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History - Performers - Videos - Composition Contest

2013 Student Composers

Sean William Calhoun

Sean William Calhoun is a junior composition major at Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, where he has studied with the composition faculty. His compositions have been finalists in the MTNA Composition Competition and the ASCAPMorton Gould Young Composer Awards. His Introduction, Fugue, and Finale won the Murfreesboro Youth Orchestra Composition Competition in 2010 and was premiered in 2011. Sean’s orchestral works Elegy and Coruscation have been among the winners of the Tennessee Valley Music Festival Young Composers’ Forum in 2011 and 2012 respectively, and were performed there by the Festival Orchestra. At the request of Dr. Carolyn Huebl, a violin professor at Blair, Sean composed Escenas de Ecuador for eleven violins, which was performed at her studio recital, a benefit for Camp Hope in Ecuador. Recordings of Sean’s works may be found at: http://www.youtube.com/user/ComposerAndPianist

Fabian Beltran

Fabian Beltran was born in Bogota, Colombia where he became an accomplished guitarist and began writing music at an early age.  Fabian is currently completing a B.A. in Music Composition at the University of Texas at San Antonio where he is furthering his studies in composition, piano, and violin under the instruction of Dr. James Balentine, Dr. Ethan Wickman, and James Syler, M.M. As an undergraduate student at UTSA, Fabian is a member of the Music Teachers National Association and has participated in piano and composition master classes with Marta Espinos, Jeffrey Biegel, and Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Moravec.  Fabian was awarded first place in the UTSA College of Fine Arts Music Competition, he received the 2011 UTSA Reed Holmes Music Composition Award, and has been presented with several academic recognitions such as the National Society of Collegiate Scholars Geico Award.

Michael Quintana

Michael Quintana (1991), from Tampa, Florida, is currently a senior undergraduate composition and theory student at Belmont University.  Michael is a member of the New Music Ensemble at Belmont University, which is coordinated by Dr. Mark Volker. Michael?s compositional output consists of music for film and small ensemble concert music. In March, 2012, Michael composed the music for a ninety minute feature film, directed by Nathan Mckay, titled “The Pocketwatch.” In addition to composition, Michael studies classical guitar. Michael is a proud user of “Archives” manuscript paper and “Ticonderoga” wooden pencils.

  David Siu is a freelance composer/engineer in the Nashville area. He received his Associate of Arts Degree from Collin College in Plano, TX, and is currently working on his Bachelor of Music in Composition at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. Born in Hon Kong, his work often draws from the sound of China and Japan. Fluent at various stages of modern productrion., he has most recently helped arrange and produce music for the Chinese Christian Herald Crusades' donor event (Dallas division).
Zara Ali

Zara Ali (b. 1995) is a composer and pianist from Memphis, Tennessee.  In the summer of 2012, she attended the Cleveland Institute of Music Young Composers Program, Oberlin Conservatory Composition Workshop and The Boston Conservatory Composition Intensive.  Her composition, The Digital Age, a dodecaphonic piano piece, won honorable mention at the 2012 International Pikes Peak Young Composers Competition and was a finalist in the 2013 ASCAP’s Morton Gould Composer Awards. This year, Ms. Ali’s piece for string quartet things i’d like to have won first prize at the Music Institute of Chicago’s 2013 Generation Next Young Composers Competition; her piece will be broadcast on WFMT, Chicago’s classical radio station, later this year. In addition, Ms. Ali will attend the Tanglewood Institute this summer as a participant in the Young Artist Composition Program under the tutelage of internationally renown composer Martin Amlin.

Amin Sharifi

Mohammad Amin Sharifi is BA student in Art University of Tehran.He was born in 1993 in Tehran into an artistic famil and ,studied Tar and Flute Recorder from an early age. He received training in Iranian traditional music from Keyvan Saket. He has achieved 3rd rank in Art Universities Entrance Exam among 40000 entrants in 2011. He started composition in Art University of Tehran with Karen Keyhani (MA composition, faculty of AUT) and currently taking private courses in Contemporary Harmony and Composition with Hooshyar Khayam (DMA composition, CCM, First Prize Award for "Franz Schubert and Modern Music" International Competition, pianist, composer).Sharifi has designed Project “Breaktime” which exposes high school students to indepth study of classical music and literature. This project helps to improve the listening habits of people without academic music experience. His works include pieces for combined ensembles, string quartets and trios, piano, wind orchestra ,and film scoring including short films selected at Tehran International Film Festival 2011 and 2012.He teaches English and French language and also Theory ,composition, history of Art and course “Culture of Listening” in Art foundations in Tehran and Karaj.

 


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