USA International Harp Competition Announces Winner of Their 8th Ruth Inglefield Composition Contest

    BLOOMINGTON, IN, December 16, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The USA International Harp Competition is pleased to announce the winner of its 8th Ruth Inglefield Composition Contest:
Bioluminescence by Kalen Smith (Canada)

The jury wishes to acknowledge and congratulate the following composers whose works were also in the final round:
Yeonsuk Jung (South Korea) – Kinetic Dissipation
Caroline Lizotte (Canada) – Kheírōn Op. 53, Nocturne for Harp
Ramin Amin Tafreshi (Iran) – Event Horizon (the Point of no Return)
Alexander Thomas (United Kingdom) – Finally, someone who gives a damn if I'm foolish

Kalen Smith is an award-winning Canadian composer and harpist, currently pursuing a Master's Degree in composition at McGill University. His works combine his experience as a performer on harp, tonal music structures, contemporary techniques from his academic studies, and effects from electronic music. The result is an eclectic collage, where musical meaning is created through the juxtaposition of extremes. As a composer, Kalen's awards include third place in the national SOCAN Foundation Electroacoustic Prize and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada commission from 2022-2023.

Upon learning that he had won, Smith said, "No composition is ever written in isolation. I am eternally grateful to my harp teacher, Jennifer Swartz, who offered insightful feedback and helped to edit and proof-read the score. I am also thankful to my composition teachers including Sean Ferguson, Chris Harman, and Jean Lesage."

About the winning piece, he remarked, "Bioluminescence creates musical color by exploring the extreme registers of the harp, from the abyssal wire strings to the luminous high range. A brilliant underwater collage is formed with melodic fragments and highlighted by a variety of harp techniques including près de la table, xylophonics, harmonics and fingernails."

Awards for the winning composition include:
$2,000 Prize, funded by the American Harp Society, Inc.
Inclusion in 13th USA International Harp Competition's Stage III required repertoire
Performance by the 2025 Gold Medalist at debut concerts
Score published by Lyon & Healy Publications and available for purchase on their website, www.harp.com

A Composition Forum will be presented in Bloomington during the 13th USAIHC in May. The Forum will feature performances of the other finalists' works and an appearance by Smith to discuss Bioluminescence. The best interpretation of his piece during the competition will be awarded the $1,000 Mario Falcao Prize.

The USA International Harp Competition (USAIHC) was founded in 1989 by Susann McDonald, Distinguished Professor Emerita of Harp at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. The composition contest takes place prior to the triennial performance competition and was established as part of the USAIHC's mission to inspire new works for the harp. Named after Dr. Ruth Inglefield, who chaired the first six cycles, the 8th composition contest received 73 applications submitted by composers from 23 countries.

The international jury for the 8th composition contest consisted of: composer, Chen Yi (China/USA), and the following distinguished harpists: Mariko Anraku (Japan/USA), Sylvain Blassel (France), Kateřina Englichová (Czech Republic), Marisela Gonzalez (Venezuela/Canada), and Jessica Zhou (China/USA). Deliberations were administered by Sonja Inglefield (Director), Ann Yeung (Jury President), and Thea Kammerling (Secretary); the pre-screening committee included Emily Levin and Kaori Otake. Thanks and appreciation to all involved!

'Bioluminescence' will be available for purchase through Lyon & Healy Publications at www.harp.com on January 2, 2025.

Our vision is to be a global platform for the harp that will inspire artistic excellence, encourage personal growth, launch careers and create community between musicians and their audiences.

The USA International Harp Competition exists to inspire, promote, and sustain artistic excellence while fostering a broader appreciation of the harp and its repertoire.

Bringing people together through the universal language of music, we enhance international and community relationships by producing our harp competition, composition contest, concert series, and educational programs.

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