RAPIDO! MIDWESTERN REGION
Midwestern Competition presented by:
The 2010 Rapido! Composition
Contest
June 7 – 21, 2010
Midwestern Winner:
John Elmquist
Midwestern Finalists:
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John Elmquist
Junk Shot
I. decessional
II. on my shoe
III. fleur de plume
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John Elmquist received his DMA in composition from the University of Memphis where he studied with Don Freund, and his MM in piano performance from Virginia Commonwealth University where he studied with Landon Bilyeu. He serves on the faculties the Chicago High School of the Arts, the Merit School of Music and the People's Music School. He is also the Music Director at Ebenezer Lutheran Church in Chicago.
In 1999 Elmquist formed HardArt groop as a vehicle for performing his music. This ad hoc ensemble, ranging in size from 3-20 players, has produced 14 recordings and currently performs 2-3 times per year at various venues in Chicago. Performance venues have included the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, the Green Mill and Northeastern Illinois University. Much of the music of the group can be heard at hardartgroop.com.
In 2007 he received an Individual Artist Grant from the Illinois Arts Council and his most recent work "Hairless Cat Sonata" (saxophone and piano) is currently being performed by saxophonists Jeremy Koch and Susan Cook.
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Justin Merritt
red lead
I. roman candle
II. chaconne: night sounds
III. the red flamingo
IV. autumn leaves
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Justin Merritt (bn. 1975) was the youngest-ever winner of the ASCAP Foundation/Rudolph Nissim Award for Janus Mask in 2000. He is also the winner of a host of other awards including the 2008-09 Copland Award, the 2008 Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute Prize for River of Blood, and the 2006 Polyphonos Prize.
He received his Bachelors from Trinity University and his Masters and Doctorate from Indiana University. He studied composition with Samuel Adler, Sven-David Sandström, Claude Baker, Timothy Kramer, Don Freund, and electronic and computer music with Jeffrey Hass. He is currently Associate Professor of Composition at St. Olaf College. He resides in Northfield, Minnesota with his wife Yuedong and their children Cullen Fang Ouxiang and Molly Fang Qinghe.
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Ju Ri Seo
X
I. clear and objective
II. with utmost sincerity and
reserved tension
III. violent/cute
IV. light and delicate
V. as fast as possible, like firestorm
VI. volatile
VII. serious, but not really
VIII. vehement
IX. driving
X. indifferent
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Ju Ri Seo grew up in Seoul, Korea. She received her professional musical training at Yonsei University in Korea, where she received a B.M. (with honors) in composition. Motivated by her experience as an exchange student at UC-San Diego, she moved to the United States for graduate studies. Having received her M.M., she is currently pursuing a D.M.A. degree in composition at the University of Illinois, with a principal cognate in piano performance, and an M.S. in applied mathematics.
She has participated in several new music festivals and conferences, including the Bang on a Can Summer Festival, SoundSCAPE Festival, SCI Student National Convention, SEAMUS National Conference, and North American Saxophone Alliance National Conference among others. This year, her works will be presented in Indiana State University Festival and SCI National Conference. As a composer and pianist, she was the winner of the Eleventh Annual 21st Century Piano Commission in 2009 at the University of Illinois, and the winner of 2010 SoundSCAPE Commission Award. She has also had opportunities to present and discuss her works with prominent composers such as John Corigliano, David Lang, Julia Wolfe, Michael Gordon, Steven Stucky, and Chen Yi. Her primary composition teacher is Reynold Tharp.
For more information about composer Ju Ri Seo, visit: www.juriseomusic.com |
Contest Requirements
Following are the Rapido! Contest composition and submission requirements
with a link to the required entry forms. Please read the rules and requirements carefully and note that the entry forms must be printed out, completed and enclosed
with your contest submission.
COMPOSITION REQUIREMENTS:
- Available to those composers pre-registered by June 1, 2010
- A new, original work of 4-6 minutes is to be composed between June 7 – 21, 2010
- Required instrumentation: Flute/Picc/AltoFl, Clarinet/Bass Clarinet, Cello, Piano -- Flute may double piccolo/alto flute. Clarinet may double bass clarinet. You may also write
just for flute and clarinet, with no doubling. No instruments other than flutes, clarinets, cello
and piano are permitted.
- Required form:
Suite of Miniatures -- 3 or more miniature movements of contrasting tempi and styles. Individual movements can be for 3 or more instruments of the quartet, but each instrument should have prominent writing during the composition.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
Package MUST be postmarked by June 21, 2010 and mailed to:
Fifth House Ensemble
attn: Melissa Snoza
4361 Bunker Hill Drive
Algonquin IL 60102
No faxed or emailed entries. Do not require signature upon delivery. Scores must be
submitted anonymously; the composer's name should appear ONLY on the
entry form and NOT on any page of the score, parts or CD.
Package MUST include:
- New, original composition score and parts
- Electronically generated CD of work. Dynamics can be omitted and instruments
should be equal in volume.
- Composer Entry Form (print out, complete and send)
- Two Required Legal Forms, signed by participant: Participant Release Form and Performance and Recording Agreement (print out, complete and send)
- Self-addressed Stamped Envelope for return of materials, if requested (optional)
Any entries which do not follow all the required instrumentation, form, and postmark rules
will be ineligible. Entries that do not contain all the required support materials (entry form
and signed legal forms) will be ineligible. Composers who do not reside or study full-time
in one of the appropriate states of their Rapido! region are ineligible.
Please note: Composers chosen as Regional Finalists are required to attend their Regional
Competition Concert scheduled as follows: Atlanta (SE region) on October 17, 2010;
Boston (NE region) on October 1, 2010; in Chicago (MW region) on October 3, 2010.
COMPOSITION INSPIRATION:
As a possible (optional) inspiration for your composition, we offer you three
Alexander Calder sculptures, which are located in our three Rapido! ensemble
cities of Atlanta, Boston and Chicago. You may choose one, two or three (or none)
of these Calder works as inspiration for your composition. It is not necessary to use one
of these works as inspiration. Note that contest entries will be judged on musical merit
and not on interpretation of the Calder works.
ALEXANDER CALDER IN ATLANTA
Three Up, Three Down (1973)
High Museum of Art, Atlanta
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