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 | The winners of the ASCAP Foundation/Morton Gould Young Composer Awards gathered for a group photo at ASCAP's New York office at a special reception in their honor. Pictured (l-r) are Martin Kennedy, ASCAP's Frances Richard, Nicholas Brooke, Julia Carey Scott, Ralf Gawlick, John Kline, Lisa Bielawa, Stefan Freund, Francine Trester, Daniel Cooper, John Supko, Carlos Rivera, Howard Yermish, Gregory Mertl, Chris Bailey, Maya Levina, Shafer Mahoney, Adrian Childs and juror Steven Rosenhaus. |
TAN DUN HONORED WITH 1998 GRAWEMEYER AWARD FOR MUSICAL COMPOSITION ASCAP member Tan Dun, composer of the opera, Marco Polo, has been honored for that work with the 1998 Grawemeyer Award for Musical Composition, it was recently announced by the University of Louisville. The prestigious $150,000 award was established in 1985 to honor outstanding contemporary composers.Tan Dun, who is 40 years old, was born in Hunan, China and currently lives in New York City. He began his career as a violinist in his home village, later joining the Peking Opera. Accepted to China's Central Conservatory in 1978, Tan completed his first symphony, Li Sao, in 1980. His String Quartet: Fen Ya Song (1983) was the recipient of the Weber Prize. In 1986, Tan came to New York as a Columbia University fellow and began creating music that combines eastern and western musical styles. In 1992, he became the youngest composer to be awarded the Suntory prize commission, for which he wrote Orchestral Theatre II. Excerpts from Tan's Symphony 1997 were performed at the ceremonies commemorating the transfer of Hong Kong to China in 1997. Marco Polo, the Grawemeyer Award-winning work, has a libretto by ASCAP member Paul Griffiths. The opera follows Marco Polo on his explorations from Italy to China. H. Charles Grawemeyer established the University of Louisville Grawemeyer Awards in order to recognize ideas and works that "help make the world a better place." ASCAP composers who have been Grawemeyer Award recipients are: John Corigliano and the late Ivan Tcherepnin. In addition, international composers who license their music through ASCAP in the U.S. have also been honored with the Grawemeyer Award: Witold Lutoslawski, Gyorgi Ligeti, Harrison Birtwiistle, and Simon Bainbridge. |
 | ASCAP VP of Concert Music Fran Richard co-hosted a workshop with Randall Davidson at the American Composers Forum in Minnesota on June 16th. Composers attending included Bob and Lois Hanson, Larry Siegel, Michael Karmen, Gregg Shaffner, Dan Culman, Nathaniel Reilly, Warren Park and others. |
 | Judges for the the ASCAP/IAJE Commissions honoring Benny Carter gathered in the Living Room at ASCAP's New York office to select the winners. Pictured (l-r) are Bill Kirchner, Billy Harper, Chuck Iwanusa and Cecil Bridgewater. The premieres of the winners, Oliver Lake and Sonia Jacobsen, will be performed in January at the annual IAJE conference. |
 | At the Interlochen Music Camp and Festival in Interlochen, Michigan, ASCAP congratulated five young composer's whose works were performed at the Festival. All five composers, who are past winners of the ASCAP Foundation/Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, were sponsored by the ASCAP Foundation/ Morton Gould fund. Pictured (left, l-r) are composers Andrew Norman and Derek Bermel, ASCAP's Fran Richard, composer Chris Theofanidis and Artistic Director of the festival and conductor of the Oregon Symphony James DePriest. Not pictured are composers Jennifer Higdon and Michael Hersch. |
| For the 40th consecutive year, orchestras demonstrating exceptional commitment to twentieth century composers were honored with ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming. Administered by the American Symphony Orchestra League, these awards recognize orchestras whose concert programs prominently feature contemporary repertoire. The awards were presented at the opening Plenary Session of the American Symphony Orchestra League conference in St. Paul on June 17th by the noted ASCAP composer, Libby Larsen. This ASCAP Awards Program was established in 1959. Orchestras are divided into specific categories and judged by the number of contemporary works performed and the effectiveness of program in the context of the overall programming of the orchestra's season. Special attention is given to commissioned works, and world, U.S. and local premieres. Commenting on the awards, ASCAP Vice President of Concert Music, Frances Richard said, "This program was created to encourage inclusion of the music of our time in the orchestral repertory. By presenting these awards at the conclusion of every concert season for the past 40 years, ASCAP recognizes the outstanding orchestral contributors to the vitality and continuity of our musical culture. We take pride in collaborating with the League, just as we support similar efforts in chamber and choral music through Chamber Music America and Chorus America, respectively. Beginning in 1999, ASCAP will offer the Leonard Bernstein Educational Award in recognition of innovative orchestral programming specifically designed to inspire and educate young audiences. We look forward to the 1998-99 season with great expectation." |
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PlayBack
: October - November - December 1998
ASCAP PlayBack
