ASCAP Announces 2009 Young Jazz Composer Awards
ASCAP Foundation President Marilyn Bergman has announced the recipients of the 2009 ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Awards. The 26 recipients, who range in age from 15 to 29, were selected through a juried national competition. They will each receive cash awards and be recognized at the annual ASCAP Jazz Wall of Fame ceremony on June 16, 2009, which will be held in The Allen Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.
This year’s ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Award recipients, ages 18-29, are:
- Mike Baggetta, 29 (NY)
- Tyler Gilmore, 26 (CO)
- Victor Gould, 21 (MA)
- Aaron Grad, 28 (MD)
- Nick Grondin, 26 (MA)
- Alex Heitlinger, 28 (NY)
- Armand Hirsch , 18 (NY)
- Matt Holman, 26 (NY)
- Remy Le Boeuf, 22 (NY)
- Ben Markley, 27 (CO)
- Kendall R. Moore, 22 (FL)
- Rob Mosher, 29 (NY)
- Daniel Ori, 29 (NY)
- Travis Reuter, 22 (NY)
- Albert Rivera, 25 (NY)
- Sam Sadigursky, 29 (NY)
- Nikos Syropoulos, 20 (CA)
- Matthew Vashlishan, 26 (FL)
- Justin Vasquez, 26 (TX)
- Brandon Wright, 26 (NY)
The youngest ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composers, ages 15 to 17, are:
- Lucas Apostoleris, 15 (MA)
- Phillip Golub, 15 (CA)
- Nicolas Hetko, 17 (NY)
- David Lantz, 17 (PA)
- Caili O’Doherty, 16 (OR)
- Keshav Singh, 17 (CA)
Composers receiving Honorable Mention are:
- Benj Bellon, 17 (CA)
- Michael Collins, 29 (AZ)
- Zaccai Curtis, 27 (NY)
- Douglas Detrick, 25, (OR)
- James Hirschfeld, 27, (NY)
- Pascal Le Boeuf, 22 (CA)
- Chase Morrin, 15 (CA)
- Joshua Moshier, 22 (IL)
- Matt Savage, 16, (NH)
- Erica Seguine, 21 (NY)
- Stephen W.(Red) Wierenga, 29 (NY)
The ASCAP composer/judges for the 2009 competition were John Fedchock, Jay Leonhart, and Phil Markowitz. The Young Jazz Composer Awards, established in 2002, are now in their fourth year of sponsorship by Gibson Foundation, the philanthropic division of musical giant Gibson Guitar Corp. The ASCAP Foundation, founded in 1975, is a charitable organization supported by contributions from ASCAP members and from music lovers dedicated to supporting American music creators and encouraging their development through music education and talent development programs. —FJO