Seven Composers Chosen for the 2010 Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute
Seven composers have been selected to participate in the 2010 Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute, which will culminate in a performance of their compositions on the Minnesota Orchestra’s 5th Annual Future Classics! concert, conducted by Music Director Osmo Vänskä, on October 29, 2010, at 8 p.m. in Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis. The seven composers are: Taylor Brizendine, Wang Jie, Polina Nazaykinskaya, Clint Needham, Ben Phelps, Narong Prangcharoen, and David Weaver. This occasion will mark the 10th anniversary of the Composer Institute.
In addition, there were nine runners-up—Tomas Ignacio Gueglio-Saccone, Irving Feng-Hsu Lee, Robert Honstein, Nicholas Vines, Max Giteck Duykers, Daniel Nelson, Michael Djupstrom, Michael Gilbertson, and Christopher Trapani—and five honorable mentions: Ann Millikan, Karl Blench, Evan Ware, Andreia Pinto-Correia, and Sung Hong. Runners-up may resubmit the work they entered this year for next year’s competition (or another work). Honorable mentions may not resubmit the work they submitted this year, but may submit another work that fits within the published guidelines.
The jury for the 2010 Institute, which reviewed a total of 168 applications, consisted of composers Augusta Read Thomas, Bright Sheng, former Institute participant Stacy Garrop, and Minnesota Orchestra Assistant Conductor Courtney Lewis. Institute Director Aaron Jay Kernis was chairman of the panel. Craig Carnahan and Suzanne Schlesinger at the American Composers Forum assisted invaluably in many stages of the jury process.
(—Condensed from the press release)