Finalists: COMPOSERS (music for band/wind ensemble), student division, 2021

The American Prize wishes everyone safety and health during this difficult time. 

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David Volosin Katz, founder and chief judge, is pleased to announce 2021 FINALIST STUDENT composers in the band/wind ensemble division. Congratulations!

Please note: The PROFESSIONAL DIVISION finalists will post Friday, May 7th at 5pm eastern.

As the contests unfold, runners-up and winners will be selected from this list. To know the exact date when winners will be announced, please like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #AmericanPrize, where that information will be published first.

From Maestro Katz: 

"Why so many finalists?" Different from some other contests, The American Prize is first and foremost about encouraging artists, not about eliminating contestants. Each of the individuals below was judged to be worthy of further consideration as we move towards selecting winners and runners-up in the various divisions. At the end of the contest year each will receive a written evaluation. Especially during this most difficult time for performing artists everywhere, we hope the recognition will prove valuable. Thanks to all these individuals for their creativity. —DK

If you are not a finalist this year, please remember that the contests are not yet over. The American Prize reserves the right to award Honorable Mentions and Citations for Special Achievement to any contestant, regardless of final placement. TAP has honored a number of semi-finalists and quarter finalists in the past--to recognize a unique talent or focus, unusual repertoire, vital programming or outreach. Citations and Honorable Mentions are usually awarded at the same time as winners and runners-up, but can be presented at any time up to the last winners' announcement of the contest year.

All contestants are reminded they are responsible for the viability of their online links to audition materials. Those links must remain active until the end of the contest year. Questions, or to make us aware of any misprints in the listings below, please email: theamericanprize@gmail.com 

We invite finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. A sample announcement may be found at the end of the post.

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts is the nation's most comprehensive series of contests in the performing arts. The American Prize is unique in scope and structure, designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, ensembles and composers in the United States at professional, college/university, community and high school levels, based on submitted recordings. Now in its tenth year, The American Prize was founded in 2010 and is awarded annually in many areas of the performing arts. Contestants hail from all fifty states, representing literally hundreds of communities and arts organizations across the nation. 


NATIONAL FINALISTS: The American Prize in Composition—band/wind ensemble, 2021, student division

Daniel J. Armistead

Newark  DE  

Perpetual Ascent

Jacob Beranek  

Oconomowoc WI  

Pamatnik: Memorial for Wind Ensemble 

 

Andrew Faulkenberry

Spotswood  NJ  

Symphony No. 1  

Stephen Ryan Jackson  

Medford MA  

asphyxiating sky

Tyler Jones 

Tuscaloosa AL  

Dancing out of the Earth 

Louis A. Josephson

West Windsor  NJ  

struts and ruts; Protest Piece

 

Jorge Machain  

Henderson  NV  

The Espresso Express:  A Drum Set Concerto 

Joseph Marta 

Scotch Plains NJ  

The Lost City of Derinkuyu  

Miguel Menendez-Pidal 

Austin  TX  

As Truth Appears

Dustin Schulze  

San AntonioTX  

Shades of Glass 

Chris Shelton  

Windermere FL  

Game Day! 

Eli Stewart  

Madison AL  

The Magi  

Adric Williams 

Chandler AZ  

The Pale Blue Dot

         

      
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We encourage finalists to make the most of their selection by announcing it on social media, and including a link to this announcement on their website or blog. 

Here is a sample announcement:

"Great News! I've just been selected as a finalist in the (blank) division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: (copy link here). The American Prize will be announcing winners in my division soon. You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize "

Please feel free to modify or expand this announcement to suit your needs.

Congratulations to all finalists.