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.

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/533564 Artists, Babbitt, Milton, Beeferman, Gordon, Crumb, George, Kernis, Aaron Jay, Schwantner, Joseph, Wuorinen, Charles, Awards, BMI Foundation Awards, BMI Student Composer Awards 46TH ANNUAL BMI STUDENT COMPOSER AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED;

PULITZER PRIZE WINNER AARON JAY KERNIS AWARDED BMI SPECIAL CITATION

New York, New York, June 9, 1998—Eight young composers, ranging in age from 18 to 26, have been named winners in the 46th Annual BMI Student Composer Awards. Ralph N. Jackson, Assistant Vice President, BMI Classical Music Relations and Director of the Student Composer Awards, and Awards Chairman Milton Babbitt announced the decisions of the jury and presented the awards at a reception held today at the Plaza Hotel in New York City.

The 1998 BMI Student Composer Award winners are: Gordon Beeferman (age 21, recent graduate of the University of Michigan); Ryan T. Deasy (age 18, recent graduate of Pike High School in Indianapolis); Rafael A. Hernandez III (age 22, recent graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University); Jeff Myers (age 20, studies at San Jose State University); Paul D. Osterfield (age 24, studies at Cornell University); Joshua Penman (age 18, studies at Yale University); Kevin Putz (age 26, studies at the Eastman School of Music); and Michael Weingartner (age 26, recent graduate of the University of Utah).

Ralph Jackson announced that Kevin Putz and Michael Weingartner were the co-winners of the 1998 William Schuman Prize, which is awarded to the score judged “most outstanding” in the competition. The prize is given in memory of the late William Schuman, who served for 40 years as Chairman, then Chairman Emeritus, of the BMI Student Composer Awards. The BMI Student Composer Awards recognize superior creative talent and winners receive scholarship grants to be applied toward their musical education. More than 400 manuscripts were submitted to the competition in 1998 and all works were judged under pseudonyms. Cash awards totaled $15,000.

The distinguished Student Composer Awards jury members for the 1998 competition were Leslie Bassett, George Crumb, Joseph Schwantner, Michael Torke and Charles Wuorinen. The preliminary judging committee included Chester Biscardi, David Leisner and Bernadette Speach.

During the ceremony, Aaron Jay Kernis, the recipient of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize in Music, was presented with a BMI Special Citation of Achievement for “outstanding contribution to the world of classical music.” Mr. Kernis, a former three-time Student Composer Award winner, received his earliest recognition from BMI at age 17. Now 38, he has been performed and commissioned by many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras and chamber music groups. His Pulitzer Prize winning work, String Quartet No. 2, “musica instrumentalis,” was premiered by the Lark String Quartet on January 10, 1998 in Merkin Hall in New York City. Eleven former Student Composer Award winners have gone on to win the coveted Pulitzer Prize in Music.

According to Jackson, BMI has given 432 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. The awards are co-sponsored by BMI and the BMI Foundation.