Composer's Workshop | 2020

Nilo Alcala

Nilo Alcala’s compositions and arrangements have been performed in Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. He is the first Philippine-born composer to receive the prestigious COPLAND HOUSE Residency Award (2017), as well as be commissioned and premiered by the Grammy-nominated Los Angeles Master Chorale at the Disney Concert Hall. 

His awards include The AMERICAN PRIZE in Composition, POLYPHONOS Young Composer Award from The Esoterics (Seattle, WA), IGNITE Commissioning Competition of C4: The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective (New York, NY),  Asian Composers League Young Composer Award, 2nd Prize (Israel), the very first Ani ng Dangal (Harvest of Honor) from the Philippine President, and Musical America Worldwide's Artist of the Month. 

His commissions include San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra (California), Asia-Europe Foundation; Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival; Korean Ministry of Culture; National Music Competition for Young Artists; Metro Manila Community Orchestra, Manila Symphony Orchestra, and other ensembles and artists. Notable collaborations include several performances by the World Youth Choir, as well as the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra. 

Alcala was composer-in-residence of the Philippine Madrigal Singers (UNESCO Artist for Peace) which premiered his works in international competitions, festivals, and tours. In 2017, This group also released a CD and digital album of Alcala’s choral works entitled ONOMATOPOEIA: The Choral Works of Nilo Alcala.

An Asian Cultural Council grantee, Alcala is also a Billy Joel Fellow at Syracuse University where he earned an MMus in Composition and received the Irene L. Crooker Music Award. He holds a BM in Composition at the University of the Philippines, graduating Magna cum laude and recipient of Gawad Chancelor Natatanging Mag-aaral (Chancellor’s Outstanding Student Award). Committed to educating the next generation, Alcala was composer-mentor for Pasadena Master Chorale’s “Listening to the Future” program (2019-2019) for promising high school composers. 

Feedback by Nilo Alcala for Diane's "Chickens"

Nina Shekhar

Nina Shekhar is a composer whose work explores the intersection of identity, vulnerability, love, and laughter. Her music has been performed by Eighth Blackbird, International Contemporary Ensemble, ETHEL, Music from Copland House, Third Angle New Music, and The New York Virtuoso Singers, and has been featured by Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Walt Disney Concert Hall, National Sawdust, I Care If You Listen, ScoreFollower, and WNYC/New Sounds radio.  Current projects include works for Albany Symphony, 45th Parallel Universe, saxophonist Timothy McAllister, and New York Youth Symphony. Nina is a recipient of the ASCAP Morton Gould Award (2015 and 2019) and 2018 Leonard Bernstein Award.

Nina is a versatile performing artist, studying flute with Amy Porter, performing as a piano soloist with the Lublin Philharmonic, and as a saxophonist in the Detroit International Jazz Festival.

Nina is pursuing graduate studies at University of Southern California, where she is studying with Ted Hearne, Andrew Norman, and Nina Young and serving as a teaching assistant. She is a Debut Fellow of the Young Musicians Foundation, mentored by Vijay Gupta. Nina earned undergraduate degrees in music composition and chemical engineering at University of Michigan.

Feedback by Nina Shekhar for Matilda's "Genni and Ava"

Feedback by Nina Shekhar for Michael's "Artic Fox"

Violet Barnum

Violet Barnum is 16 years old and in 11th grade. She lives in New York City and attends the Chapin School. At the Third Street Music School, Violet has been studying piano with Edmund Arkus for 11 years and theory and composition with Matthew Barnson for 4 ½ years. During her years of composition study, she has written a number of solo piano pieces that she has performed and several pieces for small chamber groups. In 2016, Violet was chosen to be a fellow in the inaugural year of the Luna Composition Lab for young female composers. At Luna Lab, Violet worked with composer Reena Esmail to compose a trio for flute, cello, and piano that was performed by Face the Music in 2017. Violet continues to study with Reena today. In 2018, Violet had a piece commissioned by the New York ensemble Contemporaneous; this two-movement piece called “Evolving in Cycles” was performed in March of 2019. In the summer of 2019, Violet was accepted into the Young Artists Summer Program at the Curtis Institute of Music. She spent three weeks there studying composition, and she wrote a piece for cello and clarinet that was performed by professional musicians. In her spare time, Violet enjoys leading an Acappella group at her school, writing pop songs, and playing the drums.

Feedback by Violet Barnum for Aanya's "Stairway to London"