Tyler Durham, a student in music composition and electronic arts from Nixa, Mo., was selected as a winner of the 2011 national Young Composers Challenge contest. Durham’s symphony, “The New Frontier,” was one of three winners in the full orchestra category and one of seven overall winners. In addition to receiving a professional recording and a $1000 cash award, Durham traveled to Orlando, Fla. on Nov. 13 to hear his work performed live by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra.
“The experience was absolutely incredible,” Durham says about the concert. “Being able to hear all the immense detail of sound from each instrument and watching it all take place only a few feet away was just surreal.”
“If there was any doubt in my mind about pursuing composition as a career, it has been eradicated,” Durham adds.
Durham received the 2011 Claude T. Smith Composition Contest Scholarship, sponsored by the music department, for his “Piece for Piano, Marimba and Cello.” Durham performs vocals, violin and piano, and says that his interest in piano inspired him to write music. His primary goal is to write music for television and film.
You can read a spotlight article about Tyler Durham on the University website. The spotlight article, written by new media specialist Jessica Clements, appeared in the Springfield News-Leader on Oct. 31. You can also listen to The New Frontier online at the Young Composers Challenge website.
