Community Music School (CMS) of Webster University Congratulates Winners of the 2022-2023 Young Composers Competition
February 07, 2023
WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. – The Community Music School of Webster University is pleased
to announce the winners of the 2022-2023 Young Composers Competition:
Level One (12-16 years of age):
1st Place: Frazar Henry, age 16, from Bonita Springs, Florida, for "Constellations."
2nd Place: Zachary Jarvis, age 16, from Danville, California, for "A Stroll About
Interlochen." 
Level Two (17-21 years of age):
1st Place: Jonah Cohen, age 18, from Farmington Hills, Michigan, for "Leaps and Bounds."
2nd Place: Jose Vargas, age 21, from San Francisco, California, for "Triple Dance."
These young composers were chosen from over 40 submissions from across the United
States, Australia, and New Zealand. Winning works will be recorded by Chamber Project Saint Louis during an online concert available on the Community Music School YouTube channel. In addition, winners will meet with 2022-2023 Guest Composer Nina Shekhar for one-on-one feedback on their work. The Community Music School also plans to
host online public workshops with Guest Composer Nina Shekar and local composer David
Werfelmann from Webster University. More information on the public online workshops
will be available later this spring.
2022-2023 Winner Biographies
About the Young Composers Competition
In 2004 the Community Music School (CMS) of Webster University initiated the Young
Composers Competition to recognize and encourage the creative efforts of budding composers
between the ages of 12 and 21. A team of composition judges select first and second
place recipients in two levels; Level I is for students 12-16 years of age and Level
II is for students 17-21 years of age. The competition reward is the professional
performance and recording of winning compositions by Chamber Project St. Louis.
In addition, winning works are reviewed by a guest composer during a master class
focused on individual feedback and the field of composition. Previous guest composers
include Claude Baker, John Cheetham, James Mobberly, Jared Spears, Dinos Constantinides,
Chen Yi, Shulamit Ran, Stephen Dankner, Zack Browning, Beth Denisch, Don Freund, Lansing
McLoskey, Elizabeth Ogonek, Kyong Mee Choi, Niloufar Nourbakhsh, Angélica Negrón,
David Werfelmann, and Mark Camphouse.
The Young Composers Competition is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Arden
and Harry Fisher.
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.