JUDGES

The panel of judges and editor of the 2014 PARMA Student Composer Competition served an invaluable role in the early processes of this Anthology. The scores received for this competition served as its source material, and were thoroughly vetted for professionalism, innovation, programmability, and performability by editor Andy Happel and judges Timothy Davis, Kyle Spraker, and Thomas Wells.

Timothy A. Davis brings a variety of administrative, corporate, and new music experience to his role as CEO of the Boston New Music Initiative. Recognizing the need for a strong network across musical disciplines, Tim’s motivation in founding BNMI reflects his long-standing commitment to furthering the careers of composers and musicians. He has served as a judge for composition competitions with the National Federation of Music Clubs and on judging panels for BNMI’s Calls for Scores. As an educator, Tim provides private composition instruction, and he worked as an instructor of theory and aural skills at the University of Iowa, where he earned Pi Kappa Lambda honors in graduating with a doctorate in composition in 2009. He also holds degrees from Boston College and the University of Massachusetts.

Later than most, Kyle Spraker began learning the trumpet in high school at the age of sixteen. His musical interest began with the saxophone, but after being recruited to participate in Drum Corp International he was persuaded to learn a brass instrument. With a strong desire to teach, Kyle was accepted to California State University of Long Beach to earn a degree in Music Education, but was immediately encouraged by his professor (Robert Frear) to focus on trumpet performance. Kyle went on to pursue a Masters of Music in Performance at the New England Conservatory in Boston, MA (2010). There, he studied with Boston Symphony- Second Trumpet, Benjamin Wright and regularly performed with the NEC Philharmonia, conducted by Hugh Wolf.

Aside from a performing with groups like Discovery Ensemble, Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, and Callithumpian Consort, Kyle also enjoys teaching. This year, Kyle (with Chris and Phil) joins faculty at the Longy School of Music as a Teaching Artist mentor. Other educational projects include the Boston Philharmonic’s Crescendo and Band Buddy Programs, which bring musicians right into the classrooms of grades K-5 in Dorchester and Allston. Internationally, Kyle has travelled to San Juan de Colón, Venezuela to give three weeks of masterclasses, lessons, and a recital for students participating in an El Sistema music festival. Similarly, he has also travelled with the Boston Chamber Orchestra for three weeks of teaching and performing in Fukuoka, Japan. Summer festivals attended include: the National Orchestra Institute, Idyllwild Festival, and Castleton Festival with Lorin Maazel.

Thomas Wells began his formal composition studies at the University of Texas at Austin in 1960 with Kent Kennan and Clifton Williams. He received his Bachelor of Music (1966) and D.M.A. (1969) degrees from that institution, studying with Hunter Johnson. Wells founded the University of Texas Electronic Music Studio in 1967 and served as its director until 1975. He was accepted in Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Composition Studio in Darmstadt in 1968, and participated in the project “Musik für ein Haus” (Stockhausen 1971, 217, 222). Wells joined the faculty of the Ohio State University School of Music in 1976, and continues to teach there as Professor of Composition and Director of the Sound Synthesis Studios. In addition, he has served as guest professor and artist in residence at the University of Novi Sad (Serbia), Johannes Gutenberg University (Mainz), and Ball State University. His works have been performed throughout the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Korea, and by orchestras and ensembles such as the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Spokane Symphony, Columbus Symphony, and the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble.

He has received grants and commissions from the National Endowment for the Arts, Ohio Arts Council, Ohio Humanities Council, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the Texas Commission on the Arts. Wells received the Governor’s Award in the State of Ohio for Outstanding Individual Artist in 1990. He hosted the 1984 Society of Composers National Conference (Frank Zappa, keynote speaker), and the 1989 International Computer Music Conference, both at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He was active in the 1500-member Society of Composers, serving as its president from 2002 to 2014.