Distinguished Composer of the Year Award
The recipient of this award is chosen from the entrants in the annual MTNA Commissioned Composer program. Any MTNA state affiliate may commission a composer with financial assistance from MTNA. This work is then submitted for consideration by the Distinguished Composer Committee. Three judges select one composer to be honored, whose composition is then premiered at the MTNA national conference. All compositions are placed in the MTNA Commissioned Works Library.
| Year | Composer | Title | State | Honorable Mention | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 |  Liliya Ugay |
Pull No More | Florida State MTA | Vera Ivanova (California) | |
| 2023 |  Robert McClure |
Celestial Miniatures for piano | Ohio MTA | Travis Alford (North Carolina) Marti Epstein (Nebraska) João Pedro Oliveira (Missouri) |
|
| 2022 |  Charles N. Mason |
Bridging the Gap for Flute and Fixed Media | Florida State MTA | Matthew Fuerst (Nebraska) | |
| 2021 |  Delvyn Case |
Psalms of Ascent | Maine MTA | Stephen Mitton (Michigan) Sean Neukom (North Dakota) |
|
| 2020 |  Peter Van Zandt Lane |
nodes.branches.loop | Georgia MTA | Seth Custer (South Carolina) Anna Evas (Virginia) Matthew Herman (Kentucky) |
|
| 2019 |  Bret Bohman |
Tides | Missouri MTA | George Halsell (Idaho) Bryan Stanley (Nebraska) Bruce Stark (Washington) |
|
| 2018 |  Benjamin Krause |
Taxonomies of Pulse | Indiana MTA | Eric Alexander (Colorado) Corey Dundee (Michigan) Daniel Temkin (Pennsylvania) |
|
| 2017 |  Philip Schuessler |
Sunburst Carousel | Louisiana MTA | Cody Criswell (Oklahoma) Hunter Ewen (Colorado) Andrew Nishikawa (Texas) |
|
| 2016 |  David Gompper |
Cycles for Violoncello and Piano | Iowa MTA | Michael Johanson (Oregon) David Werfelman (Wisconsin) |
|
| 2015 |  David von Kampen |
Under the Silver and Home Again | Nebraska MTA | Takuma Itoh (Hawaii) Pierre Jalbert (Texas) Jerry Owen (Iowa) Adam Silverman (Pennsylvania) |
|
| 2014 |  Christos Tsitaros |
Three Preludes for Piano Solo | Wisconsin MTA | Paul English (Texas) Richard Pearson Thomas (Montana) |
|
| 2013 |  Michael-Thomas Foumai |
Flash Fiction | Michigan MTA | Kris Becker (Texas) | |
| 2012 |  Thomas Osborne |
Overheated | Hawaii MTA | Phillip Parker (Arkansas) Alejandro Rutty (North Carolina) |
|
| 2011 |  M. Shawn Hundley |
A New American Ballad | Florida State MTA | Andrew List (Massachusetts) Peter Lieuwen (Texas) |
|
| 2010 |  Seth Custer |
Touch & Go | South Carolina MTA | Kent Holliday (Virginia) Christopher Stark (Montana) |
|
| 2009 |  Pierre Jalbert |
Sonata for Piano | Texas MTA | Cynthia Folio (Pennsylvania) Narong Prangcharoen (Missouri) |
|
| 2008 |  William Price |
Hardboiled | Alabama MTA | Christopher Biggs (Missouri) Jonathan McNair (Tennessee) |
|
| 2007 |  John McDonald |
Stäudlin As Vogl: Preamble To A Winter Journey (alto saxophone and piano) | Massachusetts MTA | Murray Gross (Michigan) José Manuel Lezcano (New Hampshire) |
|
| 2006 |  David Froom |
Lightscapes | Maryland State MTA | Hu Xiao-ou (Missouri) John Fitz Rogers (South Carolina) |
|
| 2005 |  Michael Djupstrom |
Walimai | Michigan MTA | Mukai Kohei (Missouri) Christopher Hopkins (Iowa) James Stephenson III (Florida) |
|
| 2004 |  Stefan Freund |
Screams and Grooves | Missouri MTA | Nickitas Demos (Georgia) Frank Felice (Indiana) Alexandra Shapiro (California) |
|
| 2003 |  Liduino Pitombeira |
Brazilian Landscapes | Louisiana MTA | Thomas Albert (Virginia) Jorge Martin (Vermont) Ronald Keith Parks (South Carolina) |
|
| 2002 |  Timothy Hoekman |
To Make a Prairie | South Dakota MTA | William Dougherty (Iowa) | |
| 2001 |  David Mullikin |
Voice of the River Han | Colorado MTA | Paul Richards (Florida) Tyler White (Nebraska) |
|
| 2000 |  Elisenda Fábregas |
Portraits I for Piano | Texas MTA | ||
| 1999 |  Laurence Bitensky |
Mishb'rey yam (Breakers of the Sea) | Kentucky MTA | ||
| 1998 |  Erik Santos |
…con Cruces de Fuego (…with Crosses of Fire) | Michigan MTA |