2021 Composers Now Festival Opening Event
The Composers Now Visionary Award recognizes members of the arts community who, through their own creative practice and advocacy for others, have made a profound, positive and lasting impact in our culture. This year, the 2021 Composers Now Visionary Award will be presented to:
Joan Tower
"Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman" (1986)
São Paulo Symphony Orchestra
The First Commission Award provides young composers with support aimed to encourage artistic potential and creative development. Pre-college aged composers are nominated and reviewed by a jury. Selected composers receive a Composers Now commission and world premiere. The 2021 First Commission Award is presented to:
Paloma Alonso
"2020" (2021)
Darian Donovan Thomas, violin
Shayna Dunkelman, percussion
Angélica Negrón, mentor
Anthony Cheung
"Character Studies" (2016)
Miranda Cuckson, violin
inti figgis-vizueta
"Form the Fabric" (2020)
Ninth Planet New Music
Donal Fox
"The Time is Now, Now's The Time" (2017)
Donal Fox Inventions Trio
Donal Fox, piano
John Lockwood, double bass
Kush Abadey, drums
Alba Potes
"Tres Piezas Breves" (1990-97)
Charles Abramovic, piano
Pamela Z
"Other Rooms" (2018)
Pamela Z, voice and electronics
Announcing 2021 Visionary Awards Recipient
2021 First Commission
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Paloma Alonso
"2020"
Darian Donovan Thomas, violin
Shayna Dunkelman, percussion
Angélica Negrón, mentor
Paloma Alonso is a New York City native. She is 13 years old and attends the Léman Manhattan Preparatory School. Her parents, both classical concert pianists, were her first piano teachers. Alonso cites her Cuban father and Albanian mother as major inspirations for introducing her to music of all styles and genres. She began studying cello six years ago with Juilliard-trained teacher Yves Dharamraj and also pursues her passion for dance at the school of New York Theatre Ballet where she has trained rigorously since the age of four. Alonso joined the New York Philharmonic Young Composers Program in 2017. She commented that "This wonderful program opened a whole new world of expression to me. Composing is another tool that allows me to be expressive in a beautiful and artistic way". In December 2019, on a Young People's Concert, the Philharmonic performed Alonso's Sweating Bullets under the baton of its Music Director Jaap van Zweeden. The orchestral work was scheduled to be performed by the Philharmonic again in April of 2020 but, was unfortunately cancelled due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.