The Young Composer Showcase spotlights young jazz composers, giving students an opportunity to have an original composition recognized and performed at an International level.
JEN membership required to be eligible.
JEN is committed to representing and cultivating diversity in all areas of its operation which includes, but is not limited to its staff, board members, volunteers, presenters, clinicians, performers and audiences. This commitment is present in all programs. We are seeking and encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply for the Young Composer Showcase.
$25 applicaton fee
April 14, 2022 – September 15, 2022
JEN Members
Here are some great reasons to apply:
JEN Members
April 14 – September 15
Application Deadline is September 15th 11:59pm EST
Application Requirements
Students may enter only one original composition in only one of the categories.
Compositions submitted for the Showcase are expected to be in a jazz or jazz-related style.
Composition, by definition herein, implies an original work. (Arrangements of other copyrighted works are not eligible for submission).
Instrumentation may be varied, small to large, to include any combination of the following:
Chosen composers will be notified by Mid November or sooner, if possible.
You will be asked to submit the following materials:
Photo – A photo of yourself.
Bio – Prepare a short 50-word bio in a doc or pdf format
Score – A pdf of your score. File types in any other format will not be accepted.
Audio file – An audio file.
Applications must be received online by 11:59pm (EST) September 15th.
2. Complete the Young Composer Showcase Application.
3. Be advised that your application is only complete once the $25 fee is paid.
Your application and files will be submitted to the Young Composers Showcase committee upon receipt of payment.
Have questions? Please contact me!
Dr. Ryan Middagh, Young Composer Showcase Coordinator
support@wordpress-573658-1853764.cloudwaysapps.com
Small Instrumental Group
Ubiquitious Luminiferous
Clint Bleil is a composer and saxophonist from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Clint has degrees in Music Education and Saxophone Performance from Slippery Rock University, and a master’s degree in Studio Jazz Writing from the University of Miami. Clint has received numerous awards in composition and arranging, including a SONIC Award for his jazz ensemble piece “It Matters,” which was performed at the 2019 International Jazz Composers’ Symposium. He also has received a DownBeat Student Music Award in 2019 for his arrangement of “I’ll Remember April,” and the Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award in 2021 for his jazz ensemble work “Continue On.” Clint has composed, arranged, and transcribed for multiple different groups and ensembles, including Live From Here with Chris Thile, Sal “The Voice” Valentinetti, and Bob Reynolds. Clint also has experience in the recording studio, where he served as an additional engineer on John Daversa’s three-time Grammy award-winning album American Dreamers: Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom. Clint is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at Washington & Jefferson College, where he teaches multiple lessons and classes as well as leads the Jazz and Wind Ensemble.
Instrumental Group with Vocal Solo
Her Colors
Kate Hamann is a trumpet player, vocalist, and composer based in Miami, FL. Originally from Omaha, NE, she attended the Interlochen Arts Academy studying classical trumpet, and is now a senior at the Frost School of Music. While pursuing a degree in Studio Music and Jazz, she has studied with Brian Lynch, Etienne Charles, John Daversa, Stephen Guerra, and is a member of the Frost Concert Jazz Band. In December 2020, she released her debut EP, “When I Grow Up” which features four original compositions centered around themes of childhood, relationships, and self-discovery. Inspired by the artistry of Camila Meza, Braxton Cook, and Marquis Hill, Kate creates music that is enjoyable by all types of listeners regardless of “genre”.
Large Instrumental Group
Projectile Dysfunction
Stephen Philip Harvey (b. 1992) is a composer, musician, and educator based in Salisbury, MD. Harvey performs original compositions and arrangements with his jazz orchestra and jazz octet. His next album, Smash!, is slated to be released in 2022. He is an alumnus of Seton Hill University (’14) and Youngstown State University (‘16).
Small Instrumental Group
Fantasy in C Minor
Josh Karas is a dynamic, versatile pianist and composer based in Nashville, Tennessee. He is currently pursuing a degree in Jazz Studies with a minor in Business from Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music. At Vanderbilt, he studies jazz piano with Bruce Dudley and composition with Ryan Middagh. Karas is a member of the school’s Downbeat-award winning Blair Big Band and top jazz combo directed by Jeff Coffin. This past year, Karas composed, arranged, and recorded an album of original jazz compositions called The Root of the Thing. The record is available on streaming platforms everywhere and studio videos can be found on YouTube. He recently performed a sold-out album release show at Nashville’s premiere jazz venue, Rudy’s Jazz Room, to promote the compositions on the record. Looking forward, Karas is excited to begin his freelance career as a pianist and composer in Nashville, Tennessee.
Large Instrumental Group
What? Why?
Skylar Tang is a fifteen-year-old trumpet player and composer. She was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area where she currently attends Crystal Springs Uplands School. Skylar’s journey with music began when she started playing classical piano at the age of four. She picked up the trumpet for the first time when she was nine. After attending a Stanford Jazz Workshop summer camp two years later, she found her home in jazz. Since then, she has played in various ensembles including both the California All-State Junior-High and High School Jazz Bands, and has been a recipient of the Jazz at the Ballroom Scholarship. Currently, Skylar is a member of the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars Big Band and Combo and both the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Next Generation Jazz Orchestra and Next Generation Women In Jazz Combo. In 2021, Skylar was selected to attend the prestigious Vail Jazz Workshop, giving her the opportunity to study with jazz legends such as John Clayton, Terell Stafford, Wycliffe Gordon, and more. In her free time, Skylar enjoys going on walks and curating her collection of hats.
Small Instrumental Group
Bill’s Board
Gary (Kaiji) Wang is a composer originally from Beijing, China. Gary is the recipient of both 2021 and 2020 ASCAP‘s Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards as well as the winner of 2018 Downbeat SMA in the Jazz Arrangement Category, Outstanding Jazz Arrangement Award for 2021 Downbeat SMA. He has done arranging works for notable musicians such as Toninho Horta and Alan Ferber.
LARGE INSTRUMENTAL GROUP
One of These Things
Ariel Glassman graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies from the esteemed DePaul University in 2018. She has an array of experience in jazz guitar performance, jazz voice performance, and full ensemble composition and arrangement.
Ariel has been recognized for her 2019 composition “Approved” and 2020 composition “Captain Iso” by ASCAP’s Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award . She performs her compositions with her own band, “The Ariel Glassman Big Band”, which she leads and conducts. Her music combines the intensity of a large band with the energy of modern musical influences such as rap, hip hop, R&B and pop. She is currently completing her Masters in Jazz Arranging at University of North Texas.
SMALL INSTRUMENTAL GROUP
Castaway
Nelson Gonzalez is a bassist and composer originally from Caracas, Venezuela. Nelson began his musical journey at the age of 7, starting with the Venezuelan cuatro and later moving to the bass. His formal musical studies began under pianist and educator Maria Eugenia Atilano at the Ars Nova School of Music in 2013. in 2016 Nelson relocated in Oklahoma. Once there he was able to obtain a Bachelor of Arts Administration at the University of Central Oklahoma in 2021. Throughout this period Nelson was able to perform regularly with the winners of the 2018 Next Generations Jazz Festival, the UCO Jazz Ensemble I. On top of that he has worked with important Oklahoma figures such as Vince Norman and Lee Rucker, as well as perform and take lessons from guest artists such as Katie Thiroux, Jason Marsalis, and Allison Miller.
LARGE INSTRUMENTAL GROUP
Nostalgic Already
Daiki Nakajima is a saxophonist, flutist, and composer/arranger based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Highly acclaimed as a performer and composer, he has been called “one of the most promising up and coming young musicians in the country.” He is the recipient of significant recognition in both performance and composition, including from the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards, numerous Downbeat Student Music Awards, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dr. J. Douglas White Big Band Composition Award, ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award Finalist, a triple win from the National YoungArts Foundation, and more.
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Click Here to Meet the 2013 Young Composers and Their Work
Click Here to Meet the JEN Young Composers