David Hertzberg and Gregory Spears Win 2015 Carlos Surinach Commissions
The BMI Foundation has announced that critically-acclaimed emerging composers David Hertzberg and Gregory Spears are the 2015 winners of the Carlos Surinach Commissions, a program which funds the creation of new works by former winners of the BMI Student Composer Awards for premiere with leading contemporary orchestras, chamber music groups, and classical soloists throughout the nation.
Established in 2003 through a generous bequest from the late, renowned classical composer Carlos Surinach, the Commissions are often awarded in partnership with Concert Artists Guild (CAG), a nonprofit organization founded to discover, nurture, and promote young musicians. This year, two CAG Victor Elmaleh competition winners who have demonstrated a commitment to performing the work of living composers were selected to each choose a former BMI Student Composer Award winner to receive the Commission. Violinist In Mo Yang will premiere Hertzberg’s new work for the 2015-16 Concert Artists Guild series at Carnegie Hall, and trumpeter Brandon Ridenour will premiere Spears’ forthcoming double trumpet concerto during the 2016-17 season.
“The BMI Foundation is truly proud to partner with Concert Artists Guild to further the legacies of two of the foremost talent competitions for young classical artists,” said Deirdre Chadwick, BMI Foundation President and Director of the BMI Student Composer Awards. “Our collective winners include many of the most gifted instrumentalists, chamber music groups, singers, and composers in contemporary classical music. As their careers unfold, the commissioning program affords them a unique opportunity for main-stage collaboration, which we hope will continue beyond the premiere season of these fine works.”
About the composers
David Hertzberg
Hailed as “opulently gifted” (Opera News)and “utterly original” (The New York Times), the music of David Hertzberg (b. 1990, Los Angeles) is swiftly garnering recognition, with recent seasons seeing performances at the festivals of Aspen, Tanglewood, and Santa Fe, and on the stages of Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and Carnegie Hall. David began his musical studies in violin, piano, and composition at the Colburn School and received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees with distinction from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Samuel Adler. At his commencement, he was awarded the John Erskine Prize for outstanding artistic achievement throughout the course of his studies. He holds an Artist Diploma from The Curtis Institute of Music. For more information on recent engagements and distinctions, visit www.davidhertzbergmusic.com.
Gregory Spears
Gregory Spears writes music for modern and period instruments that blends aspects of romanticism, minimalism, and early music. His work has been called “astonishingly beautiful” (New York Times), “coolly entrancing” (The New Yorker), and “some of the most beautifully unsettling music to appear in recent memory.” (The Boston Globe) Spears has won prizes from BMI and ASCAP as well as awards and fellowships from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Fulbright Foundation (Fellowship to Denmark 1999-2000), and the Vagn Holmboe Competition. He holds degrees in composition from the Eastman School of Music (BM), Yale School of Music (MM), and Princeton University (PhD), and he has been an artist-in-residence at Yaddo, the Aaron Copland House, and the MacDowell Colony. Spears was also one of the resident composers for American Opera Projects’ Composers and the Voice 2007-2008 season. He lives in Brooklyn. www.gregoryspears.com
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About the performers
In Mo Yang
“One of the new generation’s most talented young string virtuosi” (The Violin Channel), violinist In Mo Yang has won the 2014 CAG Victor Elmaleh Competition, the 54th International Violin Competition “Premio Paganin,” and the Boston Classical Orchestra’s inaugural Young Artists Competition, along with numerous performance prizes from prestigious orchestras at renowned recital venues throughout North America and Europe. Born in Seoul in 1995, In Mo Yang gave his debut recital at age 11 at the Kumho Prodigy Series in Seoul, followed by his concerto debut two years later. He graduated from the Korean National Institute for the Gifted in Arts in February 2011 and was then admitted into the Korean National University of Arts as a prodigy in music. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree at New England Conservatory, where he studies with Miriam Fried as a recipient of the Laurence Lesser Presidential Scholarship. www.concertartists.org/artist/in-mo-yang
Brandon Ridenour
Brandon Ridenour is a virtuoso trumpeter, pianist, and composer/arranger. His wide-ranging activities as a soloist and chamber musician paired with his passion for composing and arranging are manifested in his versatile performances and unique repertoire. In 2006, at the age of twenty, Brandon joined the iconic Canadian Brass, a position he held for seven years. While with the group, he played in distinguished venues around the world, performed on television, recorded ten albums, and received three Juno Award nominations. He has played with leading ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, International Contemporary Ensemble, and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra in Europe. Other solo performances include the Kennedy Center, Walt Disney Hall, and Carnegie Hall. A graduate of The Juilliard School and an alumnus of The Academy (Ensemble ACJW), Brandon began playing piano at the age of 5 under the tutelage of his father, Rich Ridenour, with whom he still performs frequently. Residing in Brooklyn, NY, Brandon also plays with New York City based ensembles, Decoda and Novus. www.brandonridenour.org
About Concert Artists Guild
Founded in 1951 with a mission to discover, nurture & promote young musicians, Concert Artists Guild helps artists launch sustainable careers. CAG provides support to a roster of talented artists during a critical and formative time: between completion of formal studies and the achievement of an established career. Artists are selected through a rigorous multi-round annual competition open to traditional and non-traditional instrumentalists, ensembles and singers. CAG offers comprehensive management services including concert bookings and tour management, commissioning and recording opportunities and marketing and publicity support. Competition winners are also presented on the Winners Series at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. The New Music/New Placesinitiative presents CAG artists in non-traditional venues such as bars, clubs and galleries, introducing diverse audiences to concert music. TheCAG Recordslabel enables roster musicians to get their music onto disc and into the marketplace. The CAG Commissioning Program ensures that classical music continues to be a living art form by fostering collaborations between performers and composers.