Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize
for the commission of a new work from the Jazz Composers Workshop
The Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize is awarded annually to the composer of the best original work created in the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, a noted creative forum for big band jazz composition. The award was established in 2000 and honors the memory of legendary jazz saxophonist and composer Charlie Parker.
The winner is chosen by a distinguished panel of judges at the Workshop’s Annual Showcase Concert in New York City. Past judges include GRAMMY-winning jazz musicians and historians Slide Hampton, Gil Goldstein, Bill Kirchner, Dan Morgenstern, and Phil Schaap.
The $3,000 prize funds a commission to write a new work for premiere at the following year’s showcase concert by the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra, a 17-piece modern repertory ensemble featuring leading New York-based musicians. Past winners of the Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize include GRAMMY-nominated musicians Rufus Reid and Darcy James Argue, pianist José Beviá, and bassist Noriko Ueda.