The ASCAP Foundation has announced the 20 winning composers in its 2020 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards competition all of whom range between the ages of 10 and 30 years. An additional 12 composers received Honorable Mention. The 2020 Morton Gould Young Composer Awards composer/judges were: Kathryn Alexander, Tamar Muskal, Steven Burke, Kenneth Fuchs, Jonathan Bailey Holland, Eric Nathan and Huang Ruo.
Below is a list of the 20 award-winning composers and their award-winning works. Links on compositions are to complete audio recordings.
Sturdivant Adams (b. 1993):
Revolutions for Korg MS-20 Analog Synth, Celesta, Marimba, Piano, 2 Harps, 3 Double Basses [5’30”]
Benjamin Beckman (b. 2000):
Occidentalis for orchestra [3’30”]
Christian-Frédéric Bloquert (b. 1997):
Fantastique Voyage for orchestra [14’00”]
Yihan Chen (b. 1994):
Luantan for clarinet, saxophone, violin, cello, piano & percussion [10’30”]
TJ Cole (b. 1993):
Playtime – 10 miniatures for string sextet (2 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos) [23’30”]
Alistair Coleman (b. 1998):
Moonshot for string quartet [16’00”]
Emily Cooley (b. 1990):
Dissolve for saxophone quartet [13’00”]
Tyson Davis (b. 2000):
Delicate Tension for orchestra [5’30”]
Julián Fueyo (b. 1996):
El Onceavo Cielo / The Eleventh Heaven for orchestra [9’30”]
Ross S. Griffey (b. 1990):
Essay for orchestra [9’00”]
Yuri Lee (b. 2004):
Perseus and Medusa – the Opera
full orchestra with 9 voices (2 sopranos, 3 mezzo-sopranos, 2 tenors, 2 baritones) [10’00”]
Piyawat Louilarpprasert (b. 1993):
Pixels for saxophone and orchestra [21’00”]
Leo Major (b. 2002):
Night Falls on the Amazon for orchestra [3’30”]
Zev Malina (b. 2002):
Suite for Orchestra [20’00”]
Jane Shaulan Meenaghan (b. 2001):
Somatic (a String Quartet with Pre-Recorded Electronics) [20’00”]
Annika Socolofsky (b. 1990):
Gaze for orchestra [7’30”]
Max Vinetz (b. 1996):
Piano Concerto for piano and sinfonietta [18’30”]
Jonathan Weiss (b. 2002):
The Strongest Tree Bends in the Wind for violin and piano [5’30”]
Jungyoon Wie (b. 1990):
Han for string quartet [26’00’]
Athena Zhang (b. 2007):
A Legend From the Far East for orchestra [4’30”]
In addition, here are the names of the 12 composers who received honorary mentions for their works which also link to complete audio recordings.
Jack Frerer (b. 1995):
Spiral Sequences for string quartet [14’00”]
Ian Gottlieb (b. 1990):
(W)rit(h)e for violoncello and prepared pandeiro [9’00”]
Maya Miro Johnson (b. 2001):
when icarus fell, was there a splash? for soprano, flute, oboe, horn, trumpet, violin, ‘cello, piano, and live electronics [22’00”]
Michael Kropf (b. 1991):
Distant Sea for string orchestra [6’30”]
Qi Li (b. 1990):
A Pale View of Colors for orchestra [12’00”]
Ian J. Lin (b. 2009):
Capriccio in G Major for Piano [3’30”]
Peyton Nelesen (b. 2009):
A Farewell to Innocence for orchestra [6’00”]
Paul Novak (b. 1998):
as the light begins to drift for sinfonietta [12’00”]
Julian Ossa (b. 1992):
Kraken for wind ensemble [5’30”]
Nicky Sohn (b. 1992):
Bird up for orchestra [8’00”]
Benjamin Webster (b. 1997):
Piano Quartet for piano, violin, viola, and cello [12’00”]
Shiv Yajnik (b. 2002):
Fantasia-Sinfonia for piano [13’00”]
Established as The ASCAP Foundation Young Composer Awards in 1979 with funding from the Jack and Amy Norworth Fund, the program grants cash prizes to concert music composers up to the age of 30 years whose works are selected through a juried national competition. These composers may be American citizens, permanent residents, or students possessing U.S. Student Visas. In 1996, the annual ASCAP Foundation Young Composer program was renamed to honor composer Morton Gould, President of ASCAP and The ASCAP Foundation from 1986 to 1994, following his death, in tribute to his lifelong commitment to encouraging young creators as well as to acknowledge that Gould himself was a child prodigy whose first composition was published by G. Schirmer when he was only six years old. In addition, each year as part of these young composer awards, there is also an annual Leo Kaplan Award, named in memory of the distinguished attorney who served as ASCAP Special Distribution Advisor. This year’s Leo Kaplan Award recipient is TJ Cole. The ASCAP Foundation Irving Caesar Fund provides additional funding for the Morton Gould Young Composer Awards.
