“The next Beethoven, Mozart or Bach could be in Orlando this weekend,” writes Matthew J. Palm in Thursday’s (11/10) Orlando Sentinel (Florida). “Started by Central Floridian Stephen Goldman in 2005, the Orlando-based Young Composers Challenge now draws national attention as it charts a course for the future of music.… Just ask Sterling Maffe, a 2015 winner, who now studies composition at the Biola Conservatory of Music in La Mirada, Calif. ‘It was the No. 1 most helpful thing to me,’ said Maffe, 20.… The works of the 2016 winners will be performed by a professional orchestra Sunday at a free public ‘Composium’ at Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. This year’s competition drew 80 entrants.… Nine winners, plus two honorable mentions, were chosen for Sunday’s program. In the Challenge, budding composers age 13-18 submit works either for full orchestra or ensembles.… The winners get a cash prize and a professional recording of their work.… Goldman hopes to deepen the Composium audience’s understanding of classical music.… ‘The more you understand about how the orchestra works and the more you understand about the process of composition, the more you can appreciate it,’ he said.”
Posted November 11, 2016
