Could the next Mozart have been in the room? That was the question Sabrina Stovall, Executive Director and bassoonist with the Adelante Winds, asked herself when she and her colleagues premiered new music from three student composers at the annual Jack Stone Awards, held at Northwest Vista College’s Palmetto Center for the Arts on March 26, 2024.
The three composers hail from different parts of the country, and brought different skill-sets to the program, from backgrounds in electronic music, to music theory, or none at all. Each recognized that it takes years of practice to craft something unique, let alone award-winning.
“There no one thing that magically makes you able to write symphonies,” said William Codd, a student at SUNY Schenectady whose “Variations in G Major” was one of the three winning pieces to be performed.
Stovall said of all three, “They were really smart with their writing. There was enough challenge in there… [and] these were also a lot of fun to listen to, so that’s really great for an audience.”
The Jack Stone Award for New Music is a nationwide competition that is open exclusively to community college students. Winners receive a cash prize, and are flown to San Antonio for a masterclass with the presenting ensemble, and the premiere of their music.
Rounding out the concert were a selection of pieces by members of the Composers Alliance of San Antonio. You can hear the entire concert using the audio player at the top of this page. The three Jack Stone Award pieces are also embedded in the Soundcloud link below.
Full program:
- William Codd: Variations in G Major (Jack Stone runner-up)
- Harley Leon Glenn: Will-o'-the-Wisps in the Thicket (Jack Stone runner-up)
- Michael Crumpton: Strings Attached (Winner, Jack Stone Award)
- Ken Metz: Woodwind Quintet No. 2
- Kevin Salfen: Woodwind Quintet: "Gradus Paradus" mvmt. III
- S. Beth May: Night Thorn
