Composers Selected for 2011 Jerome Fund for New Music
Composers Selected for 2011 Jerome Fund for New Music
ST. PAUL, MN – The American Composers Forum is pleased to announce the Jerome Fund for New Music (JFund) recipients for 2011. Now in its 30th year, JFund supports the production of new musical works by emerging composers. It seeks to boost a composer's career by offering an important commission and collaboration opportunity at an early stage in their career. Compos-ers apply in conjunction with an ensemble or presenter. They request funding to underwrite the commissioning fee and an additional amount in enhancement support to help the project reach its maximum potential. From a pool of 67 applicants, twelve projects were funded this year. Commissioning awards ranged from $3,000 to $7,000, and totaled $63,000. Enhancement funds awarded totaled $13,500.
The panelists for this round were composer/pianist and Professor of Integrative Studies at the University of California San Diego Anthony Davis (CA); Emmy Award-winning composer Don Davis (CA); and composer/author and Director of Academic Computing Services at the University of North Texas (TX), Elizabeth Hinkle-Turner (TX).
Applications were considered in two separate pools: those from composers based in Minnesota, and those in which the composer is based in New York City. The following 4 projects out of 20 applications were selected for the Minnesota awards:
• Joshua Clausen (Minneapolis, MN) will write a piece for piano and electronics for a series of performances featuring various pianists.
• Noah Keesecker (Minneapolis, MN) will write a multi-media chamber work for Ensemble Dal Niente (Chicago, IL) featuring an acoustic octet, fixed digital audio and synced-to-video projection.
• Joshua Musikantow (Minneapolis, MN) will write a piece utilizing extended flute techniques for soloist James DeVoll (Minneapolis, MN).
• Tiffany Skidmore (St. Paul, MN) will create a sound art piece on the theme of the current state of the education system in the United States, which will be installed in deserted school buildings in Minneapolis, MN, Spokane, WA, and Coeur d’Alene, ID.
The following 8 projects from 47 New York City-based applicants were selected:
• Olga Bell (Brooklyn, NY) will create a multi-movement piece scored for vocal ensemble, cello, electric bass and guitar, Rhodes, synthesizers, drum kit and mallet percussion, which New Amsterdam will present at Le Poisson Rouge (New York, NY).
• Daniel Blake (Brooklyn, NY) will compose a work for saxophone and string quartet, which he will perform with the Mivos Quartet (Brooklyn, NY).
• Ryan Carter (New York, NY) will write a duo for cello and marimba, which he will perform with cellist Seth Woods (Basel, Switzerland).
• Christopher Cerrone (Brooklyn, NY) will write an electro-acoustic solo percussion work for Owen Weaver (Wallingford, CT).
• Trevor Gureckis (New York, NY) will write a piece for Nouveau Classical Project’s “Wearing the Lost Generation” concert at Symphony Space (New York, NY).
• Mary Kouyoumdjian (New York, NY) will compose a multi-movement work based on her Armenian heritage for the instrumental ensemble Hotel Elefant (New York, NY).
• Ruben Naeff (Brooklyn, NY) will write a work for the flute and percussion duo Vigil (New Britain, CT).
• Christopher Trapani (New York, NY) will compose a cycle of songs inspired by Hurricane Katrina for the seven-member Talea Ensemble (Bronx, NY) plus Appalachian dulcimer and steel-stringed guitar, which will be played with the composer.
The Jerome Foundation, created by artist and philanthropist Jerome Hill (1905-1972), makes grants to support the creation and production of new artistic works by emerging artists, and contributes to the professional advancement of those artists.
The Foundation supports programs in dance, literature, media arts, music, theater, performance art, visual arts, multidisciplinary work and arts criticism. It provides financial assistance to nonprofit, tax-exempt arts organizations that support emerging creative artists who are residents of Minnesota and New York City. Choreographers, film/video and other media artists, composers, literary artists, performance artists, playwrights, multidisciplinary artists, visual artists and arts critics receive assistance through Foundation funded programs.
Founded in 1973, The American Composers Forum is committed to supporting composers and developing new markets for their music. Through granting, commissioning, and performance programs, the Forum provides composers at all stages of their careers with valuable resources for professional and artistic development. By linking communities with composers and performers, the Forum fosters a demand for new music, enriches communities, and helps develop the next generation of composers, musicians, and music patrons.
