Eight young classical composers, ranging in age from 10 to 25, have been named winners in the 53rd Annual BMI Student Composer Awards. Del R. Bryant, BMI President & CEO, announced the decisions of the jury and presented the awards at a reception held June 6 at Le Parker Meridien Hotel in New York City. Composer Milton Babbitt, Chairman of the awards, and Ralph N. Jackson, President of the BMI Foundation, Inc. and Director of the awards, joined in the presentations.

Click here to read the winners bios

The 2005 BMI Student Composer Award winners are Preben Antonsen (age 14, studies privately with John Adams in Berkeley, California); Sebastian Chang (age 17, studies at Curtis Institute of Music); Glenn Crytzer (age 24, studies at Cleveland Institute of Music); Andrew Jeffrey Norman (age 25, studies privately with Donald Crockett in Los Angeles, California); Joseph Sheehan (age 24, studies at Indiana University); Jeff Stanek (age 21, studies at Indiana University); Conrad Tao (age 10, studies privately with Christopher Theofanidis in New York City); and Spencer Stuart Topel (age 25, studies at Cornell University).

BMI Lifetime Achievement winner George Crumb is congratulated by BMI's Del Bryant

A highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award, BMI's highest honor in the classical field, to composer George Crumb on the occasion of his 75th Birthday Year. Crumb, a 1956 BMI Student Composer Award winner, was cited as a "true American original," and honored for his "profound gift of music to the world." Among his many honors are the Pulitzer Prize in Music, a Grammy Award, a Fulbright Fellowship, a Cannes Classical Award, the Prince Pierre de Monaco Gold Medal, and the Brandeis University Creative Arts Award. He has been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters since 1975 and was named "Composer of the Year" in 2004 by Musical America. Crumb held the position of Annenberg Professor of the Humanities at the University of Pennsylvania, where he taught for over 30 years.

Pictured after the awards presnetation are (front row) winners Preben Antonsen, Sebastian Chang, and Conrad Tao, Awards Chairman Milton Babbitt, (back row) winners Spencer Topel, Jeff Stanek, Andrew Norman, Glenn Crytzer and Joseph Sheehan. Photo by Gary Gershoff

Joseph Sheehan was the named the winner of the William Schuman Prize, which is 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 special Carlos Surinach Prizes, underwritten by the BMI Foundation's special endowed fund, were awarded to the youngest winners, Preben Antonsen and Conrad Tao.

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

This year's distinguished jury members included Robert Beaser, John Eaton, Steven Mackey, Cindy McTee, and Joseph Schwantner; the preliminary judges were Chester Biscardi, Shafer Mahoney and Bernadette Speach.

BMI has awarded 493 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. The BMI Student Composer Awards competition is co-sponsored by BMI and the BMI Foundation, Inc.]]> 2005-06-06T18:00:00+00:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233740 Bates, Mason, Babbitt, Milton, Bryant, Del, Davidovsky, Mario, Preston, Frances, Rouse, Christopher, Classical, Foundation, BMI Student Composer Awards Milton Babbitt, Chairman of the awards, and Ralph N. Jackson, President of the BMI Foundation, Inc. and Director of the awards, joined in the presentations.

Winners of the 51st Annual BMI Student Composer Awards are congratulated after the presentation on June 13 at the Plaza in New York. Pictured are (1st row): BMI's Del Bryant, Ralph Jackson and Frances Preston, and BMI composer and awards chairman Milton Babbitt; (row 2): winners James D. Norman, Joel Puckett, Ben S. Jacob and Joseph Sheehan (William Schuman Prize); (row 3): winners Dan Visconti, Robert Janusz Pierzak (Carlos Surinach Prize), Nathan Shields, Jeffrey Stanek (Carlos Surinach Prize) and Mason Bates. photo: Gary Gershoff

Click here to read bios on the award winners

The 2003 BMI Student Composer Award winners are: Mason Bates (age 26, studies at the University of California Berkeley), Ben S. Jacob (age 26, studies at Indiana University), James D. Norman (age 23, studies at the University of Texas at Austin), Robert Janusz Pierzak (age 19, studies at Ithaca College), Joel Puckett (age 25, studies at the University of Michigan), Joseph Sheehan (age 22, studies at Indiana University), Nathan Shields (age 19, studies at the New England Conservatory of Music), Jeffrey Stanek (age 19, studies at Indiana University) and Dan Visconti (age 21, studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music).

The BMI Student Composer Awards recognize superior creative talent and winners receive scholarship grants to be applied toward their musical education. More than 1,000 manuscripts were submitted to the 2003 competition from throughout the Western Hemisphere, and all works were judged under pseudonyms. Cash awards totaled $20,000.

In presenting the Awards, Preston said: "We are proud that the first 50 years of the Student Composer Awards have been so wonderfully successful in discovering and encouraging some of the world's most talented young composers. Today, as we begin the second half-century of these awards, we are inspired by the talent and dedication of our young winners who show so much promise for the future."

Joseph Sheehan was named the winner of the 2003 William Schuman Prize, which is 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, special Carlos Surinach Prizes, underwritten by the BMI Foundation's special endowed fund, were awarded to the two youngest winners of the competition, Robert Janusz Pierzak and Jeffrey Stanek.

The distinguished 2003 Student Composer Awards jury members included Margaret Brouwer, Michael Daugherty, Mario Davidovsky, Christopher Rouse and Joan Tower. The preliminary judges were Shafer Mahoney, David Leisner and Bernadette Speach.

BMI has given 477 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. The BMI Student Composer Awards competition is co-sponsored by BMI and the BMI Foundation, Inc.]]> 2003-06-15T18:00:01+00:00