First Place Winner
After reviewing nearly 70 compositions for solo harp, submitted by composers from 24 countries, the first place winner which is to be performed by all Stage III participants in the July Competition is AWAKENING STILLNESSES by Michael Maganuco.
Michael Maganuco (b. 1987) is a harpist and composer living in the Chicagoland area. He is currently pursuing his Master of Music degree in harp performance at Northwestern University, where he studies with Liz Cifani, harpist of the Chicago Lyric Opera. As a harpist, he is especially committed to performing contemporary music and is an active orchestral player, as well, having appeared in numerous ensembles, including New England Philharmonic, Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, Chautauqua Music School Festival Orchestra, Eastern Music Festival Orchestras, Boston University Symphony, and World Youth Symphony. He frequently performs as a soloist and with chamber ensembles, and enjoys participating in local competitions; he received an honorable mention in the 2007 BU Soloists’ Competition, and won second prize in the 2009 Bay State Concerto Competition, earning himself a performance of Ravel’s Introduction & Allegro on an Atlantic Symphony Orchestra chamber concert. Mr. Maganuco’s interest in Baroque music and historical practice has led to collaborations with other period musicians, which include a performance of Handel’s Concerto for Harp and Orchestra on his Baroque triple harp.
As a composer, Mr. Maganuco’s works have been commissioned and premiered by a number of his colleagues and by contemporary music ensembles in Boston such as ALEA III and Time’s Arrow. His composition style reflects his diverse musical background, which includes elements of jazz improvisation, folk music, non-Western traditions, as well as the modern and classical harp repertoire. For his accomplishments at BU, he has twice received Departmental Honors Awards in Theory & Composition and was inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society. Mr. Maganuco graduated summa cum laude from Boston University in 2010, where he earned a dual Bachelor of Music degree in harp performance and composition, studying harp with Ann Hobson Pilot, retired principle harpist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and composition with Richard Cornell.
The jury also wishes to congratulate the following composers whose works were in the final round:
Second Place Winner: Aurelio Edler-Copes, Brazilian/Italian living in Paris, for his work SEULE;
Third Place Winner: Douglas Gibson, New York City, USA, for his work THE PEARL DIVERS;
Fourth Place Winner: Caroline Lizotte, Quebec, Canada, for her work ODYSSEE;
Fifth Place Winner: Stephen Yip, Hong Kong living in Houston, Texas, USA, for his work SPIRIT LABYRINTH.
The international jury for this competition consisted of: Composer, Dr. David Conte (USA), and the following distinguished harpists: Milda Agazarian (Russia), Alexander Bonnet (Netherlands), Eleanor Fell (USA), Ruth Inglefield – Jury Chair (USA), Susann McDonald (USA), and Dan Yu (China).
The 8th USA International Harp Competition wishes to extend grateful thanks to the jury members and to Sonja Inglefield, Competition Secretary, for taking time out of their busy schedules to make this contest possible.
The music is available for purchase on http://www.harp.com, item #705150-100, at $10, or through Lyon & Healy West, Email:
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, Phone: (877) 621-3881.
The music may also be ordered through official Lyon & Healy distributor, Vanderbilt Music, on http://www.vanderbiltmusic.com or by Phone: (800) 533-7200.
