BMI & Classical Music
From John Adams, who was recently named the "most performed living American Composer" to Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Music, BMI composers cover the full spectrum of contemporary classical music… read more
60th Annual BMI Student Composer Award Winners Announced

Nine young classical composers, ages 16 to 27, have been named winners in the 60th Annual BMI Student Composer Awards. Composer and Jury member Joseph Schwantner, BMI President and CEO Del Bryant and BMI Foundation President Ralph N. Jackson announced the decisions of the jury and presented the awards at a reception held May 11, 2012 at the Jumeirah Essex House Hotel in New York City.…
BMI Composer Kevin Puts Wins 2012 Pulitzer for Music

BMI composer Kevin Puts was named the 2012 Pulitzer Prize winner in music on Monday, April 16. His prize-winning World War I masterpiece Silent Night, which premiered in Minnesota last year, is Puts’ first opera. A native of St. Louis, Puts is a three-time BMI Student Composer Award recipient who joined BMI in 1996. He serves on the faculty of the Peabody Institute and works in…
Deirdre Chadwick Elected to Board of BMI Foundation, Inc.

Deirdre Chadwick has been elected to the Board of Directors of the BMI Foundation, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to encouraging the creation, performance and study of music. Formed by BMI employees in 1985, the organization sponsors a variety of programs designed to support music education, encourage talented young musicians in all genres of music, and to promote music in communities all across America. “We are delighted to welcome Deirdre…
10 Questions: Steven Mackey

Steven Mackey is an accomplished and decorated composer, performer, and teacher of innovative contemporary classical music. His works felicitously merge various styles within classical, rock, opera and music theater genres. His most recent project, Lonely Motel, received four Grammy nominations and won for Best Small Ensemble Performance. Mackey was generous enough to entertain questions even amid the heady whirl of Grammy weekend. 1. Describe your recent…
John Luther Adams To Receive Heinz Award

BMI composer John Luther Adams, from Fairbanks, Alaska, has been named the recipient of a $100,000 Heinz Award. A groundbreaking "environmental composer," Adams was recognized for his ability to connect people to nature through music. Now in its 17th year, the Heinz Awards honors visionaries who have made extraordinary contributions to the environment, a life-long area of commitment for the late U.S. Senator John Heinz. "John Luther…
Gyan Riley’s Infectious Gratitude

For lovers of classical guitar and all things euphonious, it’s good that Gyan Riley can’t contain his appreciation for composers of the past or for his contemporaries in the guitar world. His thankfulness to them gushes out of his new album Stream of Gratitude in most satisfying ways. The eclectic set that makes up this album consists of dedications to recognizable luminaries—Bach, Dowland—as well as to accomplished…
Steven Stucky, Too Large to Fence In

A towering figure in contemporary classical music, Steven Stucky lays claim to a career that covers an expanse so wide, a terrain so varied, that not even the most advanced panoramic lens can survey it in one sweep. Having composed dozens of acclaimed symphonies and other works, including his 2005 Pulitzer Prize winning Second Concerto for Orchestra, Stucky served for twenty years as composer in residence for…
59th Annual BMI Student Composer Award Winners Announced

59th Annual BMI Student Composer Award Winners Announced; Outstanding Musical Citizen Award Presented To Barry Goldberg Eleven young classical composers ranging in age from 14 to 27 have been named winners in the 59th Annual BMI Student Composer Awards. BMI President & CEO Del Bryant, BMI Foundation President Ralph N. Jackson and BMI Student Composer Award Chair Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, announced the decisions of the jury and…
BMI Foundation Presents Outstanding Service Award To New York Youth Symphony

The BMI Foundation has presented the New York Youth Symphony with a special Outstanding Service Award and a $25,000 grant acknowledging the organization for their “outstanding contributions to music education and excellence in performance over many decades.” In making the presentation, BMI Foundation President Ralph N. Jackson said, “we are delighted to recognize this truly exemplary music organization, which has made a tremendous difference in the lives of so many…
Library of Congress Announces 2010 Additions to National Recording Registry

The Library of Congress has named the 25 new additions to the ninth annual National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress, which will ensure that these cultural, artistic and historical recordings are always available to the American public. Included among them are works that demonstrate the depth and breadth of the BMI repertoire, ranging from the seminal blues sounds of Blind Willie Johnson to the classic…
