May 9, 2011

Music students compose original works for competition

Finalists of an original composition competition within the Harding
University Department of Music competed at a student recital on campus
April 28, and winners were announced at the department’s Music Forum
May 5.

Three students were chosen as finalists to compete for a first place
$100 prize. Junior music major Greg Snider won first place with his
composition titled “Suite,” a piece for clarinet and alto saxophone.
Sophomore music major Jordan Simpson submitted a piece for vocal
ensemble titled “The Journey” and took home a $50 runner-up prize.
Freshman instrumental music education major Jessica Snell performed
her original piano composition “Blue Ridge Mountain” and also took
home a $50 runner-up prize.

The contest began in September 2010 when the department presented its
students with Celebrate Creativity, inviting music students to compose
and submit their own original music.

“I challenged our music students to make this year a year of
creativity,” said Dr. J. Warren Casey, chair of the department.
“Frankly, I’ve never seen so many music students excited about
anything before.”

Other submissions included Cesar Beitia’s “La Nostra” for piano;
Jordan Dollins’ “As Much as I Can” for voice and piano; Daniel King’s
“My God and I” for male quartet; and Carson McGill’s “Lluvia Nocturna”
for string quartet.

The pieces were performed by the composers and their fellow music
students before a faculty panel and judged for presence of musicality,
musical sense of formal construction, and musical appeal to the
judges.