Young Composers to Perform Compositions

Six local student composers will perform their original compositions in a concert organized to showcase their talents on June 22 at 2 p.m. at the Englewood Arts Center. The concert is free and open to the public.

All six composers are studying composition at the Music Arts Institute, an Independence non-profit which provides music instruction and performance for area students.

The six featured young composers are: Enoch Allred, Joseph Allred, Jessica Bushong, Bryson Gates, Josh Hemingway and José Roldan.

“The students at Music Arts Institute are extraordinarily talented and passionate about music,” said Ron Clemons, MAI executive director. “Mostly they perform the works of others. This concert shares the originality of their own imagination and the music they are creating.”

The compositions include a variety of musical styles.

One of Jessica Bushong's pieces, "Little Things," recognizes the joy of childhood.

"I was inspired to write it as I was playing piano with my future nephew, Bryce," she said. "He’d never played before, but he was having so much fun, and it made me think about the times when I was younger and everything seemed to be a game."

The composers each receive a stipend for their composition, which will be videotaped and recorded during the concert performance.

The Young Composers Concert, an annual event, is a joint project of the Music Arts Institute and Englewood Arts.