2022 STATE CONFERENCE

COMMISSIONED COMPOSER COMPETITION


Chairperson: JULIA KOVALEV (composercommission@njmta.com)

Every year, the NJMTA commissions a living composer to create original compositions for piano students to learn and perform in a competition. A performance of these pieces by the winners, chosen by the composer, is held in November at the NJMTA Conference to promote interest in new music by living composers.

2022 COMMISSIONED COMPOSER: Carol Comune

Julia Kovalev, Chairperson 

(Third prize winners, honorable mention (HM) recipients are listed in alphabetical order according to their last names)

COMPOSER:  Carol Comune 

Competition Results

Cha Cha the Chameleon 

Prize                  Student                             Teacher

1st                            Vicky G. Sun                               Stella Xu
2nd                          Danny Chen                               Yuhui Chloris Li
3rd                           Tai Wang                                     Chiu-Tze Lin
3rd                           Kaya Yoo                                     Stella Xu
HM                          Sophia Eby                                  Esma Pasic-Filipovic
HM                   Valeria Zhang                      Wei-Yuh Christina Xie

 

Blue Aura 

Prize                        Student                             Teacher

1st                           Zachary Jin                                Stella Xu
2nd                          Joviale Wu                                     Esma Pasic-Filipovic
3rd                   Evan Bai                               Yuhui Chloris Li
HM                         Ellie Wu                                     Wei-Yuh Christina Xie
HM                         Emily Wu                                         Grace J. Yang

Impulsive 

Prize                     Student                            Teacher

1st                           Raymond Xu                           Stella Xu
2nd                           Annabelle Chow                       Stella Xu
3rd                          Christina Wang                          Stella Xu
HM                         Kristie Chao                              Stella Xu

 

 Born in My Heart…from East to West

Prize                     Student                            Teacher

1st                        Joie Kuan, piano/Tehya Lim, cello   Chiu-Tze Lin/Hyo-Jin Lee

COMPETITION DATE: Sunday, November 6, 2022


The music of American pianist and composer, Carol Comune, dances between the serious and the light from traditional and contemporary genres, with strong influences from Impressionism, Romanticism, and her Italian heritage. Her lyricism paired with technical precision has earned her a reputation as one of today’s premiere pianists, performing extensively throughout the eastern United States, both as a soloist and a chamber musician. She has been a featured artist in Princeton at Westminster Conservatory of Music, Bristol Chapel and the Nassau Concert Series; in Boston at the New England Conservatory of Music, Gardner Museum, Art Complex at Duxbury, and Longfellow National Historic Site; in New York City at Lincoln Center and Steinway Hall; and in Palm Beach at Flagler Museum and Kravis Center.

In 1985, the multi-faceted musician, teacher, composer, recording artist and Steinway Artist, founded Elegant Entertainment & Co. (BMI). She also founded Comune Music Press in 2006 to present her music scores. Many of her compositions have been featured at numerous piano festivals, including “Suite for Sleeping Beauty” at the prestigious 30th Annual Contemporary Music for the Young, MA, and premiere performances; “Variations for Piano on O God, Our Help in Ages Past”, Steinway Hall in NYC; “The Nightingale”, based on the story by Hans Christian Anderson in Westminster Conservatory, Princeton, NJ. Ms. Comune’s compositions have been described as, “charming, bold, imaginative, colorful and exceptional”.

Her albums have received worldwide recognition with over 6 Million listeners, and over 50 Million all- time streams in 164 countries through Spotify. Since 2017, her music has been promoted by her record label from the UK, Double J Music. Her released albums, “Homage”, 2022, and “The Perfect Place to Be”, 2020 were featured on Spotify’s Classical New Releases and Editorial playlist, Classical Piano for her recordings of “Eusebius” from Schumann’s Carnaval; “Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42: Variation 14 by Rachmaninoff and “The Little Shepherd” from Debussy’s Children’s Corner. Ms. Comune’s album, “Pastiche”, 2020, and “From the Heart” featuring original piano compositions; “Classically Yours” 2018. Her music is featured on NPR, Pandora, Spotify, Apple iTunes, Amazon, and was showcased on Moving Classics TV in Munich, Germany, 2020.

Carol is a graduate of the NEC, Boston, MA (BM Piano Performance, David Hagan). Graduate studies: Piano Pedagogy, Jean Stackhouse (NEC); Composition, John Felice (NEC); and influential mentors Donald Waxman; the late concert pianist, Anthony di Bonaventura.

Carol has been a member of the Music Teachers National Association for over 33 years and has had an active private studio since 1973. Former faculty: New England Conservatory Prep School; Berklee College of Music, MA, and Palm Beach Atlantic University; Conservatory at Lynn University, FL. In 2016; 2017; 2020, Carol was honored with the Steinway Top Teacher Award. Additionally, Carol's students have been recipients of many outstanding achievements. Musical organizations include Music-fest (Rising Talents); The Royal Conservatory Exams; Golden Key; Solo Pianists at Westminster Conservatory: 1st Place and 2nd Place Winners - Weill Hall/ Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall/Kaufmann Center, NYC. Westminster Conservatory’s Annual Achievement Scholarship Competitions and Piano Concerto Competition-1st Place Winner, 2021.

More information about Carol:

Website
YouTube 
Spotify

2022 COMMISSIONED Repertoire

(To view a sample of each piece, click on the title.)

PIANO SOLO:

Elementary: ChaCha the Chameleon
Intermediate: Blue Aura
Advanced: Impulsive

DUO for CELLO & PIANO:

Born in My Heart … from East to West - Cello and Piano Duo (the first three pages, since the first page alone doesn’t show the level of difficulty)

In respect of copyright laws for our CCC composers, teachers should purchase separate copies for each student, or ask the parents to order the music from NJMTA themselves. Thank you for joining us in the effort to support our composers.


By participating in any NJMTA event, parents give permission to the New Jersey Music Teachers Association(NJMTA) to use photographs or videos of your child taken by NJMTA representative, with appropriate captions, in NJMTA publications, on the NJMTA website, social media and/or in the local newspapers. If you do not wish NJMTA to use your child’s photos/videos in any way, kindly notify the chairperson of the event in which your child is participating.