5/20/2024
Portland, OR. – Official Release: Oregon Symphony President and CEO Isaac Thompson announced that the 2024 Schnitzer Wonder Award recipient is the Young Composers Project (YCP) of Fear No Music (FNM). The award, which comes with a $10,000 cash prize, will be formally presented at the Oregon Symphony’s free Celebration Concert for the community on Saturday, April 13, 2024.
Jordan Schnitzer created the Schnitzer Wonder Award in 2015 to honor his parents, Harold and Arlene Schnitzer, and their commitment to philanthropy, fairness, opportunity, education, and creativity in the Portland community. Celebrating those who mentor and collaborate with emerging artists and student musicians to foster a vibrant community united by shared passions and ambitions, the award aims to advance the endeavors of the recipient organization.
“It’s an honor to recognize YCP with this award for their dedication to innovation in classical music with the next generation of composers,” says Thompson. “Together, we’re not just creating music, we’re fostering creativity, collaboration, and a lifelong love for the arts.”
YCP was started by Fear No Music in 1997 to provide workshops and performances for 6-12th grade students, helping direct them from initial sketches to completed chamber ensemble pieces. Oregon Symphony musicians and other industry professionals provide guidance and feedback during three workshops held throughout the school year. This year, thirty students are participating and benefitting from opportunities and collaborations with organizations such as Metropolitan Youth Symphony (MYS) and Chamber Music Northwest. In addition, YCP students attended an Oregon Symphony Jurassic Park movie rehearsal, in which they learned about compositional processes and musical considerations when conducting a movie score from Associate Conductor, Deanna Tham.
In a side-by-side performance with students from MYS, the Oregon Symphony will perform one of the YCP pieces during the Celebration Concert at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on April 13 at 6 p.m. The piece, titled Music for an Imaginary Cartoon, was co-written by Malia Baker, Elishiya Crain-Keddie, Maxwell Evans-McGlothin, Manu Isaacs, and A’shariá Pendergrass, who are all current Oregon high school students. As the name implies, the composers wrote this as a soundtrack to a cartoon that doesn’t exist.
YCP also collaborated with the Portland Art Museum/Center for an Untold Tomorrow, in which young animators involved in the program created an actual cartoon to go with the music. The music/animation collaboration is scheduled for a re-premiere by MYS in June 2024.
“The kids we work with produce truly inspiring work,” says Jeff Payne, director of YCP and co-founder of Fear No Music. “The Young Composers Project is dedicated to empowering students with the tools to embark on their journey in crafting complete musical pieces. We are grateful for the award and appreciate the collaborative efforts with the Oregon Symphony to guide and advance the students’ creations.”
Young Composers Project joins past recipients of the Schnitzer Wonder Award, including:
2023 Outside the Frame
2022 Portland Youth Philharmonic
2021 Portland State University Chamber Choir
2020 David Douglas School District Music Education Fund
2019 Mariachi Una Voz
2018 Metropolitan Youth Symphony
2017 Dance West
2016 Pacific Youth Choir
2015 BRAVO Youth Orchestras
About Oregon Symphony
The multi-Grammy Award-nominated Oregon Symphony, led by Music Director David Danzmayr, serves more than 250,000 people annually through live concerts, and education and community engagement programs. Through innovative initiatives such as the Creative Alliance, the Oregon Symphony engages cultural thought-leaders to bring a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives and inspiring musical experiences to our community that go beyond the concert hall and support the Symphony’s mission to move music forward. Online programming and syndicated broadcasts extend the Oregon Symphony’s reach to tens of millions more children and adults around the world. The Oregon Symphony has delighted audiences for more than 125 years and is the oldest orchestra in the Western United States. For more information, visit www.orsymphony.org. Follow Oregon Symphony on Instagram and Facebook.
About Young Composers Project
Fear No Music (FNM) is a dynamic musical organization devoted to inspiring the next generation of youth composers, celebrating the rich tapestry of diversity in music, and presenting captivating concerts that push the boundaries of classical music. FNM’s mission is to empower and nurture young composers within our community, providing them with groundbreaking mentorship opportunities that fuel their creative journeys. Young Composers Project is one of Fear No Music’s most significant achievements. This visionary initiative has played a pivotal role in shaping the future of classical music by fostering emerging talent.
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