YOUNG COMPOSERS PROJECT 10th Anniversary!!

Now celebrating its tenth anniversary, the Young Composers Project, under the direction of pianist and conductor Jeff Payne, offers the only program of its kind in the country. Currently sponsored by the Templeton Foundation, this innovative program gathers young composers (grades 6-12) from around Oregon for workshops over a nine-month period. During the workshops, the students develop their compositional ideas, experiment with orchestration, and have their works professionally performed and recorded.

Over a hundred students have taken advantage of this exceptional opportunity, and they have won more than two dozen state, regional, and national awards for their compositions. KBPS Classical Radio has annually broadcast interviews with students along with performances of their pieces, and segments of the workshop have been featured on Oregon Public Broadcasting's "ArtBeat." Students have also participated in master classes with Pulitzer Prize winning composer William Bolcom, and Indiana University faculty member David Dzubay.

Current award-winning participants include Riley Crabtree and Ryan Wickman; among the many notable alumni are Ryan Francis (whose work was premiered at Carnegie Hall by the New York Youth Philharmonic), Christopher Thomas (currently in the film scoring program at USC; the Rose City Chamber Orchestra will premiere a piece of his this month), Britney Kaplan (currently majoring in composition at the San Francisco Conservatory), and Alexander LaFolette (who won the "Conti Connection" prize from the Oregon Symphony in 2003).

fEARnoMUSIC's Young Composers Project gives the community the opportunity to hear the works of the finest young creative minds working in the region, at the beginning of their musical careers -- to hear the future, right now!

fEARnoMUSIC

Praised for its innovative and challenging programs, as well as for its passion and humor, Fear No Music is now in its thirteenth season. Formed in 1992 to perform the music of our time, the group has presented the World Premiere or American Premiere of over twenty five new works. Included have been such masters as Tomas Svoboda, William O. Smith, as well as exciting young composers as Kenji Bunch, Shaun Naidoo, David Dzubay, Laura Schwendinger, and Ryan Francis.

Over the past thirteen years Fear No Music has established itself as one of the most vital performing arts forces in the Northwest. They have been featured artists on Seattle’s KING Radio and Portland’s KBPS All-Classical Radio. They were the recipient in 2003-04 of a Continental Harmony grant, and have also received grants from the Copland Fund for Performing Ensembles, the Regional Arts and Culture Council, the Templeton Foundation, and the JackStraw Foundation.

Fear no Music has two new members for the 2005-2006 season. Artistic director Inés Voglar is a former member of the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, and comes to Fear no Music with an extensive history in performing new music. She is also one of the newest members of the Oregon Symphony, and is a welcome addition to the Northwest music scene. Adam Esbensen is a native Oregonian and a member of the Oregon Symphony.

Fear No Music can be heard on “The Bridge, Vol I” (released by the Regional Arts and Culture Council) and performing music of Shaun Naidoo on “Electric Fences.”