When it comes to student talent, high schools and undergraduates tend to get most of the attention. Back in 2010, a professor at Northwest Vista College realized the need for a nationwide contest exclusively for community college students, and the Jack Stone Awards for New Music were born.
This year, three students from Arizona, Michigan, and Florida were all selected as finalists for this year’s awards event, which was held on March 24, 2026 at Northwest Vista College’s Palmetto Center for the Arts. The Adelante Winds were the commissioned ensemble who performed each piece.
All three students began their musical journeys as performers, but turned toward composition for different reasons.
It was during the pandemic lockdown that Isaac Facio, this year’s first place winner, found his voice.
“Our teacher got us into a program that would grade our music, but also had a composing part of it,” Facio said.
“Even though COVID was a really bad era, it was a great opportunity for me, as someone who wanted to get into music [composition] but didn’t know how. I was able to just start putting stuff on paper.”
Facio’s piece, “Life’s Rite,” developed after the composer asked himself, “What does someone’s experience sound like?” The three-movement work begins with “Innocence,” then moves to a second thoughtful section called “Change,” and then “Reborn,” which itself is a two-part structure, all within a few minutes.
“You’re still you,” Facio said of the finale, “but you’re still made [into] something better than you could even imagine when you were younger.”
Listen to all three composer's pieces using the embedded Soundcloud link below. To hear the music plus interviews with the students, and additional selections chosen by Adelante Winds, use the audio player at the top of this page.
PROGRAM:
- Lina Mathon Blanchet: Haitian Folk Tale
- Valerie Coleman: Steal Away
- Michael Crumpton: Flakes of Hope
- Tyler M. Watkins: This Garden of Reverie
- Isaac Facio: Life’s Rite
