2023 EXT Pop-Ups Commission Contest to be Presented In Partnership With Wildflower Composers Winner: Hannah Chen

EXTENSITY Concert Series has revealed the selection of Hannah Chen (she/her) as the recipient of the inaugural 2023 EXT Pop-Ups Commission Contest in partnership with Wildflower Composers. Chen will receive a $500 award to compose a 5-8 minute piece for unaccompanied cello or violin. The work will be premiered by a professional musician at a NYC venue in winter, '24 (TBA). Chen will also receive a high-quality audio and video recording of the concert.

In Chen's words: "The piece I will compose will reflect the importance of tea in various cultures. Tea can often be a calming ritual that brings people together and strengthens community. It can provide a small moment of tranquility in a busy and stressful world... I want to use aspects of aleatoric notation to fully utilize the wide range of sound on the instrument. Using this notation, the piece would start spacious and free and build to a flowing, ambient soundscape...I want this piece to bridge the gap between composer, performer, and audience and to serve as a visceral, meditative experience."

Hannah Chen (b. 2006) is a composer and harpist from the San Francisco Bay Area. She attends Oakland School for the Arts and San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College, studying composition with Mario Godoy and harp with Jennifer Ellis. Hannah is the principal harpist of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and has previously been the harpist for the Contra Costa Wind Symphony. Her compositions have been performed by Argus Quartet, International Contemporary Ensemble, Music at the Mission's Chamberfest, and Wildflower Composers' Camp. https://www.hannahchenmusic.com/

The EXT Pop Ups Series provides today's most promising emerging composers with commissioning, performance and mentorship opportunities. Concerts are held at non-traditional venues and surprise locations, run 45 minutes to 1 hour long, and are presented in an accessible and educational format. The series launched in August 2022, with two concerts in San Diego and Pasadena, CA featuring piano works by composers Hannah Sobel and Grace Coberly, performed by EXTENSITY co-founders Chelsea Randall and Francesca Khalifa. https://www.extensityconcertseries.com/-ext-pop-ups-serie