Tyler White honored by ASCAP for 'Mystic Trumpeter'

Tyler White, associate professor of conducting and composition and director of orchestral activities at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Music, received honorable mention in the 26th Annual American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Foundation Rudolf Nissim Prize Competition.

White received honorable mention (third place out of some 250 entries) for "Mystic Trumpeter" (Symphony No. 2), a 22-minute piece for baritone and large orchestra with text comprised of fragments of several poems by Walt Whitman.

"I am naturally very pleased by this recognition," White said. "Composers always like to see their music gain notice and life beyond the first performance or two -- and unfortunately, that doesn't always happen. The Nissim Prize is one of the significant awards in American composition, and the jury's singling out of my work may speak well, I hope, for the piece's prospects to attract future performances."

Associate Professor William Shomos and the UNL Symphony Orchestra premiered "Mystic Trumpeter" (Symphony No. 2) under White's direction last April 2 as part of "Leaves of Grass: The 150th Anniversary Conference," which brought prominent poets and Whitman scholars from around the world to the UNL campus. The composition and premiere of "Mystic Trumpeter" were supported by a Maude Hammond Fling Faculty Development Grant from UNL and by a Composer Assistance Grant from the American Music Center.

"We in the School of Music are delighted to learn the news of Dr. White's accolades from ASCAP," said John Richmond, director of the School of Music. "The Rudolf Nissim Prize is one of the most coveted awards in classical composition. Dr. White's achievement of honorable mention in this prestigious competition is an enormous affirmation of his new composition, "Mystic Trumpeter" (Symphony No. 2). This recognition positions Dr. White among a very small cadre of the nation's emerging classical composers. We could not be more delighted for him."

The Nissim Prize is funded by The ASCAP Foundation through a bequest of the late Dr. Rudolf Nissim, former head of ASCAP's International Department. The Nissim competition is open to all ASCAP members who compose concert works requiring a conductor that have not been professionally premiered.

White has been director of orchestral activities at UNL since 1994.

CONTACT: Tyler White, Associate Professor of Conducting & Composition, Director of Orchestral Activities, (402) 472-7698