2009 Finalists

Devin Farney (b. 1983) is a composer/pianist/music teacher based out of San Francisco. He primarily focuses on composition and has had works commissioned and premiered in the United States, France, and Japan, but is additionally a pianist versed in various styles. He is also a music arranger and editor who has worked with composers such as Terry Riley, Glen Roven, Arthur Kampela, and many others.

He holds a Bachelors in Music Composition from the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music (2006), where he studied composition with Francois Rose and Robert Coburn, and piano with Frank Wiens. He also holds a Masters in Music Composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (2009), where he studied composition with Dan Becker.

Devin is a member of the academic honors society Phi Kappa Phi and of the music honors society Pi Kappa Lambda. He is a Presser Scholar (2005) and was recognized by Who’s Who in American Universities (2006). His works have received several notable recognizations and awards, including a performance at the 2008 Fresno New Music Festival and two honorable mentions at the Minnesota Orchestra’s Composer Institute (2007 and 2008), as well as the ZMF competition. His music has also been featured by the American Viola Society.

Andrew Jamieson will be a senior composition major at the Northwestern University School of Music. He has studied composition with Aaron Travers, Lee Hyla and Hans Thomalla and will join the studio of Jay Alan Yim this fall. He has had performances by the Gentlemen of NUCO and the Northwestern University Contemporary Music Ensemble, as well as recordings by the International Contemporary Ensemble and Lucas Fels. His opera, Goldsmith of the Kingdom, was performed on Northwestern’s campus in February 2009. In addition to composing, Andrew serves as keyboardist and assistant music director for the Evanston North Shore Community Mass Gospel Choir, Friendship Baptist Church, Oasis Christian Ministries International and in Evanston, Illinois.

For a more in-depth look at Andrew, visit his profile to hear an interview with the composer and samples of his music.
 
Travis Jeffords (1984) Travis finished his M.M. from the University of Texas in the Spring of this year, where he studied with Dan Welcher and Yevgeniy Sharlat. His thesis, Shot in the Dark, was a meditation on personal classified ads taken from an Austin weekly newspaper and set for a large new music ensemble. He recently moved to Bloomington, where his wife is attending graduate school: he is always looking for an opportunity to write new pieces from his cold Indiana basement.

For a more in-depth look at Travis, visit his profile to hear an interview with the composer and a sample of his music.
 
Sunny Knable is a musician whose talents do not fit into one category. He is an award-winning composer of contemporary concert music, a classical and jazz pianist, a singer/songwriter, and percussionist. Of his compositions, pianist Charles Fierro writes, “It is apparent that Sunny already has a voice and personal style. He writes with assurance and communicative skill. He clearly has a future.”

Mr. Knable was born and raised in Sacramento, CA. He wrote his first orchestral piece at age 16, which was read by the Sacramento Youth Symphony. In 2001, he began his studies of music at California State University Sacramento (CSUS) studying composition, percussion, piano and jazz. In 2004 and 2005, Mr. Knable won the Student Composer Competitions at Festival of New American Music.

In 2006, Mr. Knable gradated with Bachelor of Music Degrees in Composition, Piano Performance and Jazz Studies from CSUS. Since that time, a number of commissions have kept Mr. Knable busy writing and performing while living in New York. In October of 2008, Mr. Knable gave a composition recital at Calvary Episcopal Church of Gramercy Park, and in December, the National Arts Club (NAC) hosted a composition showcase. In May of 2009, he was invited back to NAC to give a piano recital featuring the works of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and himself. He continues to live and work in New York City where he makes a living as a pianist.

For a more in-depth look at Sunny, visit his profile to hear an interview with the composer and samples of his music.
 
 
John Rot, a native of Elgin, IL, is a second-year composition major at Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio. His interest in composition was only recently developed during his participation in the 2007 Composition Institute at Illinois Wesleyan University, led by Mario Pelusi. His compositions are informed by various non-musical pursuits, including his particular love of mathematics and the German language. As a pianist, he has studied with Andrea Swan for the last four years, and his accomplishments include first place in both the 2006 Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition and the 2007 Walgreens National Concerto Competition. He has appeared as piano soloist with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, as well as in the 2006 Aberdeen International Youth Festival Gala Concert. In addition, he has sung with multiple Illinois choirs at the all-state level. He has studied composition at Oberlin Conservatory with Josh Levine and currently studies with Lewis Nielson.

For a more in-depth look at John, visit his profile to hear an interview with the composer and a sample of his music.