Verdigris Ensemble Announces Third Annual ION Songwriters Competition – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Verdigris Ensemble is looking for local inspiration. The Dallas Choral Ensemble has announced its third annual ION Songwriting Competition. Due to the winter storm in February, submissions are now being accepted until March 22.
Established in 2018, the goal of the competition is to nurture and promote North Texas songwriting talent. The competition is made up of three categories: College and High School, College and Adult.
The Verdigris Ensemble is looking for pieces suitable for a 16-voice choir. The pieces can be acapella or accompanied by a variety of instruments. Prizes include a $ 500 cash prize, a professional portrait, and consideration for an upcoming performance by Verdigris Ensemble.
Richard hill Verdigris-commissioned composer David Ross Lawn awaits the start of the Faces of Dallas concert world premiere at Arts Mission Oak Cliff.
Verdigris Ensemble has made some important changes to the competition. Composers are encouraged to submit scores already written rather than asking composers to create something according to specific guidelines. Verdigris Ensemble intends to commission specific works from the ION laureates, if applicable. The choral ensemble hopes to develop relationships through these commissions.
The competition will offer a free webinar in January to explain how the competition works and answer any questions. The webinar will feature Sam Brukhman, artistic director of Verdigris Ensemble, and Michelle Tompkins, singer and songwriter of Verdigris Ensemble.
A panel of three judges will review the submissions. Quinn Mason is a Dallas-based composer and conductor. Quinn has been described as “a brilliant composer in his early twenties who seems to be making waves wherever he goes”. (Theater Jones) and “one of the country’s most sought-after young composers” (Texas Monthly). His orchestral music has been performed in concert by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the South Bend Symphony Orchestra, the Seattle Orchestra, the New Texas Symphony Orchestra, and the Mission Chamber Orchestra.
Sungji Hong is from South Korea and is a professor at UNT. Over the past decade, Sungji’s music has been performed by leading musicians and ensembles in more than 44 countries and 205 cities. His music has been widely distributed in over 17 countries (37 channels) and has been recorded and released on the Soundbrush, Elektramusic, Atoll, Dutton and ECM Records labels. His music is published by Da Vinci Edition, SEEMSA and Tetractys Publishing.
Dickie hill Soprano Erinn Sensenig sings solo at the world premiere of Anthony J. Maglione’s Dust Bowl by Verdigris Ensemble in February.
Anthony J. Maglione’s choral works are growing in popularity and are published in the GIA’s “Evoking Sound” choral series. In recent years, his music has appeared at state and national conventions, on television, in video games, and has been recorded on Gothic Records, Albany Records, and Centaur Records. Maglione was commissioned by Verdigris Ensemble in 2020 to create Dust bowl.
Previous winners of the ION Composer competition have had their music published by publishers such as The Chorister’s Guild and called “Editor’s Choice” by JW Pepper Online Music Distribution. The 2019-2020 winners were Noah Salem for the middle and high school division, Graham Day for the college division and Hee Yun Kim for the adult division.
Salem’s winning piece was You’re not alone. Salem is a young composer who began studying music composition at the University of North Texas this fall. He graduated as a valedictorian from the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts (FWAFA), where he was a member of the Texas Boys Choir (TBC). He took composition lessons with and recently published his first piece under the direction of, Mr. Victor C. Johnson. His article was named Editor’s Pick by JW Pepper after it was published. Noah hopes to build a career in film music, while continuing to write for choral ensembles.
Richard hill Composer Victor Johnson kisses student and Honorable ION Noah Salem after the world premiere of his work at Faces of Dallas.
The winning piece of the day was The Wise and Pale King (Windows). Day is a Flower Mound composer and countertenor. He sang with the TPSMEA All-State Choir in 2015, and now sings with the A Cappella Choir at the University of North Texas. Having served in worship ministries for over 10 years, he is currently Section Head for St. Monica Catholic Church in Dallas and has worked as a songwriter, sessional musician and producer throughout the DFW area. He will graduate from UNT next May with a BA in Music and a BM in Voice Performance.
Kim’s winning piece was Quantum music. This Dallas-based composer is the recipient of ArtsActivate 2020, a grant from the City of Dallas, Office of Arts and Culture. His music has been performed in Europe, Asia and North America, including New York, Boston, Ottawa, Paris, Amsterdam, Krakow and Seoul. The Musician’s Letter called his music “fully convincing” and “masterfully orchestrated”.
Composers can submit up to three works. There is a $ 10 fee for the first submission and a reduced fee of $ 5 for each additional submission. Although composers are encouraged to submit works of approximately 5 minutes in length, longer and shorter submissions will be considered.
Learn more: ION Composers Competition – Ensemble Verdigris (verdigrismusic.org)
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