Discover America Competition


    No entity in town has provided greater nor more consistent advocacy for American music than The Chicago Ensemble.
    Lawrence Johnson, Chicago Classical Review
    The winning pieces from previous rounds of the “Discover America” competition  are listed below. Most of the winning works of “Discover America IX” (2017) were presented in four concerts during the 2018-2019 season, with a few appearing in the 2019-2020 season.


    DISCOVER AMERICA IX

    • John Allemeier, "4", for violin, viola, cello, and piano
    • Krists Auznieks, Godspeed, for violin, cello, and piano
    • Matthew Browne, On the Immortality of a Crab, for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano
    • Fabio Massimo Capogrosso, Un Breve Raconto Notturno, for violin, cello, and piano
    • Micah Clark, Ushabti Avenue, for flute, cello, and piano
    • Robert Cohen, Parables, for soprano and piano
    • Ryan Dodge, Somavine, for flute, bass clarinet, cello, and piano
    • Douglas Fisk, Banjo and Shadows, for baritone and piano
    • Gilbert Galindo, Echoes of the Divine, for violin, viola, cello, and piano
    • Vladan Gecin, Mount Parnassus, for violin and piano
    • Hendrik Hofmeyr, Dover Beach, for soprano, flute, cello, and piano
    • Daniel Bonaventure Lim, Wish I May, Oh, Wish I Might, for soprano and piano
    • Steve Locks, Rain, for violin, cello, and piano
    • Paul Novak, #1 of Three Night Pieces, for flute and piano
    • Matthew Peterson, Empire Builder, for flute, violin, cello, and piano
    • Elliot Roman, Two of Willie's Dances, for flute, clarinet, cello, and piano
    • Michael Schelle, Chords that Rhyme with your Eyes, for clarinet and piano
    • Aaron Spotts, Inter-, for flute, clarinet, violin, and piano
    • Ingrid Stölzel, The Gorgeous Nothings, for soprano, flute, oboe, and piano
    • Anton Svetlichny, Left on Board, for violin and piano
    • Joyce Wai-Chung Tang, Reflections on Arirang, for clarinet, violin, and piano
    • Alexander Timofeev, Phoenix, for clarinet and piano
    • Luzia VonWyl, Autumn, for violin, cello, and piano
    • Roger Zare, Telescopic Variations, for violin, cello, and piano

    Discover America VIII

    Voice and instruments:
    • Michael Betteridge, First Time He Kissed Me, for mezzo-soprano and piano
    • Melissa Dunphy, Tesla’s Pigeon, for soprano and piano
    • Michael-Thomas Foumai, Songs of the Kisaeng, for soprano, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano
    • Ted Moore, Three Songs, for soprano and piano
    • Mark Zuckerman, Menagerie, for soprano, flute, and piano
    Instruments without voice:
    • Drasko Adzic, Wood, Needle, String, Bones, for flute and piano
    • Patrick Castillo, Incident, for cello and piano
    • Gilad Cohen, Ten Variations, for oboe, string quartet, and piano
    • Robert Cohen, Five Nights in Sofia, for violin and piano
    • Sungji Hong, Bisbiglio, for flute, clarinet, and piano
    • Wendy Lee, My Cagey Companions, for violin, viola, cello, and piano
    • Mei-Fang Lin, L’image Reconstituée, for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano
    • Marc Satterwhite, Memento Mori 3: Ribbons on the Memory Wall, for clarinet, violin, and piano
    • Jonathan Russell, Piano Trio, for violin, cello, and piano
    • Roger Zare, Irlandzki Polonez, for oboe, violin, cello, and piano

    Discover America VII

    • Ted Goldman: Scrudge (2009), for violin, cello, and piano
    • Alexandra Gardner: Crows (1998), for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano
    • Gregg Kallor: Exhilaration (2007), for mezzo-soprano and piano
    • Clint Needham: Five Movements (2007), for woodwind quintet
    • Scott Wheeler: Trio No. 2 (Camera Dances)(1996, rev 1999), for violin, cello, and piano
    • Roger Zare: Sonata (Beautiful Savior) (2008) (world premiere), for violin and piano

    Discover America VI

    • Eric Moe: Time Will Tell (1996), for flute, clarinet, violin, viola, and piano. Moe's A Whirling and a Wandering Fire (1986) for flute, clarinet, and piano, was a winner in the Discover America I competition.
    • Ursula Kwong-Brown: La Poesia (2004), for soprano, cello, and piano
    • Christopher Dietz: Trio (2005), for clarinet, cello, and piano
    • Peter Knell: Collage (2005), for string quartet and piano

    Discover America V

    • Stefan Weisman: From Frankenstein (2002), for mezzo-soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano

    Discover America IV

    • James Barry: Songs of Issa (1999), for soprano and piano
    • Randall Bauer: Catch in the Turn (1999), for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano
    • Robert Carl: The Villa of the Mysteries (1997), for flute, violin, cello, and piano
    • Stephen Hartke: The Horse With the Lavender Eye (1997), for clarinet, violin, and piano
    • Andrey Komanetsky: Twelve Preludes (2000), for violin, cello, and piano
    • Mei-Fang Lin: Four Movements (1995), for clarinet and piano
    • David Macbride: El regreso (1999), for mezzo-soprano and piano
    • Lansing McCloskey: Wild Bells (1999), for viola and piano
    • Robert Maggio: The Riddle (1999), for clarinet, violin, and piano
    • Robert Paterson: Thursday (1999), for soprano and piano
    • Dmitri Tymoczko: Five Cummings Songs (1994), for soprano and piano

    Discover America III

    • Darlene Cowles Mitchell: O Felix Anima (1995), for soprano, flute, clarinet, and piano
    • Joseph Pehrson: Exhilarations (1993), for clarinet, cello, and piano
    • Martin Rokeach: North Beach Rhapsody (1991), for clarinet and piano
    • Andrew Waggoner: The Big White Medicine Wheel (1995), for clarinet, cello, and piano

    Discover America II

    • Delvyn Case: Variations (1994), for cello and piano
    • Anthony Cornicello: Triple Play (1994), for flute, cello, and piano
    • Stephen Hartke: The King of the Sun (1988), for violin, viola, cello, and piano
    • Dan Locklair: In the Almost Evening (1983), for soprano, clarinet, and piano
    • Eugenio Rodrigues: Les Nympheas (1992), for violin, cello, and piano
    • Andrew Rindfleisch: Trio (1993), for violin, cello, and piano
    • David Evan Thomas: Many Happy Returns (1987), for clarinet, violin, and piano
    • David Vayo: Wings (1993), for cello and piano
    • Michael Zajonc: Rondo (1993), for violin and piano

    Discover America I

    • Lawrence Axelrod: March and Fuga/Quodlibet from To Be Danced (1988), for violin, cello, and piano
    • Benjamin Broening: De Profundis (1991), for violin, cello, and piano
    • Robert Carl: Birds and Flowers (1990), for flute and piano
    • Tamar Diesendruck: Three songs (1991), for soprano and piano
    • Judith Dvorkin: Marpessa: A Myth, for soprano, clarinet, and piano
    • Kevin Malone: Manhattan Captive (1991), for violin, viola, cello, and piano
    • Eric Moe: A Whirling and a Wandering Fire (1986), for flute, clarinet, and piano
    • Scott Anthony Shell: Finale from Taylor-Made Duet (1989), for flute, clarinet, and piano
    • Jeffrey Stadelman: Friction Oracle (1991), for violin and piano
    • Jan Swafford: They Who Hunger (1990), for violin, viola, cello, and piano
    • Su Lian Tan: By Leaps and Bounds (1991), for cello and piano
    • Ronn Yedidia: Black Snow (1986), for flute, clarinet, and piano