NBA/William D. Revelli Composition Contest
William D. Revelli Composition Contest
A special thank you to KHS America for their $5,000 sponsorship of this composition contest.
The William D. Revelli Composition Contest has awarded prizes since 1977. It is named after Dr. William Revelli, who served as Director of Bands at the University of Michigan for 36 years, and served as NBA President from 1976-78. It is the desire of the National Band Association that the winning compositions from this contest reflect its mission in helping further the cause of quality literature for bands in America. Additionally, works chosen as winners should be those not only of significant structural, analytical, and technical quality, but also of such nature that will allow bands to program them as part of their standard repertoire. As a result, a glance through our list of past winners will reveal some very familiar names.
Each year the contest receives approximately 50-80 entries from all over the world. Entries range in scope and quality and are from new to well established veteran composers. During the evaluation process, entries are narrowed down to a select number of finalists, which are brought to Chicago each December during the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. There, a panel of leading public school, university, and military band directors meets to determine a winner.
2018 Revelli Composition Contest Application
Contest Selection Committee:
- Chair: Matthew McCutchen, University of South Florida
- Terry Austin, Virginia Commonwealth University
- Mary Lou Boderman, Fine Arts Supervisor (OR)
- Marcellus Brown, Boise State University (ID)
- John Burn, Homestead High School (CA)
- Shelby Chipman, Florida A&M University
- Col. Jason Fettig, U.S. Marine Band (DC)
- Jay Gephart, Purdue University (IN)
- David Gorham, Owasso High School (OK)
- Chad Kamei, Pearl City High School (HI)
- Diane Koutsulis, Retired (NV)
- Richard Mayne, University of Northern Colorado
- Scott Rush, Fine Arts Supervisor (SC)
- Stan Schoonover, Retired (VA)
- John Thomson, Roosevelt University (IL)
- James Worman, Trinity University (TX)
2017 Contest Winner: James Stephenson
Each year, the NBA William D. Revelli Memorial Composition Contest Committee gathers at the Midwest Conference to select the piece they believe best reflects the mission to help further the cause of quality literature for bands in America. The 2017 winner is James Stephenson with his Symphony No. 2, “Voices.”
Leading American orchestras, instrumentalists, and wind ensembles around the world have performed the music of Chicago based composer James M. Stephenson, both to critical acclaim and the delight of audiences. The Boston Herald raved about “straightforward, unabashedly beautiful sounds,” suggesting “Stephenson deserves to be heard again and again!” A formal sense of melody and tonality characterize his music, each embedded in a contemporary soundscape. These qualities, coupled with the composer’s keen ability to write to each occasion, have led to a steady stream of commissions and ongoing projects.
James M. Stephenson came late to his full-time composing career, having performed 17 seasons as a trumpeter in the Naples Philharmonic in Florida. As such, the composer is largely self-taught, making his voice truly individual and his life’s work all the more remarkable. Colleagues and friends encouraged his earliest efforts and enthusiasm followed from all directions. As his catalog grew, so did his reputation. That catalog now boasts concertos and sonatas for nearly every instrument, earning him the moniker “The Concerto King” from Chicago Symphony clarinetist John Yeh. The vast majority of those compositions came through commissions by and for major symphony principal players, in Chicago, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Washington DC, St. Louis, Oregon, Milwaukee, and Dallas, among others. With such prolific output, Stephenson’s music is well represented in recordings. Nearly all of his solo brass works (over 50) have been professionally recorded, and in total, his extensive catalog for all instruments can be heard on over 30 CDs.
James Stephenson is also a highly sought-after arranger and conductor, rounding out his constantly busy schedule. His arrangements have been performed/recorded/broadcast by virtually every major orchestra in the country, including the Boston Pops, Cincinnati Pops, New York Pops and more. On the podium, Stephenson has led orchestras in Bozeman, Charleston, Ft. Myers, Modesto, and Wyoming, in addition to numerous concert bands. With the Lake Forest Symphony, near his Illinois home, he has not only conducted but also has served for six years as Composer-in-Residence. His conducting debut with the Chattanooga Symphony comes at their 2016 Holiday Concert. Jim originally hails from the Greater Chicago area, as does his wife Sally. In 2007 the couple, along with their four children, returned to the region to pursue the life they now share.
For more information on the composer and his work, visit his website.
Previous Winners of the NBA/William D. Revelli Composition Contest
| Composer | Title | Publisher | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Stephenson | Symphony No. 2 "Voices" | Composer | 2017 |
| Philip Sparke | A Colour Symphony | Anglo Music Press | 2016 |
| Paul Dooley John Mackey | Masks and Machines Wine-Dark Sea | Composer Composer | 2015 2015 |
| Wayne Oquin | Affirmation | Composer | 2014 |
| Oliver Waespi | Audivi Media Nocte | Hal Leonard-deHaske | 2013 |
| Michael Schelle | The End of the World | Composer | 2012 |
| Scott Lindroth Kevin Walczyk | Passage Epitaphs Unwritten | Composer Composer | 2011 2011 |
| Steven Bryant | Ecstatic Waters | Composer | 2010 |
| John Mackey | Aurora Awakes | Composer | 2009 |
| Steven Bryant | Suite Dreams | Composer | 2008 |
| Steven Bryant | Radiant Joy | Composer | 2007 |
| Frank Ticheli | Symphony No. 2 | Manhattan Beach | 2006 |
| Philip Sparke | Music of the Spheres | Anglo Music Press | 2005 |
| Joseph Turrin | Illuminations for Solo Trombone and Wind Symphony | Composer | 2004 |
| David Dzubay Sam Hazo | Ra! Perthshire Majesty | Pro Nova Music Boosey & Hawkes | 2003 2003 |
| Dean Roush | Illuminations | Composer | 2002 |
| Joseph Spaniola | Escapade | Musica Propria | 2001 |
| David Kechley | Restless Birds Before the Dark Moon | Pine Valley | 2000 |
| Donald Grantham | Southern Harmony | Piquant | 1999 |
| Donald Grantham | Fantasy Variations | Piquant | 1998 |
| Warren Benson | The Drums of Summer | Composer | 1997 |
| Walter Mays | Dreamcatcher | Composer | 1996 |
| Donald Grantham | Bum's Rush | Piquant | 1995 |
| Jeffrey Hass | Lost in the Fun House | Composer | 1994 |
| James Syler | The Hounds of Heaven | Composer | 1993 |
| Ron Nelson | Passacaglia, Hommage to B-A-C-H | Ludwig | 1992 |
| Mark Camphouse | To Build a Fire | TRN | 1991 |
| Paul Epstein | The Adventures of Matinee Concerto | Composer | 1990 |
| Gordon Ring | Concerto for Piano, Winds, and Percussion | Composer | 1989 |
| Martin Mailman | For Precious Friends Hid in Death's Dateless Nights | Ludwig | 1988 |
| Anthony Iannaccone | Apparitions for Symphonic Band | Ludwig | 1987 |
| Michael Colgrass | Winds of Nagual | Fischer (Rental) | 1985 |
| Arthur Gottschalk | Concerto for Wind and Percussion Orchestra | Composer | 1984 |
| Gregory Youtz | Scherzo for a Bitter Moon | TRN | 1983 |
| David Gillingham | Concerto for Bass Trombone and Band | Fischer (Rental) | 1981 |
| Byron Tate | Between Worlds | Composer | 1980 |
| Harry Bulow | Textures | TRN | 1979 |
| Jerome Sorczek | Variations for Band | Composer | 1977 |
| No Award Made | 1982 | ||
| No Award Made | 1986 |
NBA/Merrill Jones Composition Contest
Merrill Jones Young Band Composition Contest
The NBA/Merrill Jones Memorial Young Composer Band Composition Contest was established in 1991 as a memorial to Merrill Jones, co-owner of Wingert-Jones Music Company, by his widow, Priscilla Jones. Mr. Jones was concerned always with helping the young composer. NBA past president Robert (Bob) Foster suggested a young composer contest, which would promote works for young bands. The result was a contest for composers under 40 years of age to be held every other year, now in the even numbered years, and which would produce works for concert band in the Grade 3-4 category.
Works must not exceed eight (8) minutes in length, must be the original work of the composer, and not be under contract to any publisher. Deadline for submission is November 1st. The contest is held every two years unless no winner is chosen. Wingert-Jones reserves the right of first refusal for publication. The current prize to the winner is $2000. The winner is announced at the NBA General Membership Meeting at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago following a meeting of the contest committee. The contest committed is chaired by NBA member Dennis Zeisler.
2018 Merrill Jones Contest Application (not available yet)
2016 Contest Winner: Joshua Hummel
Joshua Hummel of Bloomfield, Connecticut is the 2016 winner of the NBA/Merrill Jones Composition Contest. Mr. Hummel’s winning composition is entitled Fanfare for the Appalachians: I-77. He writes about his work: “I-77 weaves through the beautiful Appalachian Mountains. In the early mornings the Great Smokies are shrouded in a thick mist, and in the autumn the mountains are bursting with color. It’s a stunning drive, loads of fun. A destination road if ever there was one.”
Hummel loves being creative and loves to inspire people to secure a brighter future by using the arts to help them enrich their lifestyles, environments and attitudes. He owns an award-winning composition studio in Connecticut, and his music has been performed in Carnegie Hall and throughout the US, as well as Paris, Croatia, Perugia, Rome, London and Moscow. Hummel holds an M.A. in Theatre and a MMus. in Composition and has studied with professors from the Hartt School of Music, San Francisco Conservatory and Juilliard. Other composition awards include nine choral awards, the Frederick Fennell Prize and the Leonard Bernstein Award.
To hear a recording of Fanfare for the Appalachians: I-77, and for more information on Joshua Hummel and his music, visit his website.
Contest Selection Committee
- Chair: Dennis Zeisler, Old Dominion University (VA)
- Lt. Kelly Cartwright, U.S. Pacific Fleet Band (HI)
- A.G. “Mack” McGrannahan, Retired (NV)
- Nan Moore, Retired (KY)
- Mike Oare, Great Bridge Middle School (VA)
- Scott Pierson, Yelm High School (WA)
- Paul Popiel, University of Kansas
- Mickey Stisher, LaPorte High School (IN)
- Scott Weiss, University of South Carolina
Previous Winners of the NBA/Merrill Jones Composition Contest
| Composer | Title | Publisher | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joshua Hummel | Fanfare for the Appalachians: I-77 | 2016 | |
| David Faleris | Of Chivalry and Valor | Composer | 2014 |
| Jess Turner | Exultant Heart | Wingert Jones | 2012 |
| Jack Hughes | After Rain | Wingert Jones | 2010 |
| No Award Given | 2009 | ||
| Ryan Main | The Clash | Wingert Jones | 2007 |
| Brett Dietz | shards of glass | Wingert Jones | 2005 |
| Jonathan Newman | Moon by Night | Wingert Jones | 2003 |
| Samuel Hazo | Novo Lenio | Wingert Jones | 2001 |
| Charles Rochester Young | Legends of the Northern Wind | Southern | 1999 |
| No Award Given | 1998 | ||
| Robert T. Smith | Panther Fire | Southern | 1996 |
| David Checketts | Festival de Ladrones (Festival of Thieves) | TRN Publishers | 1994 |
| Robert Cronin | A Soldier's March | Wingert Jones | 1992 |
NBA Young Composers Jazz Composition Contest
NBA Young Composers Jazz Composition Contest
Cassio Vianna Wins NBA’s Young Composers Jazz Composition Contest for 2016
April Song by Cassio Vianna is the NBA Young Composers Jazz Composition Contest winner for 2016. This original work will be performed by the United States Army Field Band’s Jazz Ambassadors, directed by Chief Warrant Officer Daniel Wood, at the 2016 Midwest Clinic. The performance will take place on Thursday, December 15, 7:30 PM, Chicago at McCormick Place. Brian Logan, NBA Jazz Composition Contest Chair, calls Vianna’s April Song “terrific.”
Cassio Vianna is a composer, pianist, arranger, and educator whose work reflects the broad range of musical and cultural influences he has received during his years of training. Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Vianna started his music studies in classical music, while developing his skills as a composer and interpreter of popular music and Brazilian jazz.
Vianna holds a bachelor’s degree in Brazilian Popular Music from Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro and a master’s degree in Contemporary Music from Western Oregon University, where he studied with Dr. Kevin Walczyk. After holding a music faculty position at Western Oregon University for three years, Vianna is now a doctoral student in the Jazz Studies program at the University of Northern Colorado, where he is also a teaching assistant. Currently, Vianna studies classical composition under Dr. Paul Elwood, and jazz composition under professor David Caffey. Vianna’s compositional styles range from popular music and Brazilian jazz to classical chamber music and works for large jazz ensembles. His works for jazz big band are published by UNC Jazz Press. Vianna is a BMI composer, and a member of both the Jazz Education Network, and the Society of Composers, Inc.
Listen to his music at www.cassiovianna.com
Previous Winners
2011: Susumu Watanabe – Duodecim
2012: Brendon McMullin – Sal y Pimienta
2013: David von Kampen – Hodie Christus Natus Est
2014: Sean Nelson – Every Possible History of the Universe
2015: Jessika Smith – Cyan Thread
2016: Cassio Vianna – April Song
2017: No prize awarded
NBA Jazz Composition Contest Flyer for 2018
Have a question? Nee more Information?
Email Brian Logan, Jazz Composition Contest Co-Chair
Erich Rivero, Jazz Composition Contest Co-Chair
NBA/Alfred Young Band Composition Contest
Alfred Publishing Young Band Composition Contest
Sponsored by Alfred Publishing
The NBA/Alfred Publishing Young Band Composition Contest is sponsored by Alfred Publishing. Special thanks to composer and music educator Robert Sheldon for his support and guidance in establishing this special partnership with the National Band Association. This young band contest seeks to find composers writing for grades 1-3. There is a cash prize for the winner, plus the possibility of the winning work being published in Alfred’s Young Band catalog. The next contest year is 2018. For information, email the contest chair, Audrey Murphy.
2018 Young Band Composition Contest Application
2016 Contest Winner: Haley Woodrow – And it Begins
Haley Woodrow is a composer, educator and trumpet player. Woodrow served as Orchestra Director and Arranger for Cornerstone Baptist Church from 2006-2013, where she completed approximately 500 arrangements. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s of Music in jazz studies from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2008 and earned her Master of Music in composition from Texas Christian University in 2016. She studied composition with Mr. Dan Cavanagh, Dr. George Chave, Dr. Blaise Ferrandino and Dr. Neil Anderson-Himmelspach.
Woodrow’s musical interests are broad, and successfully hybridizing styles is one of her primary objectives when composing. She aims to allow players to contribute to the music as much as possible, since she is scarred from counting hundreds of rests as a trumpet player!
In 2015 and 2016, Woodrow received the Band Division award of the Texas Music Educators Association’s College Composition Contests for her composition And it Begins and March for Jazz, respectively. She placed 3rd in the 2016 TMEA Graduate Essay Competition for her essay, Etch a Sketch: The Benefits of Collaboration in the Compositional Process and earned the People’s Choice award for her speech presentation of her work for Symphonic Band entitled End Times in the 2016 TCU division of the 3-Minute Thesis competition. Her jazz band arrangement Something Entirely Different won first place in the 2015 Noteflight Big Band Composition Contest. Several of her compositions are published by Hal Leonard, Alfred, and MurphyMusicPress.
Woodrow is currently an Adjunct Instructor for Tarrant County College (Ft. Worth, Texas). She has also recently served as the Instructor of the Hillwood Middle School Composition Club in Keller ISD, where she works with middle school band students to create collaborative compositions for their concerts. She believes providing an avenue for students to perform the music they compose at a young age will be of the upmost educational and creative value. Since 2004, Woodrow has taught many students privately, independently and for various school districts.
Woodrow has been commissioned by the TCU Trombone Summit, the Rising Star High School Jazz Band, the Santo High School Marching Band and the Killian Middle School Saxophone Trio. Her concert works have received performances at the TMEA convention, multiple SCI conferences, the MUW Music by Women Festival, the Houston Underground Saxophone Competition, and various Texas and Kansas Jazz Festivals. She has also been hired by many churches including Oak Cliff Bible Church, Westside Baptist Church and East Dallas Christian Church to create horn section, rhythm section and orchestration arrangements. Her husband, trombonist Jonathan Woodrow, and she are also active in creating horn section recordings in their home studio for artists such as Norman Hutchins, Lamar Campbell and Earl Bynum. Her self-authored curriculum The Practical Musician was created as a training course for musicians seeking to become contributing musicians in a gospel church environment. For more information on her music, visit her website.
Below is information from Woodrow’s winning composition, As it Begins.
I’ll never forget the moment in time when an instrument was assigned to me as an incoming beginning band student. This seemingly simple decision had major implications on the seven years I spent in middle school and high school band and continues to have impact on my life today as an adult. My composition “And it Begins” celebrates new beginnings among the first of many pieces your students will surely perform! The initial melodic intro quickly gives way to a snare and low winds feature. The middle section highlights a lydian dominant sound, unique to young band literature, and then builds to a full band climax and the return of the snare solo. All instruments will enjoy playing this fresh, new composition for concert band!
Previous Winners
2012: Clifton Jones – Rondo Picoso
2014: Erika Svanoe – The Haunted Carousel
2016: Haley Woodrow – And it Begins