All COMP winners receive personalized plaques and cash prizes, plus cash prizes for their schools.
Talented young composers and songwriters from all across Missouri will come together for a performance of their award-winning works at the Mizzou New Music Initiative’s 15th annual Creating Original Music Project (COMP) Festival from 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturday, April 25 in the Sinquefield Music Center on the campus of the University of Missouri.
Admission is free and open to the public. The junior division concert, featuring works from elementary and middle school winners of this year’s competition, begins at 11:30 a.m., with the senior division concert of music by high school winners following at 3:30 p.m.
The festival also will be streamed online from University of Missouri School of Music’s YouTube page at http://bit.ly/musomyt, with the video stream going live 10 minutes before the start of each concert.
COMP was founded in 2005 to encourage K-12 students in Missouri to write original music and to provide performance opportunities for those works. It is a joint venture of the University of Missouri’s Mizzou New Music Initiative and the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation, which provides an annual gift of $40,000 to sponsor the competition.
Every year, in addition to having their music performed at the COMP Festival, the winning composers in each age group and category and their schools receive cash prizes. High school winners also receive scholarships to attend the Missouri Summer Composition Institute, Mizzou’s high school summer music composition camp.
“We’re delighted to celebrate fifteen years of the Creating Original Music Project,” said Jeanne Sinquefield of the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation. “From this one competition for K-12 students, the Mizzou New Music Initiative has grown to include many different programs for collegiate and career composers, and helped Missouri gain recognition as a center for composition. As we continue to grow the Initiative, we look forward to supporting and promoting the state’s youngest composers for many years to come. ”
The 2020 Creating Original Music Project (COMP) competition categories and winners are:
Elementary School – Song with Words
1) Benjamin Stoker of Crossroads Academy – Quality Hill in Kansas City for “We’re Gone.” Sponsor: Cameron Dibble
2) Lacie Reetz of Williamsburg Elementary in Williamsburg for “Tryin’ to Write a Song.” Sponsor: Sherry Reetz
3) Lily Lagergren of Line Creek Elementary School in Kansas City for “Not Anymore.” Sponsor: Diana Hunter
Elementary School – Instrumental
1) Isaac Faust of Bell Prairie Elementary School in Kansas City for “Into a Dream.” Sponsor: Connie Van Engen
2) Om Garine of Woerther Elementary in Ballwin for “Hunters’ Chorus.” Sponsor: Rachel Puleo
3) Brendan Wich of Rogers Elementary, St. Louis for “The Dark of Night.” Sponsor: Donna Buehne
Middle School – Fine Art
1) Yueheng Wang of Ladue Middle School in Ladue for “Nostalgia.” Sponsor: David Werfelmann
2) Ovya Diwakaran of Ladue Middle School in Ladue for “Rêve Éternel.” Sponsor: Janna O’Hara
3) Samir Shaik of Parkway West Middle School, Chesterfield for “Carousel.” Sponsor: Patricia Nemish
Middle School – Pop Music
1) Stone Gill of Arcadia Valley Middle School in Ironton for “Inception.” Sponsor: Charles Lee
2) Mila Perez of Hallsville Middle School in Hallsville for “Love Will Never Lose.” Sponsor: Chelsea Otten
3) Lucy Gray Hamilton of Bode Middle School in St. Joseph for “Winter Is in My Eyes.” Sponsor: Daniel Gerhardt
High School – Fine Art
1) Brandon Kim of Rock Bridge High School in Columbia for “The Sands of Time.” Sponsor: Alison Lankheit
2) Olivia Bennett, a home-schooled student from Nixa, for “Dialogue and Delusion.” Sponsor: Carlyle Sharpe
3) Atticus Schlegel of Clayton High School in Clayton for “A Sneaking Suspicion.” Sponsor: Jennifer Shenberger
High School – Pop Music
1) Ariel Fansler of School of the Ozarks in Point Lookout for “Mood.” Sponsor: Wesley Saunders
2) Darcie A. Hingula of St. Teresa’s Academy in Kansas City for “Boy Allergies.” Sponsor: Steve Perry
3) Cooper Carr of Lee’s Summit West High School and Summit Technology Academy in Lee’s Summit for “Holy Ground.” Sponsor: Shawn Harrell
High School – Jazz
1) Samantha Fierke of Rock Bridge High School in Columbia for “Sweet Girl.” Sponsor: Patrick Sullivan
2) Eli Minasian, a home-schooled student from Springfield, for “Summer Break.” Sponsor: Tyler Kemp
3) Adam Routt of Timberland High School, Wentzville for “Groove Grave.” Sponsor: Ronda Fields
Each student who enters the competition must have the signature and sponsorship of his or her school’s music teacher. Community agencies, churches, after-school programs, private teachers, and other musical mentors also may sponsor their young musicians in partnership with the student’s school music teacher.