Community Music School (CMS) of Webster University Welcomes Maria Kaoutzani as Guest Composer for Young Composers Competition
August 17, 2023
The Community Music School of Webster University will welcome Maria Kaoutzani as guest composer for their 2023-2024 Young Composers Competition.
Since 2004, the Young Composers Competition (YCC) sponsored by Arden and Harry Fisher
at the Community Music School of Webster University, has recognized and encouraged
the efforts of those between the ages of 12 and 21 who are involved in the creative
process of composing music. This program, unique to the St. Louis region, is an open
competition which has received submissions from St. Louis and throughout the world.
Each year, the guest composer plays an integral role within the YCC, providing developing
composers with invaluable one-on-one guidance in a constructive and supportive environment
from an individual already well established in their professional and creative field.
In addition to meeting with each winning young composer and reviewing their work,
the guest composer engages intellectually with attendees via a public presentation
on a musical topic relevant to their artistic pursuits and the professional development
of the young composer.
The choice of guest composer is based upon recommendations from the YCC committee,
past participants in the competition, and a general keeping of ears to the ground
for exciting new voices in the new music world.
"Through the YCC, we strive to engage guest composers who are active in both the creation
of exciting new work and the education and guidance of young minds," says Justin Blackburn,
coordinator of the Young Composers Competition. "Additionally, we look for those
who hail from backgrounds not traditionally well-represented in the composition world.
There are so many brilliantly diverse voices singing their unique perspectives and
it is paramount that we share that with the promising young musicians we host."
Entries for the 2023-2024 Young Composers Competition will be accepted starting on
Sept. 1. Interested composers should visit www.webster.edu/cms-ycc for more information. The deadline for submissions is Oct. 20, 2023, and winners
are announced in early January 2024.
About Guest Composer Maria Kaoutzani
Maria Kaoutzani is an Illinois-based composer from Limassol, Cyprus. Recent projects
include a concerto for the Grammy-winning ensemble Eighth Blackbird and Cincinnati
Symphony Orchestra, a residency at Hartford Women Composers Festival in 2023, a National
Sawdust residency in the 2019-2020 season, Pomegranate Institute and UCLA's Notes
on Napkins, Hocket ensemble's #What2020SoundsLike, "Chicago Speaks” with the Civic
Orchestra of Chicago and residencies at Anderson Center for the Arts and Woodstock
Byrdcliffe Guild. Past collaborators include the ~Nois saxophone quartet, Chartreuse
trio, Desdemona string quartet, Zafa Collective, Rubiks Collective, Longleash trio,
Imani Winds, the Grossman ensembles, and many others.
Kaoutzani teaches composition at Knox College and is working toward completion of
her PhD in music composition at the University of Chicago. She holds a master's degree
from New York University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of York. Past
teachers include Augusta Reed Thomas, Anthony Cheung, Sam Pluta and Justin Dello Joio.
Along with composers Gemma Peacocke and Shelley Washington, Kaoutzani is a founding
member of composer collective Kinds of Kings.
About Community Music School of Webster University (CMS)
Founded in 1925, CMS offers outstanding music education and performance opportunities
to students of all ages and abilities and serves the entire St. Louis metropolitan
region.
The Community Music School of Webster University is accredited by the National Association
of Schools of Music and is a certified member of the National Guild of Community Schools
of the Arts.