MARIJOSIUS AWARD, 2021: Winners

Vytautas Marijosius

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David (Volosin) Katz, founder and chief judge, is honored to announce the 2021 winners and runners-up in orchestral programming, The Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award. Congratulations! 

The American Prize—Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award in Orchestral Programming honors the memory of the great Lithuanian conductor, Maestro Vytautas Marijosius, music director of the Lithuanian State Opera, and for nearly thirty-five years Director of Orchestral Activities at the Hartt School of Music. The Prize recognizes and rewards the best achievement in the unique field of orchestral programming, where the selection of repertoire by knowledgeable, creative and courageous music directors builds orchestras and audiences, educates young people and adults, and enriches the community.  

You can read more about Maestro Marijosius here: http://rememberingmarijosius.blogspot.com/2010/11/t-o-t-h-e-r-e-c-i-p-i-e-n-t-o-f-h-e-v-y.html
Or visit the collection of historic documents, programs and photographs of the artist here: https://marijosius.tumblr.com/

Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.

Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com

The American Prize in Orchestral Programming / Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award—professional division, 2021

The American Prize winner:

Jason Lim  

McKinney Philharmonic Orchestra 

McKinney TX

Jason Lim

Recognized by the Denton-Record Chronicle as one of “2012’s Most Fascinating People,” the career of conductor Jason Lim is on the rise. Lim was born in Penang, Malaysia and began his formal training in viola performance when he won a scholarship to study at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts with Alice Waten. He commenced his studies at the Canberra (Australia) School of Music, and completed his bachelor’s degree with honors at the Australian Institute of Music in Sydney. Jason received his Master’s degree in orchestral conducting from the University of North Texas.

Known for his fine technique in performances and innovative programming, Jason began his conducting studies in Australia: first as an apprentice with the Canberra Youth Orchestra, and later as an Assistant Conductor with the Ku Ring Gai Philharmonic Orchestra in Sydney, a position that was awarded in conjunction with winning 1st Prize in the New South Wales Ministry of Arts Conducting Prize. Most recently, in a competitive selection process, Jason was selected by the Texas Commission on the Arts into the Texas Touring Roster Inclusion. In 2016-2017 Jason was the 1st Prize Winner of the American Prize Competition for professional conductors. In 2015 Jason was the 2nd Prize Winner. Additionally, In 2016 Jason received the Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for excellence in performing American Music.  In 2013 Jason made his European conducting debut with the Academic State Concert Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine in Kiev and in 2014 appeared as guest conductor with the Zabrze Philharmonic Orchestra in Poland and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Jason has also appeared as guest conductor with the Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra and Johnstown Symphony Orchestras and has appeared as guest conductor with choruses around the globe. In addition, Jason's work extends to other art mediums such as visual arts and dance notably with collaborations with prominent dance choreographers like Bill Evans. Jason has also appeared as guest conductor of the Denton Bach Society and the American Baroque Opera Orchestra. 

2nd Place:

Wes Kenney   

Fort Collins Symphony   

Fort Collins   CO

Wes Kenney

Wes Kenney is celebrating his 18^th season as Music Director of the Fort Collins (Colorado) Symphony and Director of Orchestras at Colorado State University. The former holds the distinction of being the only orchestra in the country to play a live July 4^th concert in the country in 2020 He was also Music Director of Opera Fort Collins from 2004 to 2020. Wes Kenney is also in his 8th season with Denver Young Artist Orchestra—the premier youth orchestra in the state of Colorado.  

Mr. Kenney’s recent guest conducting activities include the Lviv Philharmonic in the Ukraine, Vietnam National Symphony in Hanoi, Changwon Symphony in South Korea, New Hampshire All-State, Acadiana Symphony (LA), New Mexico All-State, Lafayette (IN) Symphony, Alabama All-State Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, Virginia Symphony, Alabama Symphony, New Mexico Symphony, and Richmond Symphony. Mr. Kenney holds multiple ASCAP and American Prizes and is a former president of the Conductors Guild.

The American Prize in Orchestral Programming / Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award—college/university division, 2021

The American Prize winner:

Thomas Dickey 

OSU Symphony Orchestra

Stillwater   OK

Thomas Dickey

Dr. Thomas Dickey is the Director of Orchestral Studies at Oklahoma State University, where he conducts the OSU Symphony Orchestra and guides all aspects of the orchestra and graduate orchestral conducting programs.  He concurrently serves as Music Director & Conductor of the OSU Youth & Community Orchestras. Prior to his appointments in Oklahoma, he was the Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and Music Director & Conductor of the Dubuque Symphony Youth Orchestra (IA). 

He holds doctoral and master's degrees in orchestral conducting from the University of Georgia and Louisiana State University, respectively, and graduated with highest honors from Eastern Illinois University. He has worked with conductors such as Carl Topilow, Christopher Zimmerman, Daniel Lewis, Gustav Meier, and Diane Wittry, and further studied conducting at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and numerous workshops and master classes.

2nd Place: 

David A. Rahbee 

University of Washington Symphony Orchestra

Seattle  WA

David Rahbee

David Alexander Rahbee is currently Senior Artist in Residence at the University of Washington School of Music in Seattle, where he is Director of Orchestral Activities and teaches conducting. He is recipient of the American-Austrian Foundation's 2003 Karajan Fellowship for Y oung Conductors, the 2005 International Richard-Wagner-Verband Stipend, and the Acanthes Centre in Paris in 2007. He has recently worked with the Seattle Symphony, Orchesterakademie der Bochumer Symphoniker, the Seattle Modern Orchestra, National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia, Guernsey Symphony and Orquesta Sinfónica de Loja. He participated in masterclasses with Kurt Masur, Sir Colin Davis, Jorma Panula, Zdeněk Mácal, Peter Eötvös, and Zoltán Peskó. His principal conducting teachers were Charles Bruck and Michael Jinbo at the Monteux School. He holds degrees from Indiana University, New England Conservatory, and University of Montreal. He also studied at Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Vienna.

3rd Place (there was a tie):

Jonathan Spatola-Knoll

Alma Symphony Orchestra   

Alma MI

Jonathan Spatola-Knoll

Dr. Jonathan Spatola-Knoll is an award-winning conductor, musicologist, and pianist based in Olympia, WA. A winner of the Vienna Philharmonic’s Ansbacher Fellowship for young conductors, recent highlights include a residency at the Salzburg Festival as well as appearances with the University of California, Davis Symphony and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. He applies his skills as a scholar and performer to revive undervalued repertoire, notably the music of composer and women’s rights activist Elfrida Andrée (1841-1929). As music director of music director of the Alma Symphony Orchestra at Alma College in Alma, Michigan he presented the Western-Hemisphere premiere of her Ouverture in G Minor. He recently completed his edition of her previously unpublished First Symphony, the earliest known symphony by a Swedish woman. An advocate of contemporary music, he has conducted the world premieres of William Cooper’s Ishmael, Christopher Castro’s Cavatine, Murray Gross’s Look in the Eyes of People You Don’t Know, and other operatic and orchestral compositions. www.jonathanspatolaknoll.com

3rd Place (there was a tie):

Ubaldo Valli  

Hamilton College Orchestra

Clinton  NY

Ubaldo Valli

Ubaldo Valli is Music Director/Conductor of the SUNY Cortland College-Community Orchestra as well as director of the Pierstown Concert Series (Cooperstown NY).  He co-founded and conducted the Northeast String Orchestra (Albany, NY) and the Saratoga Springs Youth Symphony and also served as Music Director and/or Conductor of the Hamilton College Orchestra, the Auburn (NY) Chamber Orchestra, the Saratoga Springs Youth Orchestra and the Empire State Youth Orchestra String Ensemble and Advanced Chamber Ensemble.  In demand as a guest conductor, Valli has conducted widely: at festivals, for Music’s Recreation (Ithaca, NY), at Ithaca College and for an interfaith service held with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama of Tibet. He studied conducting with Jeffrey Meyer, Pamela Gearhart and Karel Husa.  He has also studied and performed theater improvisation internationally and in 2018 presented a paper linking orchestral conducting and performance with improv at the Oxford Conducting Institute Conducting Studies Conference, University of Oxford.

The American Prize in Orchestral Programming / Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award—community division, 2021

The American Prize winner:

Thomas Rainey

Williamson County Symphony Orchestra

Round Rock   TX

Thomas Rainey

The Williamson County Symphony Orchestra was formed in 2002 by Dr. Thomas E. "Doc" Rainey with the mission of encouraging the general public to come listen to great music.  He molds the 85-member Orchestra, staffed entirely by volunteer musicians, into a near-professional level ensemble.  And, Doc instituted the programming formula that brings in over-flow audiences.

Under Dr Rainey and recently Conor Brace's steady leadership, the Orchestra performs FREE "pops-styled" concerts with a mixture of music from the classical, both romantic & modern periods, movies & TV, contemporary, jazz, and religious genres of music and new compositions from Composer-in-Resident, Dr ML Daniels.  The FREE concerts are pitched toward families, seniors, and the general public.  The Orchestra, directed by Doc, performs a two-concert series four times a year - Fall, Christmas, Spring, & Outdoor - at venues across Williamson County plus one FREE concert for troops and families at Ft Hood.

2nd Place:

David W. Oertel   

Starlight Symphony Orchestra

Wimberley. TX

David Oertel

David William Oertel is the Music Director and Conductor of the Starlight Symphony Orchestra (TX) and the Austin Philharmonic. David Oertel is co-author of the Daniels’ Orchestral Music,  6th Edition (2022). Oertel is also co-author of Choral-Orchestral Repertoire: A Conductor’s Guide, Omnibus Edition (2019). He has appeared with several orchestras and has been on the faculty of universities in North Carolina. Oertel received a Bachelors from the University of North Texas, a Masters from the University of Houston and a Doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Oertel’s influential mentors include Robert Linder, David Daniels, Max Rudolf, Hans Graf, Niklaus Wyss, Adrian Gnam, Franz Krager, and David Holley.  

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Congratulations!

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David (Volosin) Katz, founder and chief judge, is the nation's most comprehensive series of contests in the musical and theater arts. The American Prize is nonprofit, unique in scope and structure, and is designed to evaluate, recognize and reward the best performers, composers, conductors, ensembles and directors in the United States, at professional, college/university, community and school levels, based on submitted recordings. There is no live competition. 

Founded in 2010 and now celebrating its eleventh year, The American Prize has awarded nearly $100,000 in prizes in all categories since its creation. Thousands of artists representing all fifty states have derived benefit from their participation in the contests of  The American Prize. 

The American Prize will accept applications for the 2021-22 contest season through September 14, 2021 or by extension request.  www.theamericanprize.org