Tag: prizes

Rome Prize Winners Announced

Posted on April 14, 2014 by - Headlines, Ledes

Andy Akiho and Paula Matthusen, 2014 Rome Prize winners

Andy Akiho and Paula Matthusen, Rome Prize winners

The American Academy in Rome has named the winners in the 118th annual Rome Prize Competition. Of this year’s 30 recipients, two prizes were awarded in the field of music composition.
Luciano Berio Rome Prize
Andy Akiho
Ph.D. Candidate in Music Composition, Princeton University
Composer, New York, NY
New Works for Orchestra
Elliott Carter Rome Prize
Paula Matthusen
Assistant Professor of Music, Wesleyan University
Modern Soundscapes, Ancient Structures: Sonic Pathways Between the Ancient Aqueducts and Contemporary Rome

Recipients of the Rome Prize are provided with a fellowship that includes a stipend, a study or studio, and room and board for a period of six months to two years in Rome.

The academy annually offers the Rome Prize to approximately 30 individuals, following a national competition presided over by rotating independent juries of peers in each discipline, which include ancient, medieval, Renaissance and early modern, and modern Italian studies, and literature, music composition, visual arts, architecture, landscape architecture, design, and historic preservation and conservation. The annual application deadline is November 1.
Learn more about the Rome Prize and the American Academy in Rome here.

(from the press release)

Jazz Pianist Cecil Taylor Awarded 2013 Kyoto Prize

Posted on June 21, 2013 by - Headlines, Ledes

Cecil Taylor
Jazz pianist Cecil Taylor is among the three 2013 Kyoto Prize Laureates announced by the Inamori Foundation during a press conference at Kyoto University.
(Recorded ustream footage of the event is available here.)

In outlining the accomplishments of the winners, the foundation website notes, “One of the most original pianists in the history of free jazz, Mr. Cecil Taylor has developed his innovative improvisation departing from conventional idioms through distinctive musical constructions and percussive renditions, thereby opening new possibilities in jazz. His unsurpassed virtuosity and strong will inject an intense, vital force into his music, which has exerted a profound influence on a broad range of musical genres.”

The Kyoto Prize is an international award honoring those who have contributed significantly to the scientific, cultural, and spiritual betterment of mankind. The prize is presented annually in each of the following three categories: Advanced Technology, Basic Sciences, and Arts and Philosophy. Each laureate is presented with a diploma, a 20K gold Kyoto Prize medal, and prize money of 50 million yen (about $515,000 USD) per category.

The Kyoto Prize presentation ceremony and related events are held in Kyoto, Japan, each November.
Additional details about the award and this year’s winners are available on the prize website.