ABOUT THE ANTHOLOGY

In 2012, PARMA Recordings launched our first Student Composer Competition, an opportunity for young and emerging composers to showcase their abilities and originality in a variety of ensemble combinations, from string quartet to brass quintet to full orchestra and more.

 

As a way to turn more people on to the large number of well-crafted and inspired scores we received, we created the PARMA Anthology of Music in order to recognize and bring attention to these composers, these creators of phenomenal and innovative works, new amalgamations of styles and genres, new conceptions of form and structure, and new methods of expression and execution.

 

The criteria for this year’s Anthology were basic and clear:  all applicants had to be 30 years old or younger and must actively be studying composition, while the submitted pieces must be scored for brass quintet and have a duration of no more than 10 minutes.  The reason for this was that we wanted ensembles and performers to have easy access to new compositions such as these, pieces that are modest in size and scope (if not in musical language or compositional ambition), programmable, performable, and optimized for public presentation.

 

The Competition received a huge number of worthy scores, and included here is what our panel of judges felt to be the strong entries.  We hope you agree.

 

As a final note, I would like to extend a warm congratulations to the Grand Prize Winner of the contest which yielded this collection, Michael Mikulka.  Michael’s piece “To Throw” is an inspired and finely honed work which builds to a point of precise repetition, and represents not only the quality of works submitted to the Competition but also the fearlessness with which so many modern composers approach their work and art.

 

As the Grand Prize Winner, “To Throw” was premiered at the 2014 PARMA Music Festival by the Redline Brass Quintet on stage at The Music Hall in Portsmouth NH.

 

PARMA’s goal here, as with all of our projects, recordings, and endeavors, is to shine a bright light on music that is engaging and enervating.  We’ll leave the categorizations to others.

 

Enjoy the music!

 

 

 

Bob Lord

CEO, PARMA Recordings