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SDMTA participates in a composer commissioning project in conjunction with Music Teachers National Association’s Award for the Shepherd Distinguished Composer of the Year. SDMTA commissions composers with South Dakota connections–either current or past. The membership determines the nature of the work and asks for applications. These applications are reviewed by a committee after which the selected commission is awarded. The completed work is premiered at the fall conference, with the composer present. It is then submitted to the MTNA national office for consideration for the Shepherd award.
The Catbird Seat for two pianos, by Jeremy Hegg Premiered at Augustana College Nov. 6,
2009 Biography: The oldest son of two lifelong music educators, composer and performer Jeremy Hegg was born in Dell Rapids, South Dakota in 1972 and received his formal musical training at Augustana College in Sioux Falls. His body of work as a composer is growing, with recent premieres for band and orchestra in Arizona, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Jeremy is the staff arranger for the Augustana Brass Choir, Sioux Falls Municipal Band, and many marching band programs throughout the country. He is currently working on major works for the Augustana Band, the Albuquerque Youth Symphony, and the South Dakota Symphony. As a performer, Jeremy is best known for his band Spooncat!, which has performed throughout the region since 1996 and has five compact discs of original music to its credit. Jeremy is the pianist and narrator for the Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Society’s Jazz Diversity Program, which performs jazz history classes for students in every corner of the state. Jeremy has played piano around the world with popular artists ranging from Smokey Robinson to Chuck Berry, and in recent years he has been a featured guest pianist and arranger with A South Dakota Acoustic Christmas. In December of 2008 Jeremy drew critical praise for his highly successful collaboration with Brulé/AIRO and the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra. Jeremy was the 2003 recipient of the Mayor’s Award For The Performing Arts. He lives in downtown Sioux Falls. Find Jeremy Hegg through http://heggmusic.com/ The MTNA Composer Commissioning Program is dedicated to encouraging the creation of new works by American composers. The Distinguished Composer of the Year Award is sponsored by Sylvia Shepherd of California. For further information go to mtna.org/commission.htm The 2005-2006 commissioned composer is one of our own members—Paul Kolar of Eureka. Mr. Kolar’s piece Nomadic Nocturne was performed at the Extravaganza concert at the 2005 state conference in Aberdeen. The piece is for piano, B-flat clarinet and percussion (including timpani, tambourine, cymbals of varying sizes, orchestral bells, claves, xylophone and tom-toms). The next SDMTA commissioned work will be premiered at the 2008 conference. Mr. Kolar joins committee chair Anna Vorhes and James MacInnes on the selection committee. Guidelines for the commission will be established and publicized early in 2007. South Dakota’s 2002 commissioned composer, Dr. Timothy Hoekman, was named MTNA-Shepherd Distinguished Composer of the Year for his composition To Make a Prairie. This song cycle for soprano and piano is based on four poems by Emily Dickinson: To Make a Prairie, She Sweeps with Many-Colored Brooms, It Sifts From Leaden Sieves, and Two Butterflies Went Out at Noon. For more about Tim Hoekman, click here.
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