist and composer. She has been studying piano since the age of six. She is a classically trained pianist, under the tutelage of Susan Merdinger. Annika has performed twice in Carnegie Hall, as a Second Place Winner in the American Protege International Romantic Music Competition in 2017 and the Elite International Music Competition in 2019. She performed her solo repertoire in her Young Steinway Artists Concert in 2018. Annika has been named an Illinois All-State Musician by the ILMEA for composition, and was invited to attend and perform at the All-State Composition Festival in January 2019. She was one of four nationally selected finalists for The American Prize competition in Piano Concerto Performance in 2017, and has also performed concertos with regional orchestras. Annika is also a part of the Midwest Young Artists Conservatory as a the pianist in a piano quintet, and recently made her Ravinia debut with the quintet. Annika regularly performs mini-concerts for memory care residents in senior living. She is the co-founder of Music-Is-Medicine, a volunteer organization that brings musicians in the community together to play for senior citizens. annikahuprikarpianist.com

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Congratulations!

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WELCOME four new DISTINGUISHED JUDGES of The American Prize

August 1, 2020, 10:57 am

≫ Next: WINNERS: stage directors (theater/music theater), the Charles Nelson Reilly Prize, 2019-20

≪ Previous: Winners: BACON AWARD (American Music Performance)—solo division, 2020

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 welcome four new judges to its distinguished panel of national adjudicators. Please find their photos and bios below. Biographies and photos of all The American Prize judges maybe found here: http://www.theamericanprize.org/judges2014.html
Maestro Katz is profiled here: http://www.theamericanprize.org/davidkatz.html

The four newest members of The American Prize judging panel are:

SVETLANA BELSKY, pianist, chamber music specialist, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

R. TAD GREIG, conductor, instrumental specialist, Westminster College, New Wilmington, PA

MARK J. MORETTE, owner, recording specialist, Mark Custom Recording Service, Clarence, NY

THOMAS R. VOZZELLA, conductor and organist, Community of Christ World Headquarters, Independence, MO

CALL for JUDGES: If you are interested in being considered as a judge for The American Prize, please contact Maestro Katz by emailing theamericanprize@gmail.com. Judges in all music and theater disciplines are welcomed, with special needs in the areas of composition, stage directing, musical theater, string instruments, and wind and brass instruments. As part of the selection process, potential judges will be asked to write one or more sample evaluations of current or former applicants. The American Prize adheres to a strict bias and conflict of interest policy and does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, gender, age, race, spiritual or personal belief, disability, sexual preference or gender identification. All judges of The American Prize receive modest honorariums for their work.

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, September 9, 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, September 9, 2020. Further extensions may be granted pending the most current information about the virus. Visit theamericanprize.org for complete contest information.

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SVETLANA BELSKY, pianist and chamber music specialist, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

SVETLANA BELSKY

Critically acclaimed as "a passionate pianist and scholar," Svetlana Belsky is an in-demand recitalist and chamber pianist, noted for her remarkable rapport with audiences and stylistic versatility. She has appeared in Italy, Ukraine, Russia, Poland, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, and throughout the United States. Dr. Belsky has received awards both for her performances in international piano competitions, and for her advocacy of new American music.

Her recordings have been heard on radio stations worldwide. The American Record Guide hails her CD of the solo version of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring (Centaur, 2014) as an “extraordinary performance.” The album is the recipient of a Global Music Award.

While Svetlana’s musical interests range from performing early Baroque masterpieces on harpsichord to premiering new music commissioned by her chamber ensembles, the love of her musical life is the music and the legacy of Ferruccio Busoni. She is the author of Busoni as Pianist (an annotated translation from the Russian, Eastman Studies in Music, 2010), which was featured on BBC radio in December 2016. Her most recent CD Busoni: The Late Works (Ravello, 2019) is described as "Marrying awe-inducing technical capabilities to an artistic intuition of mind-boggling depth.”

Following emigration from the Soviet Union, Dr. Belsky studied with Emilio Del Rosario in Chicago. She earned her Bachelor of Music summa cum laude and Master's degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, studying with Ann Schein. Later, she earned her Doctorate in Performance at the Manhattan School of Music, working with Nina Svetlanova. As the Coordinator of Piano Studies at the University of Chicago, Dr. Belsky teaches students from four continents, among many other academic responsibilities.

R. TAD GREIG, conductor, instrumental specialist, Westminster College, New Wilmington, PA

R. TAD GREIG

Dr. R. Tad Greig is the Director of Instrumental Activities and Professor of Music in the School of Music at Westminster College. As the Director of Instrumental Activities, Dr. Greig is the founder and conductor of the Wind Ensemble. He also directs the Symphonic Band and “Titan” Marching Band, and conducted the Jazz Ensemble from 1993- 2003. In Music Education, Dr. Greig co-supervises student teachers, teaches Secondary Instrumental Methods, Instrumental Conducting,
Advanced Conducting, Band Literature and Marching Band Techniques. Dr. Greig is also the faculty advisor to the Westminster College Pennsylvania Collegiate Music Educators Association and the past Collegiate Representative for Curriculum and Instruction for District Five PMEA. He is responsible for maintaining and evaluating all music for the PMEA Assessment Performance list and is an advocate for Musical Performance Assessment in Pennsylvania. Dr. Greig is also the conductor of the North Pittsburgh Symphonic Band, Pittsburgh, PA.

Under the leadership of Dr. Greig, as former chair and budget administrator and current director of instrumental activities, the Westminster College School of Music has become a leader in music education training and music performance in the region over the past twenty years. Dr. Greig is an active Guest Conductor, Clinician and Adjudicator throughout the Eastern United States, most recently having been the guest conductor for the Pennsylvania Music Educators All-State Wind Ensemble. His ensembles at Westminster have earned guest appearances at the PMEA State Conference on numerous occasions and received specific mention by the National Association of Schools of Music in their last two accreditation visits, and received 1st place in The America’s Prize national competition for Collegiate Ensembles in 2017. He has given numerous lectures and presentations on ensemble rehearsal techniques, literature selection and various topics regarding music education. He has also been a guest panelist for multiple Collegiate Band Directors National Association conferences related to successful programs in smaller institutions. Dr. Greig has studied conducting with Dr. Leslie Hicken (Furman University) and Dr. Wayne Gorder (Kent State University) as well as participating in the renowned University of Colorado Conducting Symposium with Allan McMurray, Craig Kirchhoff and Frank Ticheli. As a Trombonist, Dr. Greig currently performs with the Youngstown Fine Arts Brass (Quintet), the Butler Symphony as well as being a free-lance musician throughout the Youngstown and Pittsburgh areas.

MARK J. MORETTE, owner, recording specialist, Mark Custom Recording Service, Clarence, NY

MARK J. MORETTE

Mark J. Morette is the second-generation owner of Mark Custom Recording Service, Inc. Based in Clarence, New York, Mark Recording was founded in 1958 and incorporated in 1962 by Vincent S. Morette, a music technology pioneer and innovator who brought together music education and the tape recorder. Mark followed in his father’s footsteps and has been recording for over 40 years. Mark has been privileged to work with some of the finest names in music. This includes Jazz greats, Dizzy Gillespie, Allen Vizzutti, John Faddis, Jeff Tyzik, Steve Houghton, Ellis, Winton, and Branford Marsalis, Chuck and Gap Mangione, Jeff Jarvis, Bobby McFerrin, Eastman Jazz Ensemble and Shelly Berg. Pop and classical music favorites; Ginger Baker, Richie Havens, Denny Laine, 10,000 Maniacs, Goo Goo Dolls, Misfits, Storm Troopers of Death (Anthrax), Doyle, Jerry Only, Classical artists; Eric Whitacre, Fred Mills (Canadian Brass), PentraBrass (Italy), Joe Alessi, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Houston Opera, Chicago Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra (Japan), The United States Air Force, Marine, Army, Navy, Coast Guard Bands and choirs, Korean National Military Band, Singapore Armed Forces Band, German Federal Army Band, Taiwan Armed Forces Wind Orchestra, UNTx Wind Symphony and Symphonic Bands, Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Vancouver, Canada), Lone Star Wind Orchestra (TX), vocalists and ensembles: Hila Plitmann, Conspirare, New York Voices, St. Olaf Choir (MN), Westminster Choir (NJ), Moses Hogan, to name a scant few.   Mark has collaborated on projects with composers such as Karel Husa, Frank Ticheli (3), Eric Whitacre (2), BCM, Julie Giroux (2), David R. Holsinger (12), David R. Gillingham (2) , Robert Jager (2), James Barnes, Dr. Mark Hindsley, Alfred Reed, Robert W. Smith, Roger Cichy, Andrew Boysen, just to name a few.

  Mark Recording specializes in recording and producing recordings of large international music conferences. A few of our current clients include The Midwest Clinic, WASBE, ACDA, New York State Band Director’s Association, All-State music conferences in Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania.   

Mark is also a widely sought after lecturer and panelist on all aspects of music business. This includes; “Copyright, Copywrong, Copy Confusion” a clinic on copyrights for the educator, “The Role of the Producer in the Studio,” “Recording Techniques for Classical Ensembles,” “Jazz Band Recording Techniques,” “The History of the Wind Band and It’s Recorded Archives” are a few of his clinic titles.   

THOMAS R. VOZZELLA, conductor and organist, Community of Christ World Headquarters, Independence, MO

THOMAS R. VOZZELLA

Thomas R. Vozzella, BS, MM, DMA, FFSC is Director of Music—Organist at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Kansas City, USA, and a Staff Organist at the Community of Christ World Headquarters. He has served the American Guild of Organists as Dean of the Black Hills Chapter, American Choral Directors Association as the National and South Dakota Chair for Music in Worship, has taught at institutions of higher education in Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama and Kansas, and on the faculty at Waldon University’s online Ph.D program in Fine Arts. His choirs have sung for Tennessee ACDA, The White House, by invitation of President and Mrs. George W. Bush, The Harlem Globetrotters. His choirs have also received invitations to perform at Kansas Music Educators Association and Texas Choral Directors Association conventions.

As a presenter/performer, he has presented at state, regional and national American Choral Directors Association and American Guild of Organists Conventions, toured in twenty-six states, the District of Columbia and eleven countries, most recently in Germany. His compositions appear in six catalogues and have received five ASCAP Plus Awards. Vozzella’s biography has appeared in International Who's Who in Music, in America, and in the World. Thomas holds degrees from the University of South Carolina, The University of Louisiana-Monroe, Eastern Nazarene College, with additional study at The Royal School of Church Music—UK, University of Missouri-Kansas City, and Nazarene Theological Seminary. Advanced conducting study has been as a Fellow at the Conductor’s Institute of South Carolina twice with Donald Portnoy, in the Czech Republic with Tsung-Ye, and Bulgaria with Harold Farberman. Vozzella has studied choral conducting with Greg Larkin, Ed Deckard, Larry Wyatt and Richard Conant; organ with Lambert Brandes, John Ditto, master classes with Peter Hurford, Marie-Claire Alain and John Obetz.

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WINNERS: stage directors (theater/music theater), the Charles Nelson Reilly Prize, 2019-20

August 17, 2020, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: WINNERS: stage directors (opera), the Charles Nelson Reilly Prize, 2019-20

≪ Previous: WELCOME four new DISTINGUISHED JUDGES of The American Prize

Charles Nelson Reilly

The American Prize wishes everyone safety and health during this difficult time.

The American PrizeNational Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David (Volosin) Katz, founder and chief judge, is honored to announce the winners, runners-up, and honorable mention recipient of The American Prize in Directing—The Charles Nelson Reilly Prize, 2019-20, in the theater/musical theater division. (Opera division winners will be posted separately.) Congratulations!

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

QUICKNOTES: Although The American Prize does not usually provide written evaluations to semi-finalists, some semi-finalist composers will receive in their certificate packets short comments, suggestions or overall impressions made during the judging. We hope they will prove valuable. All finalists receive written evaluations from a member of The American Prize judging panel.

Charles Nelson Reilly was a Tony Award-winning actor and Broadway stage director, and an acclaimed opera director and teacher. Far more than the zany television personality by which he was most often identified, Reilly nurtured the creation of a whole series of unique one-person stage plays. Most famously, he directed Julie Harris in her Tony Award-winning star turn in "The Belle of Amherst", on the life and poetry of Emily Dickinson. Among Reilly's many Broadway directing credits were Ira Levinʼs "Break a Leg", Larry Shueʼs "The Nerd", and the revival of "The Gin Game", starring Julie Harris and Charles Durning, for which Mr. Reilly was the sole American director to be nominated for a Tony in 1997. Mr. Reillyʼs career as an opera director included productions for Chicago Opera Theater, Dallas Opera, San Diego Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Toledo Opera, Milwaukee Opera and Opera Pacific. Charles Nelson Reilly and The American Prize chief judge David Katz were friends for three decades, first meeting through their mutual Hartford voice teacher, Mrs. Friedrich Schorr. Mr. Reilly served as honorary chairperson of the Friedrich Schorr Memorial Performance Prize in Voice from the competition's founding in 1990, until his death. To read more about the career of Charles Nelson Reilly,please click here.

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, September 9, 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, September 9, 2020. Further extensions may be granted pending the most current information about the virus.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize in Directing—The Charles Nelson Reilly Prize, theater/music theater division, 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
Belinda Andrews-Smith
Denison University
Granville OH
Chicago

Belinda Andrews-Smith

Dr. Belinda Andrews-Smith is the Director of Opera/Music Theatre and the Coordinator of Vocal Studies at Denison University.  Belinda joined the Denison music faculty in 1998. During her twenty years of service to the University, she has directed over 40 productions of music theatre, opera, and operetta. Singer's Theatre, the theatrical ensemble created by Dr. Andrews-Smith at Denison, has become an extension of her vocal and theatre training, connecting the voice studio to the stage. Her mastery of commercial and classical singing techniques and opera performance has created a unique method of theatrical direction. Dr. Andrews-Smith’s productions are extremely popular and have become "standing room only" events on the Denison University campus. In 2019 Singer's Theatre Workshop was nationally recognized, winning third place in The American Prize competition and Dr. Smith won second place in the directing category. Students trained in her distinctive music program have applied their undergraduate theatrical instruction to graduate programs throughout the United States, leading roles on Broadway, and National Broadway tours.

2nd Place:
Geoffrey Arndt
Saint Patrick Summer Theatre
Chicago IL
Sweeney Todd

Geoffrey Arndt

Geoffrey is a teacher, director, and interdisciplinary artist from Chicago. He has served for twelve years as the Director of Theatre at Saint Patrick High School and runs the Saint Patrick Summer Theatre Company that supports students, community members, and professional actors through workshops, intensives, classes, and a summer musical. He has directed over forty productions in community and educational settings. Some of his favorites include Man of La Mancha, Amadeus, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Pippin, Phantom of the Opera, Dracula, Macbeth, and Robin Hood. Geoffrey has also adapted and devised works for the stage as well as designed and fabricated puppets for production, as well. He is currently pursuing his Master of Fine Arts in Directing through the University of Idaho. www.geoffreyarndt.com

3rd Place (there was a tie):
Dr Darren P. Lawson
Bob Jones University
Greenville SC
Titanic: The Musical

Dr Darren P. Lawson

Dr. Darren P. Lawson is dean of the School of Fine Arts and Communication at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC. He has a BA in Rhetoric and Public Address and an MA in Platform Arts from Bob Jones University and PhD in Communication Studies from the University of Kansas. He is a member of the University Classic Players and has portrayed such roles as Cyrano in Cyrano de Bergerac, Leontes in The Winter’s Tale, Gloucester in King Lear, Henry in King Henry IV, Duke of Buckingham in Richard III: The Terrible Reign, Bottom the Weaver in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macduff in Macbeth, Jaques in As You Like It, Feste in Twelfth Night, and others. He stage directs for the BJU Opera Association with productions including Titanic: The Musical, Little Women: The Broadway Musical, Aida, Samson et Dalila, Andrea Chenier, Mefistofele, L’Elisir d’Amore, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, and Simeon. http://www.bju.edu/events/fine-arts/concert-opera-drama/archive/

3rd Place (there was a tie):
David Schwingle
Bob Jones University
Greenville SC
King Lear

David Schwingle

As a voice and acting coach (RRT), playwright, director, and actor, David regularly creates new plays and acts in Shakespeare’s.

In 2015, David's short play, Separate, was produced at Tesseract Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri (April 17-25). In 2016, David’s 10-minute play, The Match, was produced in September (Roanoke, VA).

In April, 2017, David's 10-minute play Winning with Shakespeare! won the new works festival at the Atlantic Stage (Myrtle Beach, SC).

David is the founder of 11th Hour Theatre. He recently finished playing Hamlet. (Greenville, SC). He recently completed the Patsy Rodenburg voice and acting Certification program (RRT) housed at the Michael Howard Studios in NYC. He recently directed King Lear in Greenville, SC.

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Geoffrey Arndt
Saint Patrick High School
Chicago IL
We All Rise Above—an anti-bullying play devised and directed by Mr. Arndt with the students at Saint Patrick High School

Geoffrey Arndt

↧

WINNERS: stage directors (opera), the Charles Nelson Reilly Prize, 2019-20

August 18, 2020, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Winners: CONDUCTORS (orchestra), 2019-20

≪ Previous: WINNERS: stage directors (theater/music theater), the Charles Nelson Reilly Prize, 2019-20

Charles Nelson Reilly

The American Prize wishes everyone safety and health during this difficult time.

The American PrizeNational Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David (Volosin) Katz, founder and chief judge, is honored to announce the winners, runners-up, and honorable mention recipient of The American Prize in Directing—The Charles Nelson Reilly Prize, 2019-20, in the opera theater division. (Theater/musical theater division winners will be posted separately.) Congratulations!

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

QUICKNOTES: Although The American Prize does not usually provide written evaluations to semi-finalists, some semi-finalist composers will receive in their certificate packets short comments, suggestions or overall impressions made during the judging. We hope they will prove valuable. All finalists receive written evaluations from a member of The American Prize judging panel.

Charles Nelson Reilly was a Tony Award-winning actor and Broadway stage director, and an acclaimed opera director and teacher. Far more than the zany television personality by which he was most often identified, Reilly nurtured the creation of a whole series of unique one-person stage plays. Most famously, he directed Julie Harris in her Tony Award-winning star turn in "The Belle of Amherst", on the life and poetry of Emily Dickinson. Among Reilly's many Broadway directing credits were Ira Levinʼs "Break a Leg", Larry Shueʼs "The Nerd", and the revival of "The Gin Game", starring Julie Harris and Charles Durning, for which Mr. Reilly was the sole American director to be nominated for a Tony in 1997. Mr. Reillyʼs career as an opera director included productions for Chicago Opera Theater, Dallas Opera, San Diego Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Toledo Opera, Milwaukee Opera and Opera Pacific. Charles Nelson Reilly and The American Prize chief judge David Katz were friends for three decades, first meeting through their mutual Hartford voice teacher, Mrs. Friedrich Schorr. Mr. Reilly served as honorary chairperson of the Friedrich Schorr Memorial Performance Prize in Voice from the competition's founding in 1990, until his death. To read more about the career of Charles Nelson Reilly,please click here.

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, September 9, 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, September 9, 2020. Further extensions may be granted pending the most current information about the virus.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize in Directing—The Charles Nelson Reilly Prize, opera division, 2019-20

The American Prize winner:
Dean Anthony
SUNY Potsdam—Crane School of Music
Potsdam NY
MAYO (Cipullo)

Dean Anthony

Dean Anthony draws inspiration and expertise from a comprehensive career spanning over 30 years and innumerable turns as performer, director, educator, and producer. Frequently engaged as a stage director, Mr. Anthony’s artistic process is hallmarked by an energetic, gritty, and physical style. His portfolio stretches across the repertoire from Le Nozze di Figaro to Dead Man Walking and includes regular engagements at regional houses across the United States. Most recently, he was appointed Artistic and Producing Director of Asheville Lyric Opera and served as the Director of Opera at SUNY Potsdam for the 2018-2019 school year. Mr. Anthony is currently the Director of Opera with the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center and has served on the Brevard faculty since 2008. A passionate educator, he has shared his insights through a unique movement and acting masterclass series at opera companies, universities, and music festivals the world over from the Boston Cnservatory to the Festival Lyrique de Belle Ile en Mer.

2nd Place (there was a tie):
Dugg McDonough
Turner-Fischer Center for Opera at Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge LA
Elizabeth Cree (Puts)

Dugg McDonough

Dugg McDonough has directed for companies ranging from New York City Opera to the Taipei International Arts Festival. Recent professional successes have included Little Women, La cenerentola, and Sweeney Todd for Pensacola Opera; Susannah, Dialogues of the Carmelites, La rondine, Elektra, and The Tragedy of Carmen for Des Moines Metro Opera; and Madama Butterfly and Amahl and the Night Visitors for Opéra Louisiane. Mr. McDonough also worked for The Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Florida Grand Opera, OperaDelaware, and New York’s Center for Contemporary Opera. International credits include Le nozze di Figaro and La cenerentola for Operafestival di Roma and Tristan und Isolde in Bulgaria. For 20 seasons, Mr. McDonough was Co-Director of Des Moines Metro Opera’s Apprentice Artist Program as well as faculty at Temple University. He is now Fruehan Associate Professor and Artistic Director of the Turner-Fischer Center for Opera at Louisiana State University.

2nd Place (there was a tie):
David Holley
University of NC—Greensboro
Greensboro NC
Falstaff

David Holley

David Holley is the Director of Opera at UNCG and the General and Artistic Director of Greensboro Opera. Recent directing/producing credits include Greensboro Opera productions of Madama Butterfly, Hansel and Gretel, The Barber of Seville, Carmen, La Cenerentola, and La fille du régiment. Of the latter, the Greensboro News and Record said, “Simply put, Holley and the cast put on one of the finest performances in recent Triad memory.” In the Spring of 2009, he produced and directed the World Premiere of Picnic, an opera by American composer Libby Larsen, for which he also wrote the libretto. His productions have consistently won awards in the National Opera Association's annual Opera Production Competition, including seven first place and five second place NOA awards since his arrival at UNCG. 2016's Amahl and the Night Visitors recently won honorable mention in the American Prize Competition, and three productions have been American Prize finalists.

3rd Place:
Rachel M. Harris
University of Missouri
Kansas City MO
La Finta Giardiniera (Mozart)

Rachel M. Harris

Rachel M. Harris is a free-lance opera director based in Baton Rouge, LA. She began her directing career in 1997 working with Boston University and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Dr. Harris is a Guest Artist Stage Director for Heartland Opera Theatre, Joplin MO; Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, LA and a former Guest Artist Director for the University of Utah, Logan. Her free-lance credits include: The Varna International Opera Academy, Bulgaria; Opera Louisiane, Baton Rouge, LA; University of Missouri, Kansas City; Loyola University, New Orleans; Druid City Opera Workshop, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; Raven Summer Opera, Sam Houston State, Huntsville, TX and Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA. Dr. Harris holds a DMA from Louisiana State University, a BM in Vocal Performance from Fredonia State University and a MM in Opera from Binghamton University in conjunction with the Tri-Cities Opera Artist Residence Training Program. For more information, her website: http://rharrisdirector.wixsite.com/rachel-harris-opera

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Marc Callahan
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill NC
One Who Says Yes (Der Jasager) (Weill)

Marc Callahan

Marc Callahan holds degrees from Oberlin College, the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, and the École Normale de Musique de Paris and the Schola Cantorum. As a director, he has received international critical acclaim for his production of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Les Indes Galantes, saying it was “designed and directed with jaw-dropping invention” and his production of Lohengrin was at the New World Center was ranked no. 2 in the top ten classical music event in Florida 2018. He has worked on productions at the Royal Opera House, the Aldeburgh Festival, the Holland Festival, Scottish Opera, Miami Music Festival, the New World Center, and the Théâtre du Capitole. Recent productions include The Marriage of Figaro, Cinderella, and The Blue Forest, Help, Help, the Globolinks!, Lohengrin, Alcina and Die Walküre, and Der Jasager.Upcoming productions include: L’incoronazione di Poppea, Die Zauberflöte, Il Sogno di Scipione, and Atlas. He will also act as collaborateur artistique for the grand re-opening of the new Théâtre du Châtelet in 2019.

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Tracelyn Gesteland
University of South Dakota Opera
Vermillion SD
The Consul

Tracelyn Gesteland

Dr. Tracelyn Gesteland is Associate Professor of Voice/Opera at the University of South Dakota and holds the Walter A. and Lucy Yoshioka Buhler Endowed Chair. She is the recipient of several national awards for her opera direction at USD, including accolades from The American Prize and the National Opera Association. Other recent directing credits include productions with the Lone Star Lyric Theater Festival, the Houston Opera Project, and the South Dakota Vocal Arts Festival, in addition to serving as a directing apprentice with the Harrower Opera Workshop in Atlanta. She is also an active performer on the opera, concert and recital stage, having been referred to by reviewers as "powerful" and "striking" (Great Britain's Organists' Review), “remarkable” and a “highlight of the evening” (Sioux City Journal), and “an engaging and versatile singing actress” (Madison Isthmus). Dr. Gesteland was the winner of the Belbas-Larson Award for Excellence in Teaching, USD’s highest teaching honor.

Finalist Honorable Mention:
Copland Woodruff
Lawrence University
Appleton WI
Mass (Bernstein)

Copland Woodruff

Copeland Woodruff, director of opera studies at Lawrence University, has held teaching appointments at University of Memphis, The Julliard School, Oberlin Conservatory, and Temple University as well as the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. He is dedicated to the re-imagining of the artist and of the artist’s creative dialogue with the world, especially in recital, concert, and operatic performance practice. Woodruff is a proud member of AGMA and Actor's Equity Association.

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Congratulations!

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