While music educators are starting to bring the talented young performers on “From The Top” to the attention of their students it would be equally beneficial to make our students aware of composers their age. Belinda Reynolds recently wrote about an ensemble consisting solely of teenage performers and composers called “Formerly Known As Classical“.
NPR has also featured several young composers in their radio programs over the paste few months. Eighteen-year old Domink Maican who started attending Juliard at age 12 has been writing impressive music for several years.
Eighteen-year-old Stephen Feigenbaum first place winner of the Senior Category of the Massachusets MTNA Student Composition has been trying to write his music for a wide listening audience.
Twelve year old Conrad Tao recently wrote a sonata for two pianos which he performed with fourteen year old Peng-Peng Gong.
Sixteen year old Natasha Sinha composed a three movement piece when she was Eight which was performed on From the Top in 2006.
Fourteen year old Alex Prior, a student in England, recently wrote a piece based on The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, and conducted the orchestra performance at the New Opera in Moscow.
Having our students become aware of composers close to their age may play a role in the way they think about composing and perhaps even their perceptions of what it means to be a composer. By providing our students with opportunities to listen to and discuss the music of young composers we may open spaces for larger conversations of what it means to be a composer from their perspective.