The American Mavericks Project Unveils Winners of 2024 Call for Scores

The American Mavericks Project has revealed the winners of its inaugural 2024 Call for Scores, which solicited solo piano works by Black American composers of all ages. Jeremiah Evans' "Shades & Hues" Books I & II (2021-2024), Lilyanne Dorilas' "Black Amber" (2024) and Lawren Brianna Wares' "Borealis" (2017), were selected from over 100 submissions across the United States. AMP founder and pianist Chelsea Randall will perform their winning pieces as part of AMP's 2025 season at three concerts celebrating some of today's most exciting contemporary Black composers, including young talents featured in partnership with Luna Composition Lab, Wildflower Composers and Bloomingdale School of Music's Album for the Young program. One concert took place on Jan. 24th at Bloomingdale School of Music, and two are forthcoming on February 15th at the Newark School of Music and March 28th at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. AMP's 2024 Call for Scores competition was open to Black American composers of all ages. Winners have their pieces performed as part of AMP's upcoming season and receive a recording. The next Call for Scores application cycle opens on February 2nd at 12pm EST.

The American Mavericks Project (AMP), founded in 2022 by pianist Chelsea Randall, celebrates seldom-heard, recently discovered and contemporary piano music by Black American composers 1900-present, with emphasis on 21st century composers, through performances, commissions, education and research.

About AMP's Call for Scores Winners:

Lilyanne Dorilas (b. 2002) is a Boston-based violinist and composer. She earned Bachelor's degrees in Cognitive Science and Music from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in 2024, studying violin with Dr. Stephen Sims and composition with Dr. Kristian Schembri (CIM). In February 2024, she was the first CWRU Concerto Competition winner in the school's history to compose, perform, and premiere a movement of her Violin Concerto No. 1 with CWRU's Symphony Orchestra. She was the soloist on her big band tune "Old World" (2023), and the Cleveland Chamber collective premiered her neoclassical string quintet "4 ½ Stages of Grief" (2022) in 2023. Dorilas' versatile style is infused with jazz, blues, instrumental rock, and Post-Romantic classical harmonies. She is a passionate advocate for expanding classical music repertoire and pedagogy, performing works by composers of color influenced by multiple genres. Aside from music, she enjoys speaking Mandarin and writing her historical fiction novel.

The music of Jeremiah Evans (b. 1978) has been included in RISING (Warner Classics) nominated for "Best Classical Solo Vocal Album" at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards and included in the album What Dreams We Have (Lexicon Classics) by GRAMMY AWARD WINNING baritone, Kenneth Overton. His music has been performed at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, The 16th London New Wind Festival, South Africa's National Arts Festival, Royal Concertgebouw, Princeton University Concerts, The Celebrity Series of Boston, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, San Francisco Performances (Herbst Theatre), The Knoxville Opera/NATS, and The Dallas Opera's Titus Art Song Series. He has been recognized as a finalist-composer at The New York City Contemporary Music Symposium and winner of the Locrian Chamber Players' annual call for scores in New York City. His songs have been included in concert programming described by The Boston Globe as "powerful". His songs have been described by The Washington Classical Review as having "...surprising twists, as well as a pleasing melodic style", while piano music has been described as being inspired by "urban sounds", having "jazzy inflections", and "an Impressionist milkiness" by The New York Times. He has been included among "consummate melodists" by OperaWire.

Dr. Lawren Brianna Ware (b. 1994), a Gadsden, Alabama native, is a graduate of The University of Wisconsin-Madison where she earned her DMA in Music Composition with a minor in musicology. Compositionally, Dr. Ware's goal is to "write music that makes one feel." Although she is an "up and coming" composer, she has begun to secure her place in the world of contemporary classical composition. Dr. Ware's compositions have been featured on several professionally recorded albums including Cobus du Toit's "From the Rooftop"(2024), Marcus Eley's Grammy nominee contender (2023) "Perseverance," Jessica Johnson's "Sojourn"(2023), the Amernet Quartet's "Alabama String Quartets (Birmingham Arts Music Alliance)"(2020) and Dr. Cole Bartels' "On the Brink"(2022). Her most recent projects include working as a Lullaby Teaching Artist for the Overture Center's Lullaby Project, being the inaugural composer and co-founder of the Black Composer Revival Consortium, composing for the Minnesota Consortium for Black American Composers (2020), and composing and releasing an electronic music album in conjunction with comic book writer Jaromir François on the comic My Brother Teddy (2021).

Events:

Celebrating Living Black Composers
Saturday, February 15, 2025, 12pm
Newark School of the Arts
89 Lincoln Park, Newark, NJ 07102
Free. No RSVP required.

Chelsea Randall presents a lecture/recital highlighting piano music by multigenerational living composers including AMP's 2024 call for score winners Jeremiah Evans, Lawren Brianna Ware, Wildflower Composers alums Mena Williams and Chloe Clarke Smith, alongside works by Joyce Solomon Moorman, Krystal Flagstad and others.

The Next Generation: Young Women Composers
Friday, March 28, 2025, 7pm
Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, 58 7th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11217
Suggested donation of $12
Tickets here

In celebration of Women's History Month, Chelsea Randall spotlights the next generation of young, talented female composers. The program includes pieces by AMP's 2024 Call for Scores winners Lilyanne Dorilas and Lawren Brianna Ware, world premieres by Luna Composition Lab alums Jordan Millar and Ebun Oguntola, Wildflower Composers alums Mena Williams, Chloe Clarke Smith and Kimani Bridges, Bloomingdale School of Music's A4TY alum, 11-year-old Zuri Butler and others.

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