3 music students awarded

Three IU music students recently won awards for music composition at the 51st BMI Student Composer Awards, held at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Graduate students Ben Jacob and Joseph Sheehan and sophomore Jeffrey Stanek were announced Friday as winners in this prestigious competition. \nMore than 1,000 manuscripts were submitted to the competition, all from composers under the age of 26, hailing from countries in the Western Hemisphere. The winners receive scholarship grants to be applied toward their musical education. IU fared an impressive sweep with more winners than any other school.\nJacob, 26, from Springfield, Ill., is pursuing a masters in music composition at IU. He has studied with IU professors Don Freund, P.Q. Phan and Claude Baker. He performs on electric guitar, bass guitar and drums, as well as several world music instruments. Jacob's winning piece at BMI, titled "Thickness," was written for solo drum set. \n"This is unusual in itself," said Freund, a professor of composition, who pointed out the challenging nature of composing a drum piece that is award-worthy. "He is great; he has such intensity about wanting to do something special as a composer."\nSheehan, 22, from Latrobe, Penn., also is pursuing a masters in music composition, studying under Baker, the department of composition chair. In 2002, Sheehan graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in music technology and composition from Duquesne University, where he was highly involved in jazz performance. He is the third IU student to win the William Shuman Prize at BMI. This prize is awarded to the composer whose work is judged most outstanding at the competition. His winning composition was for string quartet and will be premiered at IUB in late 2003. \nFreund described Sheehan as being highly involved in the world of composition.\nAt 19, Stanek is the youngest of the winners. Born in Madison, Wis., he is currently pursing his bachelors in music composition under the guidance of Freund. Last year, he won an IU sponsored competition for high school music students. \n"He's very talented, very young," said Phan, associate professor of composition. "He's someone who composes with more than just passion or emotion. His motivations are more intellectual." \nPhan said most young students have a tendency to put too much emotion into their work, whereas Stanek focuses on being creative and making something new.\nStanek won the Carlos Surinach Prize with his solo violin composition, "Fantasies and Dances." \nThese students will add to IU's winning tradition at the BMI Student Composer Awards. Since 1967, there have been 22 recipients of the Awards at IU. \nBMI has awarded talents who have gone on toward successful and prominent careers in composition. Eleven of the former winners have received the Pulitzer Prize for music later in their careers. \nPhan said the most important thing about BMI is that it recognizes and encourages students to continue working on compositions. \n"(Winning at BMI) supports young composers to keep creating art," he said.