2023 Call for Scores Winner and Featured Composer
Ingrid Stölzel
Composer Ingrid Stölzel has been described as having “a gift for melody” (San Francisco Classical Voice) and creating work that is “downright beautiful.” (American Record Guide). Stölzel’s compositions have been commissioned by leading soloists and ensembles, including the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, American Wild Ensemble and Van Cliburn Gold Medalist Stanislav Ioudenich. Her works have been performed in concert halls and festivals worldwide, including Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Kennedy Center, Seoul Arts Center, Thailand International Composition Festival, Festival Osmose (Belgium), Vox Feminae Festival (Israel), Dot the Line Festival (South Korea), Ritornello Chamber Music Festival (Canada), Festival of New Music at Florida State (USA), Beijing Modern Music Festival (China), Festival of New American Music (USA), and SoundOn Festival of Modern Music (USA).
Stölzel’s music has been recognized in numerous international competitions, among them recently the Suzanne and Lee Ettelson Composer's Award, Red Note Composition Competition, the Robert Avalon International Competition for Composers, and the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra Competition. Her discography is extensive and includes a monograph album entitled “The Gorgeous Nothings,” featuring her chamber and vocal chamber music.
Stölzel was born and raised in Germany and moved to the United States in 1991. She is Associate Professor of Composition at the University of Kansas School of Music.
For more information visit: www.ingridstolzel.com
Composer Notes about “The Gorgeous Nothings”
“The Gorgeous Nothings” takes its title and inspiration from the facsimile publication of Emily Dickinson's complete envelope writings edited by Marta L. Werner and Jen Bervin. These beautiful fragments range from completed, self-contained short poems to mere thoughts hastily expressed on scraps of paper. After selecting a couple of the envelope fragments, I completed my set of songs with additional fragments found in the Emily Dickinson archives. I was drawn to these sketches as they seem to give us a glimpse into Dickinson’s creative process. Also, perhaps because of their very nature of incompleteness, the fragments allow the reader to engage in new ways with Dickinson’s words. It is my hope that the music captures these wonderfully suggestive aspects of the fragments.
2023 Call for Scores - Honorable Mention
-
Cruz Stock
Cruz Stock (he/him) is interested in composing music close to the human soul that takes the listener on an emotional journey.
Cruz is currently studying for a Bachelors in Music Composition and Instrumental Music Education at Bowling Green State University’s College of Music Arts. He is a rising sophomore who’s studied with Christopher Dietz in composition and Susan Nelson, Emily Klepinger, and Mariah Stadel on Bassoon.
He is honored to present “Hide Away” at this year's Scheherazade Music Festival.Composer Notes About “Hide Away”
I knew I wanted to submit to the Scheherazade Music Festival Call for Scores when I saw that they were looking for not just pieces - but stories. It got me thinking about what stories I had to tell, and specifically how the music I write relates to my Queerness. I realized that I love music in its ability to express such a wide array of emotions in a short amount of time - music is just so close to our humanness and expressiveness. “Hide Away” is a ranting personal monologue about issues like microaggressions and acceptance, but it’s also optimistic in its rebelliousness and passion. The narrator lets go of all their emotions in the piece and lets the outside glimpse into their mind and experience the expressiveness and subsequent Queerness for themself.
-
Rylie Klein
Rylie (Toom) Klein is a composer and a flutist. She attended Kansas State University for Music Composition, and she graduated in May 2021. Rylie is a member of the music honor society Pi Kappa Lambda. Klein currently teaches flute, composition, and piano lessons; coaches color guard; and composes in Kansas. She enjoys writing chamber music, solo music, and large ensemble music. Many of her works are programmatic and are inspired by topics such as mental health, faith, friends, etc.
Composer Notes About “Hymn to the Evening”
Hymn to the Evening, based on a poem of the same name by Phillis Wheatley, is a work of admiration and praise. The piece is programmatic with plenty of text-painting. Since the text revolves largely around the appearance of the evening sky, the themes in the “A” section are flowing and float above the bassline. The “B” section is more about praising God for the beauty of nature, so the lines are melismatic and in the mixolydian mode to call back to Gregorian chant. After a brief return to the “A” themes, the piece modulates and turns in for the night with a simpler texture.