Bernstein
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Bernstein
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By Erik Novak
In commemoration of the late Leonard Bernstein's 80th birthday, the IU School of Music is sponsoring a competition for new orchestral works by composers 25 years of age or younger. The winner will receive a $5,000 award and a performance of the work during the 1998-99 concert season. Deadline is May 1.
The competition was conceived by Eugene O'Brien, chair of the composition department at the school, after conversations with representatives of Bernstein's estate. O'Brien anticipates hundreds of entries. Begun in the early 1970s with a festival performance of Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti, the interaction between Bernstein and the school grew into a productive relationship, including a six-week residency in 1982 when the composer became the first Fellow of the IU Institute for Advanced Studies. For an expanded version of this story, go to this Web site: