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Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts

RED NOTE New Music Festival

Now in its fifteenth season, the RED NOTE New Music Festival at Illinois State University is a week-long event which features outstanding performances of contemporary concert music. Highlights of past seasons include appearances by Spektral Quartet, Ensemble Dal Niente, Momenta Quartet, Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, Del Sol Quartet, Fifth House Ensemble, Iridium Quartet, and loadbang. Featured guest composers have included William Bolcom, Chen Yi, Stephen Hartke, Sydney Hodkinson, Lee Hyla, Steven Stucky, Martin Bresnick, and Joan Tower. RED NOTE also holds an annual Composition Competition which brings in entries from around the world.

This year, we are pleased to host featured guest composers Bright Sheng and Missy Mazzoli, as well as featured guest ensembles h2 Saxophone Quartet and Hub New Music. Together with the Illinois State University music composition faculty, Bright Sheng and Missy Mazzoli and the two guest ensembles will lead a Composition Workshop which is open to all student composers. You can learn more about the festival by accessing the flyer posted on this page or by exploring the tabs at the left.

2022 RED NOTE Flyer

2022 RED NOTE New Music Festival Flyer

Explore RED NOTE New Music Festival

Composition Competition

The judging for the RED NOTE New Music Festival Composition has now concluded. As always, many outstanding compositions were submitted to the competition, and we would like to thank the composers who participated.

Category A

In Category A (Chamber Ensemble), there were 361 anonymous submissions from 31 nations around the world. Initial rounds were judged by the Music Composition faculty at Illinois State University. The final round was judged by the esteemed composers:

  • Raymond Deane (Aosdána, Irish academy of artists)
  • John Harbison (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
  • Laura Schwendinger (University of Wisconsin at Madison)

The results of the competition (Category A) are as follows:

  • WINNER:

    • As the light begins to drift,
      by Paul Novak (Chicago, IL)

  • RUNNERS-UP:

    • Cantus,
      by Alex Stephenson (San Diego, CA)
    • A string quartet is like a flock of birds,
      by Paul Novak (Chicago, IL)

  • HONORABLE MENTIONS:

    • Between the Lines,
      by Scott Lee (Gainesville, FL)
    • Harp Concerto,
      by Sami Seif (Cleveland, OH)
    • Iridescence,
      by Zach Gulaboff Davis (Salem, OR)

Paul Novak will receive the $1000 prize, and his winning work will be performed on February 10, 2022 on the final concert of the RED NOTE New Music Festival in Normal, Illinois.

Category B

In Category B (Wind Ensemble), there were 114 submissions from around the world. Initial rounds were judged by the Music Composition faculty at Illinois State University. The final round was judged by Dr. Anthony Marinello, director of bands at Illinois State University.

The results of the competition (Category B) are as follows:

  • WINNER:

    Chrysanthemum,
    by Christopher Dietz (Perrysburg, OH)

  • RUNNERS-UP:

    Barnstorming Season,
    by Matthew Browne (New York, NY)

Christopher Dietz will receive the $1000 prize, and Dr. Marinello will conduct the Illinois State University Wind Symphony in a performance of his winning work on February 10, 2022 on the final concert of the RED NOTE New Music Festival in Normal, Illinois State University.

Category C

In Category C (Chorus), there were 112 submissions from 19 nations around the world. Initial rounds were judged by the Music Composition faculty at Illinois State University. The final round was judged by Dr. Karyl Carlson, director of choral activities at Illinois State University.

The results of the competition (Category C) are as follows:

  • WINNER:

    Infinite Horizon,
    by Nicholas Ryan Kelly (Penticton, BC, Canada)

  • RUNNERS-UP:

    In the Clouds,
    by Xingzimin Pan (Guangzhou, China)

  • HONORABLE MENTION:

    To the River,,
    by Bryan Grosbach (Westminster, CO)

Nicholas Ryan Kelly will receive the $1000 prize, and Dr. Carlson will conduct the Illinois State University Concert Choir in a performance of his winning work on February 10, 2022 on the final concert of the RED NOTE New Music Festival in Normal, Illinois

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