Instrumentation: | Piano Trio |
Ingredient: | Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet |
Performers: | Monument Piano Trio |
Judges: | James Arey, David Gompper, Bob Fischbach |
Top Prizes: | Hermes Camacho, Iron Composer Elizabeth Lim, Audience Favorite Award |
The second installment of Iron Composer was presented as part of Analog Arts’ new music festival ARTSaha!, which ran in Omaha from 2004-2008. The theme for the 2008 festival was “Set Sail for the Sun”. Discussions and disagreements about what the secret ingredient should be continued until the day before the competition, when the idea of using Monet’s painting of a sunrise came up.
Elizabeth Lim, 2nd Prize & Audience Favorite Award ($250)
Greg Simon, 3rd Prize ($100)
![]() |
Hermes Camacho (2008, Winner) is a native of northern Californian who currently lives in Austin, Texas with his wife Jaclyn. He teaches at the Austin Chamber Music Center and annually at the Sacramento Youth Symphony Chamber Music Workshop. |
![]() |
George Lam (2008) studied composition at Duke University, the Peabody Conservatory of Music, and Boston University. He is a founding co-artistic director of Rhymes With Opera, a new opera company dedicated to bringing new works of music-theater into unconventional spaces. |
![]() |
Elizabeth Lim (2008, 2nd Prize and Audience Favorite Award) studied at Harvard and is a doctoral candidate at the Juilliard School. Her orchestral work, “Paranoia,” was a winner of the annual composers’ competition and was premiered by Jeff Milarsky and the Juilliard Orchestra in Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Concert Hall. |
![]() |
Greg Simon (2008, 3rd prize) is currently on the faculty of the Metropolitan State College of Denver, and in the fall of 2012 will begin study as a doctoral student at the University of Michigan. His work is featured on recordings by the California State University, Fullerton Wind Ensemble and the Fifth House Ensemble of Chicago. |
![]() |
Joseph Trapanese (2008) is a Los Angeles based composer, arranger, orchestrator and producer of music for film, television, multimedia, theater and concerts. He has worked with Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park and Daft Punk. Currently, he is composing the music for Disney XD’s animated series Tron: Uprising. |
![]() |
James Arey (2008) is a composer and former music director of KVNO 90.7 FM, Omaha’s classical music station. He is the only Iron Composer judge to have been a 5-day champion on Jeopardy! with total winnings of $42,802. |
![]() |
Bob Fischbach (2008) is a columnist and movie critic for the Omaha World-Herald. |
![]() |
David Gompper (2008) is Professor of Composition and Director of the Center for New Music at the University of Iowa. He has been a Fulbright Scholar and earned an Academy Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. |
Hermes Camacho, Impressions of Wallpaper (1st Prize)
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Elizabeth Lim, Trascendental Sunrise (2nd Prize; Audience Favorite)
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Greg Simon, Le Bateau et Le Soleil (3rd Prize)
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
George Lam, High Humidity
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Joe Trapanese, Red Stroke
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Video of Hermes Camacho’s winning entry:
Video of Elizabeth Lim’s Second Prize Entry & Audience Favorite:
Video of Greg Simon’s Third Prize entry:
After realizing in 2007 that Iron Composer should be its own event, Analog Arts also wanted to expand the scope of its field. So, the Nebraska residency requirement was abandoned, but the age restriction (18-26) remained. The impact was immediate, as entries poured in from around the country, quadrupling the tally for 2007.
One of the ensembles in residence at the 2008 festival was Monument Piano Trio, from Baltimore. They eagerly agreed to perform on the competition.