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Elizabeth Pridgen, Artistic Director The ATLANTA CHAMBER PLAYERS is the 2014 winner of The American Prize in Chamber Music Performance.
ACP was selected from applications reviewed this summer from all across the United States. The American Prize is a series of new, non-profit, competitions unique in scope and structure, designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, ensembles and composers in the United States based on submitted recordings. The American Prize was founded in 2009 and is awarded annually in many areas of the performing arts. Complete information on the website: www.theamericanprize.org
The ensemble provided this autobiographical sketch:
The Atlanta Chamber Players, a mixed ensemble of strings, winds and piano, were founded in 1976 and are now planning their 39th Season. ACP has performed in 250+ cities throughout the US, Europe and Mexico and reached millions worldwide through live international radio broadcasts.
The ACP’s broad repertoire includes traditional masterpieces as well as contemporary classics. ACP also has a long-standing commitment to perform the music of living American composers, premiering almost 125 works to Atlanta audiences, including commissions from Michael Gandolfi, David Amram, Anne LeBaron, Adam Schoenberg, and three works from Pulitzer-Prize-winner John Harbison.
To promote new chamber compositions for mixed ensemble, ACP launched “Rapido! A 14-day Composition Contest” in 2009. Rapido has expanded to all 50 states coast to coast, leading to the creation of 1000+ new works by composers of all ages and resulting in premiere performances in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas and San Francisco.
Among judges' comments: ""Performances of contemporary pieces are particularly colorful and free; this stands as a wonderful complement to an equally superb ability to interpret musical styles within tonal 'common-practice' music."
For runners-up in this category and for additional winners already announced in 2014 in other competitions, please follow this link: http://theamericanprize.blogspot.com
Winners of The American Prize receive cash prizes, professional adjudication and regional, national and international recognition based on recorded performances. In addition to monetary rewards and written evaluations from judges, winners are profiled on The American Prize website, where links will lead to video and audio excerpts of winning performances.
THE AMERICAN PRIZE—History & Judges
The American Prize grew from the belief that a great deal of excellent music being made in this country goes unrecognized and unheralded, not only in our major cities, but all across the country: in schools and churches, in colleges and universities, and by community and professional musicians.
With the performing arts in America marginalized like never before, The American Prize seeks to fill the gap that leaves excellent artists and ensembles struggling for visibility and viability. The American Prize recognizes and rewards the best America produces, without bias against small city versus large, or unknown artist versus well-known.
David Katz is the chief judge of The American Prize. Professional conductor, award-winning composer, playwright, actor and arts advocate, he is author of MUSE of FIRE, the acclaimed one-man play about the art of conducting. Joining Katz in selecting winners of The American Prize is a panel of judges as varied in background and experience as we hope the winners of The American Prize will be. Made up of distinguished musicians representing virtually every region of the country, the group includes professional vocalists, conductors, composers and pianists, tenured professors and orchestra, band and choral musicians.
“Most artists may never win a Grammy award, or a Pulitzer, or a Tony, or perhaps even be nominated,” Katz said, “but that does not mean that they are not worthy of recognition and reward. Quality in the arts is not limited to the coasts, or to the familiar names, or only to graduates of the most famous schools. It is on view all over the United States, if you take the time to look for it. The American Prize exists to encourage and herald that excellence.”
By shining a light on nationally recognized achievement, winners of The American Prize receive world-class bragging rights to use in promotion right at home. “If The American Prize helps build careers, or contributes to local pride, or assists with increasing the audience for an artist or ensemble, builds the donor base, or stimulates opportunities or recruitment for winning artists and ensembles, then we have fulfilled our mission,” Katz said.
In addition to conducting and ensemble awards, The American Prize sponsors competitions for vocalists, composers, pianists and chamber musicians.
The American Prize is administered by Hat City Music Theater, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit performing arts organization based in Danbury, Connecticut.
