The Biola University Conservatory of Music will host its third annual High School Composition Competition, providing aspiring composers an opportunity to win a $5,000 scholarship to attend Biola as a composition major. Eligible participants include aspiring composers who are currently in their last two years of high school education.
 
The Biola University High School Composition Competition offers a unique opportunity for composers interested in pursuing composition in college. As a part of the competition, applicants must submit a maximum of two original scores of music reflecting the “classical tradition” — that is, the tradition of past or present “classical” composers. Applicants may choose to reference the works of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and others.
 
Jonathan Kari, last year’s winner, wrote two pieces for the piano: “Midnight Waltz” and “Snowfall.” The scholarship he won as part of the competition allowed him to attend Biola in the 2016-2017 school year as a freshman composition major. Even though he found out about the competition only a week before the deadline, Kari was able to submit his entry on time. He wrote and recorded an additional piece for the competition, as he already had a different piece that he thought would be a good fit for it.
 
“Snowfall was inspired by seeing snow gently fall after a storm,” Kari shared. “I made the accompaniment in the left hand sound like snow falling.” Kari’s other piece, “Midnight Waltz,” was inspired by Chopin’s Op. 64 Waltzes No. 1 & 2, which he previously played in a recital.  
 
This year’s competition deadline is March 1, 2017. Composition faculty will judge the competition, and applications should include a cover letter submitted by email or mail. For further information, please see the High School Composition Competition website. 
 
Written by Jessica Stein, student music ambassador. For more information, contact Jenna Loumagne, manager of media relations, at (562) 777-4061 or jenna.loumagne@biola.edu.