Music Teacher Gifts Presenting 11th Annual Youth Composition Competition, Ages 17 and 18
2023 Compositions presented for Ages Over 16 years - Distinguished Judges are Giovanni Piacentini and Mengmeng Wang
First Place Tie: Hudson Fagan “Desert Storm”, and Chia Ren Cher “Resonance”, 3rd Place Tie: Billy Waldman “Liebestraum” and Hannah Wolkowitz “They Are All Gone”
Honorable Mention: Atticus Renault “March in D”, Jeremy Cotturone “Conscious”
(Find ages 10 to 14 HERE, and ages 15 to 16 HERE. Links for these age groups are in progress and not “live yet”.)
Composers Listed in Alphabetical Order below.
Becky’s Note cards are prints of original music paintings by Becky - great for music teacher gifts, to send for recital invitations, or to give notes to your students. A hand written note is more meaningful than an email. People remember you if you send personal notes.
Ruben Avagyan, “5 Views on Dodekafonia”
I am 18 years old. I studied piano in school with T. Chukhajyan in Yerevan for 8 years. Since age 14, I have gone to composition classes in the same school. My first teacher was composer Ms. Arpine Kalinina. I participated in local and international music competitions for young composers: “Competition for young composers after E. Mirzoyan in Armenia, ”7 International Music competition in Cyprus”, “Musical fest “Children's Earth “ in Saint Petersburg, “Eurofest online Competition” in Prague, International music competition “Romantic and Horizons” in Moscow etc. I wrote compositions for piano, clarinet, oboe, vibraphone etc. Now I am studying in Music college in the Czech Republic. After I graduate, I would like to continiue my education in Music Academy.
Brayden Bogdon, “Clashing Destinies”
I am an accordionist/composer who specializes in creating works for digital media. My first exposure to the joys of music was when I joined choir in 4th grade. I was blown away by the beauty that could emerge from people's voices harmonizing with one another. My first compositions were notated as simply note names on a piece of blank paper, made around 6th grade. I started my music production journey in 9th grade. I started off making subpar little tunes in Fl Studio, and later developed into making full blown orchestrations. Composing is without a doubt my favorite thing to do in the whole world, I can't imagine life without it. I've composed and completed over 200 compositions since I started composing back in 6th grade, and I don't intend on stopping. My goal is to help spread the joys of music across the world. Music is everything to me, I pour my heart and soul into every project I do. When life kicks you down, music always has a way of lifting you back up, time and time again.
Adam Camrud, “Prelude in A Minor”
I am a 17-year-old piano composer from Bellevue, Washington who has always had a love and deep connection to my instrument. When I was a very young child, listening to my father play the piano brought me great joy and helped me feel calmer. I loved the delicate and beautiful melodies that he could play, and shortly after got a strong desire to follow in his footsteps. I began playing melodies that I heard by ear when I was around three years old, but later, I started taking piano lessons to fine tune my abilities. Throughout the eight years I have been taking lessons, I have played some of the harder piano pieces out there like Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven and Prelude in G Minor by Rachmaninoff. Piano has always been a primary source of joy and delight for me. In October of 2022, I started to take lessons specifically focused on composing and writing my own music, and ever since then, I have used composition as a medium to express my feelings, emotions, and creativity. I am actively thinking about music throughout the day and find joy in the nuance and beauty of each melody. I have written several compositions over the years and am passionate about crafting tunes that I and the people around me can enjoy. I compose most of my music in a neoclassical/contemporary style and use MuseScore to put my ideas onto paper.
Chia Ren Cher, “Resonance”
Ren Cher has won 17 first prizes in composition competitions in United States, Canada, France, Israel, Italy, Romania and Serbia, and 11 second prizes in composition in competitions in Austria, Germany, Italy, United States, Russia and Hong Kong. He also won 5 third prizes in the Open Category (no age limit) in Canada, Hong Kong, Romania and Russia and a third prize in Australia. His prizes included a college scholarship, live performances in Texas, Israel and Moscow. By age 13, he composed an award winning string quartet. By 16, he had written music arrangements for Chinese orchestras and ensembles. At 17 years old, he had commissioned work including by his college to compose music for its 200th Founder’s Day celebrations. He was conferred the “Creative Arts Award” and “Music Elective Award” in 2023 for outstanding achievements in music by his college, and awarded the Pre-University Music Scholarship for 2022-2023 by the Ministry of Education, Singapore. Ren Cher is also a talented violinist and yangqin (dulcimer) player. He won multiple first-prize awards in solo competitions, including a Gold Award for violin solo at the 7th Performers’ Festival and Chamber Music Competition 2018, Singapore. He is also a concert violinist and yangqinist, having performed over 60 performances in major concert halls in Singapore and internationally such as in Vienna, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Taiwan. Ren Cher is the yangqin section chair of a community Chinese orchestra. He has also conducted string ensembles and his school’s orchestra.
Jeremy Cotturone, “Concious”
Matthew Drasnin, “Scatterbrain”
The music of Matthew Drasnin (b. 2005) traverses a variety of topics and mediums, ultimately striving to tell a story and create an audial landscape accessible to all. His music explores diverse and untold stories across a range of topics, some more abstract than others. Without formal study, he finds inspiration via participation as a clarinetist, saxophonist, or vibraphonist in an array of performance ensembles. Through exposure to the music of marching, concert, orchestral, jazz, percussive, and theatre bands, Drasnin is able to perfect his compositional and storytelling craft. His work has been performed by the Diverge Trio and PANdemonium4 at the OMEA Professional Development Conference (2022/2023), Indiana University Jacobs School of Music students, and with his peers locally in the Sycamore community (Cincinnati, OH). Matthew will be attending Vanderbilt University's Blair School of Music next fall to study composition with Professors Michael Slayton, Molly Herron, Michael Alec Rose, and Stan Link.
Hudson Fagan, “Desrt Storm”
"Hudson Fagan, a 17-year-old composer and violinist from Mesa, Arizona, finds his artistic voice at the intersection of nature, science, and music. Inspired by the natural world and the works of Philip Glass, R. Murray Schafer, and Maurice Ravel, Hudson's compositions reflect an appreciation for minimalistic yet intricate rhythms, expansive soundscapes, and unique colors. His journey into music began in 5th grade when he started arranging pieces for himself and his friends to play. It was through this process of collaborating with his friends on musical ideas, tinkering with various composition software, and pure experimentation that Hudson discovered his true passion for composition. Since then, he has been a part of both the Penn State Honors Music Institute and Young Composer's Institute, two programs that tested his abilities and gave him much insight into making his musical ideas a reality. Looking ahead, Hudson hopes to seamlessly blend his interests in music composition and ecology and pursue them fully in college and beyond."
Kayden Hansong, “To Face The Inevitable”
Nora Moor, “Tare Sonata Op. 5”
Jack Nesser, “Lovely”
Jack Nesser (b. 2005) is an Indiana-based, award-winning composer, flutist, conductor, music educator, and high school student. He was the winner of the 2022 Hayes School of Music Composition Contest, band division, for his work, On the Chippewa. Jack's first major work, To New Beginnings, was selected as the winner of the first annual Heidelberg University Honor Band Call for Scores. He was a member of the 2021, 2022 & 2023 IBA All-State Honors Ensemble and is a regular community musician with local college and community ensembles. Jack has been commissioned by the Terre Haute Children's Choir, Ivory Winds, and The Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra League to write various chamber and vocal works to be performed across the state of Indiana. He has conducted numerous ensembles including the Terre Haute Community Band and the Indiana State University Concert Band in performances of his works. With the Community School of the Arts at Indiana State University, Jack is a private music instructor and teaches pre-k music to kids aged 4-6. To keep up with Jack's latest works, you can follow him on Instagram @jack_nesser.
Atticus Renault, “March in D”
Anastasia Serghie, “Corala”
I was born in Iasi , Romania. Because my parents had another nationality, I traveled a lot between Romania and the Republic of Moldova. I started piano at age 7 and that same year discovered a passion for creating music. At first I created easy piano pieces, but after long years of development and discovery, I composed Sonatas, then orchestra pieces. In 3rd grade, I moved to Iasi and attended the National College of Music ‘Octav Bancila‘. No one in my family had ever had interest in music, but I loved playing piano and singing. I was entered in REgional and National competitions for music theory, chamber music, choral groups, singing and especially composition. In school, I tool violin and harp classes. …Composition helps me deliver my artistic point of view to the public, to any audience who wants to be inspired to move on in life and have hope again tha beautiful things do not ask for attention…
Aniket Singh, “The Waves Beyond”
Billy Waldman, “Liebestraum”
Billy Waldman (b. 2006) is a pianist and composer, and a junior at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. He began playing piano at the age of 8, and currently studies under Dr. Janet Favreau. He has received awards at the regional and international level. Billy studies composition under Ryan Dorin and Lisa Crawford. He has attended the Eastman Summer Experience for composition, the Berklee Music Production Workshop, the Boston Conservatory High School Composition Intensive, Summer Performing Arts with Juilliard, and is a fellow in the Los Angeles Philharmonic Composer Fellowship Program.
Hannah Wolkowitz, “They Are All Gone”
