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PRESS RELEASE, July 15, 2017 – Winners chosen for second Kansas Choral Composition Prize
CONTACT: Wyatt Sheeder, President
EMAIL: [email protected]
TELEPHONE: 316-737-7798
WEBSITE: www.wichitachorale.com
Winners of the Wichita Chamber Chorale’s Kansas Choral Composition Prize were announced at the Kansas Choral Directors’ Association summer conference in Topeka, Kansas on Saturday July 8th. First place winner Lyle Stutzman will receive a $1,000 prize check, and his winning piece, “I Am the Lord” will be performed on April 8th, 2018, 3 pm at East Heights United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas. Brock Chart received second place for his work, “Echo.”
The only program of its kind in the state of Kansas, this initiative was founded by the Wichita Chamber Chorale and co-sponsored by Senseney Music, Inc. The KCCP fosters original choral music of the highest quality, with the intention of giving the winner(s) a high-profile performance of their work by the Wichita Chamber Chorale, in addition to a monetary prize. Music scores were submitted anonymously to a panel of judges which consisted of Dr. Dean Roush, Wichita State University; Dr. Mitos Andaya Hart, Temple University; Dr. Zachary Wadsworth, Williams College; Dr. Michael Pohlenz, founding conductor of the WCC; and Kansas-born composer Kirke Mechem as honorary advisor. Applicants showed clear and verifiable ties to Kansas by being a native Kansan or current resident, or by being a student studying at a Kansas institution.
A native of Hutchinson, Kansas, first-place winner Lyle Stutzman graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in Music Education. He teaches music at the Elnora Bible Institute in Elnora, Indiana, and enjoys arranging and composing music for choirs. During the summer, he teaches music at Shenandoah Christian Music Camp in Virginia and Faith Builders Educational Programs in Pennsylvania, and he serves as an administrator and conductor at the Anabaptist Orchestra Camp in Indiana. Lyle lives in Elnora with his wife Maria and their three young children. Stutzman was also a singing member of the Wichita Chamber Chorale in the fall of 2010.
Second-place winner Brock Chart is a composer residing in Lawrence, Kansas. Brock composes in a variety of genres and mediums including jazz, contemporary chamber ensembles, solo voice, choral, educational piano literature, and film music. He has an undergraduate degree in Music Composition from the University of Kansas, and is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Music Composition from KU.
The winning composition will be performance by the Wichita Chamber Chorale during the 2017-2018 concert season. Dr. Mark Bartel is Artistic Director and Conductor of the Chorale. The news release and photos are featured on the Wichita Chamber chorale website, www.wichitachorale.com. The KCCP winners will be announced in the Chorus America publication The Voice, the Kansas Choral Directors Association publication Choral Range, and other various media outlets.
The Wichita Chamber Chorale is a 501(c)3 nonprofit performing arts organization approaching its 40th season. Wyatt Sheeder is President of the Wichita Chamber Chorale. Senseney Music, Inc. is located in Wichita and is a full-service retail music store. Lori Supine is Owner & President.