2008 Composition Competition winner announcement, August 23, 2008.
(Deborah Moore, Chair of the 2008 ClefWorks Composition)
ClefWorks and the judges from the Penderecki String Quartet are pleased to award the first prize of the 2008 ClefWorks Composition Competition to Scott Robbins from Spartanburg, South Carolina for his work “Quartet for Violin, Viola, Cello, and Piano (1999/2008)”. The work demonstrates a compelling harmonic language and engaging musical narrative with striking and expressive use of the string instruments. The Penderecki Quartet wishes to give honorable mention to two other works of remarkable technical excellence: “Caged Symphonies” (2008) by Vasco Mendonca of Lisboa, Portugal and “Four Flash Fear” (2007) by Nicolas Tzortzis of Paris, France. Other composers with works in the final round of judging were: Alexander Lu of San Francisco, California; Nolan Stoltz of Hartford, Connecticut; Marcus Karl Maroney of Houston, Texas; Andrew Martin Smith of Bowling Green, Ohio; Steven Snowden of Westminster, Colorado; Lansing McLoskey of Miami, Florida; and Edward Green of New York City.
Scott Robbins
Scott Robbins (Associate Dean, Professor of Composition and Musicology, Petrie School of Music at Converse College) began his musical training as a drummer and guitarist in rock bands. Robbins’ compositions are widely performed and professionally recognized, having received over 50 awards, including the Second International Sergei Prokofiev Composition Competition, Yale University’s Norfolk National Composition Prize, NACUSA Young Composers Award, ASCAP Foundation Grant to Young Composers, American Music Center Composer Assistance Award, Florida Individual Artist Fellowship, and multiple awards from ASCAP and commissions from the SC Music Teachers Association. Among those who have performed, commissioned or commercially recorded Scott’s works are the Czech Radio Symphony, Warsaw National Philharmonic, Moyzes Quartet, Ensemble Radieuse, Gregg Smith Singers, and the Dale Warland Singers. The Clearing, a film for which Scott composed the soundtrack, received the CINE-Eagle award and has been broadcast on Bravo and HBO.
Scott received his D. Mus. Degree in composition from Florida State University, where he was a student of Ladislav Kubik. He earned his B.A. from Wake Forest University in the studio of Dan Locklair, and received his A.M. from Duke University after studying with Stephen Jaffe. Recordings include “Micro-Symphony” by the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra, which is featured on the MMC release New Century, vol. XIII, and “The Heart’s Trapeze” by the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, which appears on the release MMC New Century, vol. XIV. In 2007, Trio Chromos featured his 3 Blues for Cello and Trumpet on their CD Trumpet Colors.