Finalist: The Companion Guide to Rome , by Andrew Norman (Schott Music )
An impressive musical portrait of nine historic churches, written for a string trio but sometimes giving the illusion of being played by a much larger group, changing mood and mode on a dime.
Winners
Prize Winner in Music in 2012:
Kevin Puts
A stirring opera that recounts the true story of a spontaneous cease-fire among Scottish, French and Germans during World War I, displaying versatility of style and cutting straight to the heart. Libretto by Mark Campbell (Aperto Press).
Music
Finalists
Nominated as finalists in Music in 2012:
Tod Machover
An inventive opera that uses electronic music as it explores a dying billionaire's attempt to transcend mortality through technology, raising significant questions about human existence. Libretto by Robert Pinsky.
The Jury
The Jury
Chuck Owen(Chair )
distinguished professor
Jeremy Geffen
director of artistic planning
Jennifer Higdon*
composer and faculty
Steven Smith
music editor
Kenny Werner
jazz pianist, composer, author and composition faculty
Winners in Music
Zhou Long
Premiered on February 26, 2010 by Opera Boston at the Cutler Majestic Theatre, a deeply expressive opera that draws on a Chinese folk tale to blend the musical traditions of the East and the West. Libretto by Cerise Lim Jacobs (Oxford University Press).
Jennifer Higdon
Premiered on February 6, 2009, in Indianapolis, IN, a deeply engaging piece that combines flowing lyricism with dazzling virtuosity (Lawdon Press).
Steve Reich
A major work that displays an ability to channel an initial burst of energy into a large-scale musical event, built with masterful control and consistently intriguing to the ear.
David Lang
Co-commissioned by the Carnegie Hall Corporation and The Perth Theater and Concert Hall, and premiered October 25, 2007 in Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York City (G. Schirmer, Inc.).
2012 Prize Winners
No award
No award
Manning Marable
An exploration of the legendary life and provocative views of one of the most significant African-Americans in U.S. history, a work that separates fact from fiction and blends the heroic and tragic.
John Lewis Gaddis
An engaging portrait of a globetrotting diplomat whose complicated life was interwoven with the Cold War and America's emergence as the world's dominant power.
Tracy K. Smith
A collection of bold, skillful poems, taking readers into the universe and moving them to an authentic mix of joy and pain.