David Wins EAMA Competition Prize

NEC Composition Student Derek David ’10 M.M. ’13 D.M.A. Wins European American Musical Alliance Prize for his String Quartet No. 1

Derek David, a 26-year old doctoral student in composition studying with Michael Gandolfi, has won the prestigious 2011 European American Musical Alliance (EAMA) Prize for his String Quartet No. 1 ”Of Narcissus and Echo.” Chosen from 120 submitted scores from all over the world, David’s piece was selected as “a musical composition of profound artistic message, possessing a unique musical voice, and demonstrating clear, direct power of communication.” David will receive a prize of $4500 at an awards ceremony this winter in New York City. A native of Los Angeles, CA, the composer received his Master of Music with honors from NEC in 2010.

Headquartered in Paris, EAMA is a not for profit arts organization committed to fostering and promoting the classical arts. Its mission is to teach, to broaden interest in the arts, and to present composers and performers of the highest caliber. Besides the composition prize, EAMA offers summer music programs in composition, conducting and chamber music at Paris’s historic Schola Cantorum– taught in the tradition of the legendary Nadia Boulanger. It also sponsors the annual, year-round EAMA Music Lecture Series, focusing on the link between the music of our time and the rich tradition that precedes it. Building on the legacy of Nadia Boulanger’s Wednesday Analysis class, the EAMA Lectures are held in an intimate setting and are geared toward both the serious student of music who wishes to improve his/her craft and the music lover who seeks a greater understanding and appreciation.

The impressive Final Jury for the prize was comprised of Ara Guzelimian, Provost and Dean of The Juilliard School; Former Senior Director and Artistic Advisor, Carnegie Hall; Philip Lasser, Director of EAMA, Professor at The Juilliard School; Donald Nally, Conductor, The Crossing Choir; Ken Noda, Pianist, Musical Assistant to James Levine, Metropolitan Opera; and Alex Ross, Music Critic of The New Yorker, author of “Listen to This” and the highly acclaimed book “The Rest is Noise.” 

David’s prize-winning String Quartet No. 1 was the recipient of the 2010 NEC Honors composition competition, and was premiered in Jordan hall by the Sonica Quartet, the honors ensemble string quartet comprised of Tessa Lark (Violin I), David McCarroll (Violin II), Emily Deans (Viola), and Narek Hakhnazaryan (Cello). The Quartet received its second Jordan Hall performance this past May at the “Doctoral Composers Concert” featuring Quan Yuan (Violin I), Timo de Leo (Violin II), Emily Deans (Viola), and Jonathan Doormand (Cello). To listen to a recording of that performance on YouTube, click here.

For further information, check the NEC Website. 

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Recognized nationally and internationally as a leader among music schools, New England Conservatory in Boston, MA offers rigorous training in an intimate, nurturing community to 720 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral music students from around the world.  Its faculty of 225 boasts internationally esteemed artist-teachers and scholars.  Its alumni go on to fill orchestra chairs, concert hall stages, jazz clubs, recording studios, and arts management positions worldwide.  Nearly half of the Boston Symphony Orchestra is composed of NEC trained musicians and faculty.

The oldest independent school of music in the United States, NEC was founded in 1867 by Eben Tourjee. Its curriculum is remarkable for its wide range of styles and traditions.  On the college level, it features training in classical, jazz, contemporary improvisation, world and early music. Through its Preparatory School, School of Continuing Education, and Community Programs and Partnerships Program, it provides training and performance opportunities for children, pre-college students, adults, and seniors.  Through its outreach projects, it allows young musicians to engage with non-traditional audiences in schools, hospitals, and nursing homes—thereby bringing pleasure to new listeners and enlarging the universe for classical music, jazz, and contemporary improvisation.

NEC presents more than 900 free concerts each year, many of them in Jordan Hall, its world- renowned, century-old, beautifully restored concert hall.  These programs range from solo recitals to chamber music to orchestral programs to jazz, contemporary improvisation, and opera scenes.  Every year, NEC’s opera studies department also presents two fully staged opera productions at the Cutler Majestic Theatre or Paramount Theatre in Boston.

NEC is co-founder and educational partner of From the Top, a weekly radio program that celebrates outstanding young classical musicians from the entire country. With its broadcast home in Jordan Hall, the show is now carried by National Public Radio and is heard on 250 stations throughout the United States.

Contact: Ellen Pfeifer
Public Relations Manager
New England Conservatory
290 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
617-585-1143
Ellen.pfeifer@necmusic.edu