The Student Composer Awards were established in 1951 to encourage young composers in the creation of serious music, and through cash prizes, to aid in continuing their musical education. Celebrated composer Milton Babbitt serves as the Awards Chairman. Composer luminaries such as William Bolcom, George Crumb, Mario Davidovsky, John Harbison, Aaron Jay Kernis, Donald Martino, Steven Mackey, Philip Glass, Christopher Rouse, Joseph Schwantner, Michael Torke and Charles Wuorinen received their earliest recognition through this program.

There are no limitations as to instrumentation, style or length of work submitted. The prizes, which range from $500 to $5,000, are awarded at the discretion of the final judging panel and compositions are judged completely under pseudonyms. Official rules and entry forms are available here.

The BMI Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1985 to support the creation, performance, and study of music through awards, scholarships, commissions and grants. Tax-deductible donations to the Foundation come primarily from songwriters, composers and publishers, BMI employees and members of the public with a special interest in music. Because both the Foundation staff and the distinguished members of the Advisory Panel serve without compensation, over 95% of all donations and income are used for charitable grants.

In 2004, Mario saw his breakthrough with “Let Me Love You,” a sultry Ne-Yo penned track that remained at the No. 1 Billboard spot for nine weeks. Mario might have seemed like an overnight star, yet his coup was far from sudden. Like many stars, Mario had been grooming himself for the big time since he was a child.

Growing up in and around Baltimore, Mario dreamed of being a recording artist as early as four. His mother bought him a karaoke machine. He learned piano. At 11, Mario got discovered; he sang Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love to You” at a talent show held at a local college. By 14, Mario had signed a deal with Clive Davis’ J Records. He contributed “Tameeka,” with rapper Fabolous, to the Dr. Dolittle 2 soundtrack in 2001. Not long after, he sang Stevie Wonder’s “You and I” at Clive Davis’s coveted Grammy party — a rendition guests at the event still call captivating. He got to work on a debut album.

Mario, his first album, introduced his arrival. Lead single “Just a Friend 2002,” an up-tempo, teen-pop jam, used elements from the Biz Markie classic. Naturally, the single struck a chord with young adults. By his 16th birthday, Mario was on the road, wooing young ladies (and likely some of their adult parents) as part of the Scream III Tour. His debut album went gold.

Mario’s overall debut — the single, the album sales, the tour — was certainly impressive, but his follow-up was even better. Turning Point, his second album, was aptly titled, considering “Let Me Love You” broke Mario out of the teen-pop ghetto and into the adult big time. Some reviewers compared the song to vintage Michael Jackson, and it became a chart-topper in Europe as well as the States. Although “Let Me Love You” was the album’s shimmering diamond, the compilation featured more well-received songs and production from studio stars including Scott Storch and Lil Jon. Nevertheless, the point had been made: Turning Point went platinum. Mario had become one to watch both metaphorically and literally; movie roles in Step Up and Freedom Writers followed.

In October, Mario will release his third album, Go!, with an A-list roster of contributors. Jermaine Dupri, Ne-Yo, Alicia Keys, The Neptunes and Akon are just a few of the big names on board, all but guaranteeing that the much-anticipated project will be a blockbuster. It could in fact be the project that completes Mario’s career trajectory: from child phenom to teen sensation; bona fide star to household name.

The Student Composer Awards were established in 1951 to encourage young composers in the creation of serious music, and through cash prizes, to aid in continuing their musical education. Celebrated composer Milton Babbitt serves as Chairman of the awards.

There are no limitations as to instrumentation, style or length of work submitted. The prizes, which range from $500 to $5,000, are awarded at the discretion of the final judging panel and compositions are judged completely under pseudonyms. The 2007 competition is open to students who are citizens of the Western Hemisphere (North, South and Central America, the Caribbean Island Nations and the Hawaiian Islands) and who are under the age of 26 on December 31, 2006.

Click here for official rules and entry blanks.

Eleven former winners of the BMI Student Composer Awards have gone on to win the coveted Pulitzer Prize in Music, including Stephen Albert, Dominick Argento, William Bolcom, George Crumb, Mario Davidovsky, John Harbison, Aaron Jay Kernis, Donald Martino, Christopher Rouse, Joseph Schwantner and Charles Wuorinen.

(Back row) Student Composer Award winners Gilbert Galindo, Jacob Bancks, Jacob A. Barton, Stephen T. Danyew, Niccolo Athens and Daniel Thomas Davis; (front row) BMI's Del Bryant, Student Composer Award winner Colin Tucker, Awards Chairman Milton Babbitt, Student Composer Award winner Christopher Trapani, BMI's Ralph Jackson, and Student Composer Award winners Daniel A. Tacke and David MacDonald.

The 2006 awards were presented to Niccolo Athens (age 17, studies privately with Timothy Kramer in San Antonio); Jacob Bancks (age 24, studies at the Eastman School of Music); Jacob A. Barton (age 21, studies at Rice University); Stephen T. Danyew (age 22, studies at University of Miami); Daniel Thomas Davis (age 25, studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London); Gilbert Galindo (age 24, studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music); David MacDonald (age 22, studies at the University of Missouri - Columbia); Daniel A. Tacke (age 21, studies at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music); Christopher Trapani (age 26, studies at École Nationale de Musique du Blanc-Mesnil in France); and Colin Tucker (age 21, studies at the University of Michigan).

Del Bryant with 2006 Pulitzer Prize winner Yehudi Wyner

The BMI Student Composer Awards recognize superior creative talent and winners receive scholarship grants to be applied toward their musical education. In 2006, more than 400 manuscripts were submitted to the competition from throughout the Western Hemisphere, and all works were judged under pseudonyms. Cash awards totaled $20,000. A special Carlos Surinach Prize, underwritten by the BMI Foundation's special endowed fund, was awarded to the youngest winner in the competition, Niccolo Athens.

Awards Chairman Milton Babbitt with preliminary judge David Leisner

The distinguished 2006 Student Composer Awards jury members were Michael Daugherty, Mario Davidovsky, Tobias Picker, Roger Reynolds and José Serebrier. The preliminary judges were Chester Biscardi, David Leisner and Bernadette Speach.

SCA winner Christopher Trapani, preliminary judge Chester Biscardi, SCA winner Daniel A Tacke and preliminary judge Bernadette Speech

BMI has given more than 500 scholarship grants to young composers over the years, and many of today's most prominent and active classical composers received their first recognition from the BMI Student Composer Awards. Eleven former winners have gone on to win the coveted Pulitzer Prize in Music. The BMI Student Composer Awards competition is co-sponsored by BMI and the BMI Foundation, Inc.

SCA winners David MacDonald and Niccolo Athens, Pulitzer Prize winner Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, and SCA winners Stephen Danyew and Jacob Bancks

The BMI Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1985 to support the creation, performance, and study of music through awards, scholarships, commissions and grants. Tax-deductible donations to the Foundation come primarily from songwriters, composers and publishers, BMI employees and members of the public with a special interest in music. Because both the Foundation staff and the distinguished members of the Advisory Panel serve without compensation, over 95% of all donations and income are used for charitable grants.

Robert Thompson, Schott-Helicon's Norman Ryan and SCA winner Daniel Thomas Davis

Charles Wuroinen, Awards Chairman Milton Babbitt, Yehudi Wyner, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich and BMI's Del Bryant

photos by Gary Gershoff

There are no limitations as to instrumentation, style or length of work submitted. The prizes, which range from $500 to $5,000, are awarded at the discretion of the final judging panel. The 2006 competition is open to students who are citizens of the Western Hemisphere (North, South and Central America, the Caribbean Island Nations and the Hawaiian Islands) and who are under 26 years of age on December 31, 2005. Compositions are judged completely under pseudonyms. Official rules and entry blanks are available here for download. The postmark deadline for entering the competition is Friday, February 3, 2006.

Celebrated composer Milton Babbitt serves as chairman of the awards. Eleven former winners of the BMI Student Composer Awards have gone on to win the coveted Pulitzer Prize in Music, including Stephen Albert, Dominick Argento, William Bolcom, George Crumb, Mario Davidovsky, John Harbison, Aaron Jay Kernis, Donald Martino, Christopher Rouse, Joseph Schwantner and Charles Wuorinen.]]> 2005-11-02T17:00:01-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234260 Mario, Babbitt, Milton, Bolcom, William, Bryant, Del, Crumb, George, Davidovsky, Mario, Harbison, John, Kernis, Aaron Jay, Martino, Donald, Rouse, Christopher, Schwantner, Joseph, Wuorinen, Charles, Foundation BMI Student Composer Awards competition will award $20,000 to young composers, BMI President and CEO Del Bryant announced today. The postmark deadline for entering the 2005 competition, co-sponsored by BMI and the BMI Foundation, is Friday, February 11, 2005.

The BMI Student Composer Awards were established in 1951 to encourage young composers in the creation of serious music and, through cash prizes, to aid in continuing their musical education. There are no limitations as to instrumentation, style or length of work submitted. The prizes, which range from $500 to $5,000, are awarded at the discretion of the final judging panel. Milton Babbitt is the awards chairman.

Eleven former winners of these prestigious awards have gone on to win the coveted Pulitzer Prize in Music, including Stephen Albert, Dominick Argento, William Bolcom, George Crumb, Mario Davidovsky, John Harbison, Aaron Jay Kernis, Donald Martino, Christopher Rouse, Joseph Schwantner and Charles Wuorinen.

The 2005 competition is open to students under the age of 26 by December 31, 2004 who are citizens of the Western Hemisphere, which includes North, South and Central America, the Caribbean Island Nations and the Hawaiian Islands. Compositions are judged completely under pseudonyms.

Click here for official rules and an entry form.]]> 2004-11-22T17:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234003 Mario, Bello, Teodoro, Bryant, Del, Conjunto Primavera, Estefan, Emilio, Estefano, Gisselle, Hernandez, Rafael, Jaimes, Teodoro Bello, Juanes, peermusic, Pires, Alexandre, Preston, Frances, Quintero, Mario, Santander, Kike, Shakira, Thalia, Villamizar, Jorge, Latin, Foundation, Important, BMI Latin Awards 'Perdóname Mi Amor' Tops Song List; World Deep Music Named Publisher of the Year

En Español

BMI presented its 11th Annual Latin Awards on March 16 with top honors going to songwriter/producer Estéfano, his publishing company World Deep Music Publishing Corporation and the Conjunto Primavera hit "Perdóname Mi Amor" written by Ramón González Mora. The black-tie ceremony, hosted by BMI President and CEO Frances W. Preston, Executive Vice President Del Bryant, and Assistant Vice President of Latin Music Diane J. Almodovar, honored the top writers and publishers of the most performed Latin songs on U.S. radio and television at the Ritz Carlton San Juan Hotel, Spa and Casino. This is the first time the performing rights organization has held its Latin Awards in Puerto Rico.

Click here for more photos from the Latin Awards

Click here for the Complete Latin Awards Song List

Pictured on stage are BMI Executive Vice President Del Bryant, Ramón Gonzáles Mora, BMI President & CEO Frances Preston, Estéfano, BMI Assistant Vice President Diane Almodovar, and BMI Senior Vice President Phil Graham.

Songwriter/producer Estéfano, who has earned the prestigious title for the last three years in a row, was named BMI Latin Songwriter of the Year once again by placing the most songs on the list of 50, including "Es Por Amor" by Alexandre Pires, "Herida Mortal" and "Vuela Muy Alto" both by Jerry Rivera, "Márchate" by Gisselle and "No Me Enseñaste" by Thalía. He also shared the Songwriter of the Year crown with Marco Antonio Pérez, Mario Quintero, Kike Santander and Shakira at the 2000 awards ceremony.

Estéfano

Ramón González Mora

Rafael Hernandez

Also in the spotlight was Estéfano's World Deep Music Publishing Corporation, named Publisher of the Year with all five of his award-winning songs. This distinguished honor is given to the publisher with the highest percentage of ownership of songs on the most performed list.

Juanes

Kike Santander

Teodoro Bello Jaimes

"Perdóname Mi Amor" ("Forgive Me My Love"), written by Ramón González Mora and published by Seg-Son Music, Inc., earned the Song of the Year trophy as the most performed song on the Latin list. A hit for norteño group Conjunto Primavera, the Latin Grammy-nominated song is one of González Mora's many compositions that brought the veteran band stardom some 20 years into their career. This is González Mora's second Song of the Year win; he also wrote another Conjunto Primavera hit, "Morir De Amor," which earned him the title at BMI's 2001 Latin Awards.

Emilio Estefan, Jr.

Lester Mendez

Mario Quintero

A special musical tribute to the late Rafael Hernandez was presented by Cucco Peña featuring renowned artists Andy Montañez, Rafy Escudero, and Chucho Avellanet who performed a medley of Hernandez's most treasured songs. Considered one of the most important composers of Puerto Rican popular music in the 20th century, Hernandez, who died in 1965, left a legacy of more than 3,000 musical compositions, including such classics as "Lamento Borincano," "Silencio," and "Ausencia." Guests were also treated to a taste of traditional Puerto Rican music with performances by Rondalla Típica Orocoveña and Rikaplena.

Jorge Villamizar

Marco A. Godoy

In addition to Estéfano, other multiple award-winning songwriters included Juanes and Kike Santander with three songs each, as well as Teodoro Bello Jaimes (SACM), Emilio Estefan, Jr., Lester Mendez, Mario Quintero and Jorge Villamizar with two songs each on the most performed list. Publishers earning two or more Citations of Achievement were Apollinaire Music; Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc.; Disa Latin Publishing LLC; EMI Music Publishing; Foreign Imported Productions and Publishing, Inc.; Kike Santander Music LLC/Santander Songs; Más Flamingo Music; Mexican Music Copyright, Inc.; peermusic; SER-CA Publishing, Inc.; Songs of Camaleon; Tigres del Norte Ediciones Musicales; Universal Music Publishing Group; and Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.

Another of the evening's highlights included the announcement of the winner of the BMI Foundation/peermusic Latin Scholarship. Hailing from Caracas, Venezuela, 21-year-old Berklee College of Music freshman Marco A. Godoy was named the scholarship's first winner for his instrumental piece entitled "My Latin Feel." Established by the BMI Foundation and funded by the generosity of the peermusic companies, the new $5,000 scholarship will be awarded annually through a competition for original Latin songs and instrumental compositions.

The BMI Student Composer Awards were established in 1951 to encourage young composers in the creation of serious music and, through cash prizes, to aid in continuing their musical education. There are no limitations as to instrumentation, style or length of work submitted. The prizes, which range from $500 to $5,000, are awarded at the discretion of the final judging panel. Eleven former winners have gone on to win the coveted Pulitzer Prize in Music including Stephen Albert, Dominick Argento, William Bolcom, George Crumb, Mario Davidovsky, John Harbison, Aaron Jay Kernis, Donald Martino, Christopher Rouse, Joseph Schwantner and Charles Wuorinen.

The 2004 competition is open to students who are citizens of the Western Hemisphere (North, South and Central America, the Caribbean Island Nations and the Hawaiian Islands) and who are under 26 years of age on December 31, 2003. Compositions are judged completely under pseudonyms. Milton Babbitt is the awards chairman. Download official rules and entry blanks, or request forms by email at classical@bmi.com or by writing to:

Ralph N. Jackson
Director
BMI Student Composer Awards
320 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019 USA]]> 2003-11-10T17:00:00-05:00