The Student Composer Awards were established in 1951 to encourage young composers in the creation of serious music, and through cash prizes, to aid in continuing their musical education. Celebrated composer Milton Babbitt serves as the Awards Chairman. Composer luminaries such as William Bolcom, George Crumb, Mario Davidovsky, John Harbison, Aaron Jay Kernis, Donald Martino, Steven Mackey, Philip Glass, Christopher Rouse, Joseph Schwantner, Michael Torke and Charles Wuorinen received their earliest recognition through this program.

There are no limitations as to instrumentation, style or length of work submitted. The prizes, which range from $500 to $5,000, are awarded at the discretion of the final judging panel and compositions are judged completely under pseudonyms. Official rules and entry forms are available here.

The BMI Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1985 to support the creation, performance, and study of music through awards, scholarships, commissions and grants. Tax-deductible donations to the Foundation come primarily from songwriters, composers and publishers, BMI employees and members of the public with a special interest in music. Because both the Foundation staff and the distinguished members of the Advisory Panel serve without compensation, over 95% of all donations and income are used for charitable grants.

Pictured are (l-r): BMI Foundation President Ralph N. Jackson, Carlos Surinach Commission winner Judah E. Adashi, Carlos Surinach Prize winner Peter Kolkay and Concert Artist Guild President Richard S. Weinert. Photo by Dana Rodriguez

According to Jackson, "This is a unique program, which with the help of CAG, identifies a young performer who has shown a true dedication to American music, and then in turn, that performer chooses an emerging composer who will create a new work written specifically for the performer to premiere."

Performers are selected annually from the very prestigious roster of CAG's international competition winners and the composer is chosen from a pool of recent BMI Student Composer Awards winners.

A gifted musician who consistently displays both extraordinary musicality and virtuosic artistry, Peter Kolkay was awarded First Prize at the 2002 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, making him the first solo bassoonist to be so honored in the 51 years of the competition. Having quickly earned a reputation as one of the most outstanding musicians of his generation, Mr. Kolkay was recognized in May 2004 as the first artist on his instrument to be awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. Mr. Kolkay is a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's CMS II program for the 2006-07 season, which features numerous performances at Alice Tully Hall. Recital engagements include a return to his alma mater, Lawrence University, where he will premiere Adashi's commissioned work, as well as a joint performance at Symphony Space in New York.

Hailed by The Washington Post as being "embarked on a promising career," composer Judah E. Adashi has been honored with awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the BMI Student Composer Awards, the Aspen Music Festival, and has twice been in residence at the Yaddo artist colony. Recent commissions have come from the Aspen Music Festival and from the Arc Duo. Mr. Adashi directs the composition program at the Peabody Preparatory and is on the music theory faculty at the Peabody Conservatory. He also directs the Evolution Contemporary Music Series at An Die Musik, a Baltimore concert venue where he is composer-in-residence. His principal composition teachers have been Nicholas Maw and John Harbison; he holds degrees from Yale University and the Peabody Conservatory of Music of the Johns Hopkins University.

Concert Artists Guild is a non-profit organization founded in 1951 whose mission is to discover, nurture and promote young musicians. CAG's annual international competition identifies gifted artists and presents the winners at its New York concert series. CAG also provides management services that include booking engagements, marketing and publicity support, and recording opportunities. CAG also commissions several new works each year and actively seeks non-traditional venues for classical music performances.

The BMI Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1985 to support the creation, performance, and study of music through awards, scholarships, commissions and grants. Tax-deductible donations to the Foundation come primarily from songwriters, composers and publishers, BMI employees and members of the public with a special interest in music. Because both the Foundation staff and the distinguished members of the Advisory Panel serve without compensation, over 95% of all donations and income are used for charitable grants.

The Student Composer Awards were established in 1951 to encourage young composers in the creation of serious music, and through cash prizes, to aid in continuing their musical education. Celebrated composer Milton Babbitt serves as Chairman of the awards.

There are no limitations as to instrumentation, style or length of work submitted. The prizes, which range from $500 to $5,000, are awarded at the discretion of the final judging panel and compositions are judged completely under pseudonyms. The 2007 competition is open to students who are citizens of the Western Hemisphere (North, South and Central America, the Caribbean Island Nations and the Hawaiian Islands) and who are under the age of 26 on December 31, 2006.

Click here for official rules and entry blanks.

Eleven former winners of the BMI Student Composer Awards have gone on to win the coveted Pulitzer Prize in Music, including Stephen Albert, Dominick Argento, William Bolcom, George Crumb, Mario Davidovsky, John Harbison, Aaron Jay Kernis, Donald Martino, Christopher Rouse, Joseph Schwantner and Charles Wuorinen.

There are no limitations as to instrumentation, style or length of work submitted. The prizes, which range from $500 to $5,000, are awarded at the discretion of the final judging panel. The 2006 competition is open to students who are citizens of the Western Hemisphere (North, South and Central America, the Caribbean Island Nations and the Hawaiian Islands) and who are under 26 years of age on December 31, 2005. Compositions are judged completely under pseudonyms. Official rules and entry blanks are available here for download. The postmark deadline for entering the competition is Friday, February 3, 2006.

Celebrated composer Milton Babbitt serves as chairman of the awards. Eleven former winners of the BMI Student Composer Awards have gone on to win the coveted Pulitzer Prize in Music, including Stephen Albert, Dominick Argento, William Bolcom, George Crumb, Mario Davidovsky, John Harbison, Aaron Jay Kernis, Donald Martino, Christopher Rouse, Joseph Schwantner and Charles Wuorinen.]]> 2005-11-02T17:00:01+00:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234260 Mario, Babbitt, Milton, Bolcom, William, Bryant, Del, Crumb, George, Davidovsky, Mario, Harbison, John, Kernis, Aaron Jay, Martino, Donald, Rouse, Christopher, Schwantner, Joseph, Wuorinen, Charles, Foundation BMI Student Composer Awards competition will award $20,000 to young composers, BMI President and CEO Del Bryant announced today. The postmark deadline for entering the 2005 competition, co-sponsored by BMI and the BMI Foundation, is Friday, February 11, 2005.

The BMI Student Composer Awards were established in 1951 to encourage young composers in the creation of serious music and, through cash prizes, to aid in continuing their musical education. There are no limitations as to instrumentation, style or length of work submitted. The prizes, which range from $500 to $5,000, are awarded at the discretion of the final judging panel. Milton Babbitt is the awards chairman.

Eleven former winners of these prestigious awards have gone on to win the coveted Pulitzer Prize in Music, including Stephen Albert, Dominick Argento, William Bolcom, George Crumb, Mario Davidovsky, John Harbison, Aaron Jay Kernis, Donald Martino, Christopher Rouse, Joseph Schwantner and Charles Wuorinen.

The 2005 competition is open to students under the age of 26 by December 31, 2004 who are citizens of the Western Hemisphere, which includes North, South and Central America, the Caribbean Island Nations and the Hawaiian Islands. Compositions are judged completely under pseudonyms.

Click here for official rules and an entry form.]]> 2004-11-22T17:00:00+00:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233898 Mario, Babbitt, Milton, Bolcom, William, Crumb, George, Davidovsky, Mario, Harbison, John, Kernis, Aaron Jay, Martino, Donald, Rouse, Christopher, Schwantner, Joseph, Wuorinen, Charles, Classical, Foundation BMI Student Composer Award competition will award $20,000 to young composers, it was announced by BMI President and CEO, Frances W. Preston. The postmark deadline for entering the 2004 competition, which is co-sponsored by the BMI Foundation, is Friday, February 6, 2004.

The BMI Student Composer Awards were established in 1951 to encourage young composers in the creation of serious music and, through cash prizes, to aid in continuing their musical education. There are no limitations as to instrumentation, style or length of work submitted. The prizes, which range from $500 to $5,000, are awarded at the discretion of the final judging panel. Eleven former winners have gone on to win the coveted Pulitzer Prize in Music including Stephen Albert, Dominick Argento, William Bolcom, George Crumb, Mario Davidovsky, John Harbison, Aaron Jay Kernis, Donald Martino, Christopher Rouse, Joseph Schwantner and Charles Wuorinen.

The 2004 competition is open to students who are citizens of the Western Hemisphere (North, South and Central America, the Caribbean Island Nations and the Hawaiian Islands) and who are under 26 years of age on December 31, 2003. Compositions are judged completely under pseudonyms. Milton Babbitt is the awards chairman. Download official rules and entry blanks, or request forms by email at classical@bmi.com or by writing to:

Ralph N. Jackson
Director
BMI Student Composer Awards
320 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019 USA]]> 2003-11-10T17:00:00+00:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/232803 Osborne, Tom , Babbitt, Milton, Harbison, John, Preston, Frances, Classical, Foundation, BMI Student Composer Awards Nine young composers, ranging in age from 19 to 25, have been named winners in the 48th Annual BMI Student Composer Awards. BMI President and CEO Frances W. Preston will present the awards at a reception to be held today at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Milton Babbitt, Chairman of the awards, and BMI's Ralph N. Jackson, Director of the awards, will join in the presentations.

The BMI Student Composer Awards recognize superior creative talent and winners receive scholarship grants to be applied toward their musical education. More than 500 manuscripts were submitted to the competition from throughout the Western Hemisphere in 2000, and all works were judged under pseudonyms. Cash awards totaled $20,000.

The 2000 BMI Student Composer Award winners are Delvyn Case (age 25, studies at the University of Pennsylvania); Jefferson Friedman (age 25, studies at The Juilliard School); Vivian Fung (age 25, studies at The Juilliard School); Evan Johnson (age 19, studies at Yale University); Tellef Johnson (age 22, studies at The Juilliard School); Daniel D. Kellogg (age 24, studies at Yale University); Nancy Jane Kho (age 22, studies at Indiana University); Tom Osborne (age 22, studies at Indiana University); and DJ Sparr (age 24, studies at the University of Michigan).

Preston will begin the ceremony by announcing upcoming commissioning projects from the BMI Foundation's Carlos Surinach Fund and Boudleaux Bryant Fund. These commissions will be open to BMI affiliated composers who are recent Student Composer Award winners. The first BMI/Carlos Surinach Fund commission will be for the American Composers Orchestra's 25th Anniversary concert at Carnegie Hall in 2002. The BMI Foundation is also working closely with Concert Artists Guild on the first BMI/Boudleaux Bryant Fund commission, which will be written for the new music ensemble, eighth blackbird.

Daniel D. Kellogg is the winner of the 2000 William Schuman Prize, awarded to the score judged "most outstanding" in the competition. This special prize is given each year in memory of the late William Schuman, who served for 40 years as Chairman, then Chairman Emeritus, of the BMI Student Composer Awards. Additionally, two Carlos Surinach Prizes, underwritten by the special fund, will be awarded to the two youngest 2000 BMI Student Composer Award-winners, Evan Johnson and Tom Osborne.

The distinguished 2000 Student Composer Awards jury members included Michael Daugherty, Lukas Foss, John Harbison, Francis Thorne, and Robert Ward. The preliminary judges were Chester Biscardi, Shafer Mahoney and Bernadette Speach.

BMI has given 450 scholarship grants to young composers over the years, and many of today's most prominent and active classical composers received their first recognition from the BMI Student Composer Awards. Eleven former winners have gone on to win the coveted Pulitzer Prize in Music. Established in 1951, the BMI Student Composer Awards is co-sponsored by BMI and the BMI Foundation.