2011 Young Composer Competition Results Are In!

Back in March, we sent a call out for submissions for the 2011 Young Composer Competition. This year the YCC called for 4-10 minute Rock Cover compositions using at least 4 instruments from Fifth House's roster and a handful of possible auxiliary instruments including toy piano and a drum set.  Additionally, to be considered, each composer needed to be 35 years old or younger.  After many submissions and weeks of deliberations, Fifth House Ensemble is excited to announce the winner of the 2011 Young Composer Competition.  This composer's submission will be included in the programming of 5HE's upcoming 2011-2012 series. We have the great pleasure of announcing John Dorhauer and his cover of "The Widow" by Mars Volta as this year's grand prize winner! John will receive a $500 prize, as well as a performance of his work on our upcoming series.

Honorable mentions go to (in no particular order):

Sarah Chaffee's "Ego Brain" by System of a Down

Paul Kim's "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele

Seth Tsui's "Ferocious Creatures," an original song

Without further ado, here some words from John about his experience with the competition:

I would like to thank everyone involved with Fifth House’s Young Composer Competition for selecting my submission and for their continued commitment to cultivating the next generation of composers.  I was drawn to this competition because I have always enjoyed rock/pop music, and I feel that this music has a lot more to offer than many people think.  Like several other composers in our postmodern culture, I encourage bridging the gap between art and pop music, and I am delighted that Fifth House shares this perspective.  I had a great time reinterpreting one of my favorite songs (“The Widow,” by The Mars Volta) as a piece of concert music, and I am eagerly awaiting the opportunity to hear it brought to life by the fine musicians of the Fifth House Ensemble.

Additionally, here is some biographical information about our grand prize winner:

John Dorhauer leads a highly active and enjoyable life as a music composer, arranger and educator.  His compositions have been performed and recorded by the Biava String Quartet, Eighth Blackbird’s Timothy Munro, and the Orion Ensemble, who selected his piece Of Your Fortitude for their recent composition contest.  John is also a two-time winner of the Chicago College of Performing Art’s (CCPA) Wind Ensemble Composition Contest, as two of the three movements from his composition Revelations 5 have been awarded in consecutive years.  John’s compositions have been brought to concert halls throughout the Midwest, receiving performances by numerous classical and jazz ensembles from CCPA, Elmhurst College, and Missouri State University.

John holds a Bachelor’s degree from Elmhurst College, with a double major in Music Theory/Composition and Music Education, and a Master’s degree in Music Composition from CCPA.  He has had the honor of studying with Stacy Garrop, Kyong Mee Choi, Kevin Olson, Mark Harbold and Ken Haebich.  John has a strong passion for education, and his current teaching opportunities include being an adjunct faculty member at CCPA and Elmhurst College and teaching private trumpet lessons to students of all ages.  John is also an avid performer, as he enjoys performing trumpet in a number of jazz and rock ensembles in the Chicago area.

For more information about John, visit www.johndorhauer.com.