2010 ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Award Recipients Announced

ASCAP Foundation President Paul Williams has announced the recipients of the 2010 ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Awards. This program, established in 2002, was created to encourage gifted jazz composers from throughout the United States. The recipients, who receive cash awards, range in age from 15 to 29, and are selected through a juried national competition.

Commenting on the awards, Paul Williams said, "Jazz is America’s great homegrown musical art form and the accomplished young composers we recognize through this program represent the future of jazz. We congratulate the recipients and extend thanks to the dedicated panel of ASCAP composers who selected the honorees."

The Gibson Foundation, the philanthropic division of musical giant Gibson Guitar Corp., supports The ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Awards in fulfillment of its commitment to educational excellence through music and the arts. Founded in 2002, the Gibson Foundation is committed to making the world a better place for children through its own initiatives and by its support of other non-profit organizations that advance music and the arts, health and welfare, education, and environmental causes. The impact of the support provided by the Gibson Foundation benefits millions of people each year. www.gibsonfoundation.org

This year's ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Award recipients, ages 18-29, are: Courtney Beadel, 23 (Cedar Falls, IA); Jon Crowley, 27 (Brooklyn, NY); Ben Darwish, 25 (Portland, OR); Jesse Elder, 26 (Brooklyn, NY); Tyler Gilmore, 29 (Denver, CO); Alex Heitlinger, 29, (Jamaica Plain, MA); Eric Hirsch, 25 (Durham, NC): Florian Hoefner, 27 (New York, NY); Josh Moshier, 23 (Chicago, IL); Gabriel Santiago, 29; Geoffrey Sheil, 22 (Tampa, FL); Brandon Sherman, 25 (Newhall, CA), Elijah Shiffer, 18 (Mount Vernon, NY); Nathan Smith, 26 (Brooklyn, NY); Erica von Kleist, 27 (Brooklyn, NY).

The youngest ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composers, ages 15 to 17, are: Divia Fariash, 17 (NJ); Phillip Golub, 16 (CA); Grace Kelly, 17 (MA); Chase Morrin, 16 (CA); Benjamin Rosenblum, 16 (NY); Matt Savage, 17 (NH); and Laila Smith, 15 (CA).

Composers receiving Honorable Mention are: Fabian Almazan, 25 (New York, NY); Anton DeFade, 17 (PA); Michael Hurwitz, 28 (Coral Gables, FL); Jonathan Russell, 14 (NY); and Alex Sugerman, 17 (NY).

The ASCAP composer/judges for the 2009 competition were: Wycliffe Gordon, Rufus Reid and Henry Threadgill.

Founded in 1975, The ASCAP Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting American music creators and encouraging their development through music education and talent development programs. Included in these are songwriting workshops, grants, scholarships, awards, recognition and community outreach programs, and public service projects for senior composers and lyricists. The ASCAP Foundation is supported by contributions from ASCAP members and from music lovers throughout the United States. www.ascapfoundation.org