The ASCAP Foundation Names Recipients of the 2023 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards

The ASCAP Foundation has announced the recipients of the 2023 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards. Established in 2002, the program recognizes gifted young jazz composers up to the age of 30. It carries the name of the great trumpeter and ASCAP member Herb Alpert in recognition of The Herb Alpert Foundation's multi-year financial commitment to the program. The recipients, who receive cash awards, are selected through a juried national competition.

"We are immensely grateful to the Herb Alpert Foundation for their ongoing support of this program and the cultivation of some of the best young talents in jazz," said ASCAP Foundation President Paul Williams. "Their new takes on this vital American art form are inspiring and show how jazz continues to grow in new and exciting ways."

"The ASCAP Foundation is proud to recognize these up-and-coming composers and be a part of their creative journey," said ASCAP Foundation Executive Director Nicole George-Middleton. "As our partnership with the Herb Alpert Foundation enters its second decade, we look forward to many more years of discovering and celebrating young jazz composers together."

The 2023 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award recipients are listed below with their age, current residence and place of origin:

Nicola Caminiti, age 27 of New York, NY (Messina, Italy); Chase Elodia, age 29 of New York, NY (Norwalk, CT); Samantha Fierke, age 20 of Brookline, MA (Columbus, OH); Dava Giustizia, age 21 of Boston, MA (Surabaya, Indonesia); Yue Han (Moonsita.H), age 27 of Boston, MA (Anshun, China); Joseph Herbst age 27 of New York, NY (Easley, SC); Tammy Huynh, age 27 of New York, NY (Philadelphia, PA); Jack Lanhardt, age 22 of Denton, TX (Corona, CA); Emiliano Lasansky, age 30 of Los Angeles, CA (Iowa City, Iowa); Shane McCandless, age 23 of Rochester, NY (State College, PA); Ben Morris, age 30 of Nacogdoches, TX (Chatham, NJ); Ciara Moser, age 25 of Boston, MA (Vienna, Austria); Daiki Nakajima, age 20 of San Jose, CA (Tokyo, Japan); Denin Slage-Koch, age 27 of Greeley, CO (Richland, WA); and Ben Turner, age 25 of East Lansing, MI (Cherry Hill, NJ).

Composers receiving Honorable Mention this year are: Zachary Bornheimer, age 30 of Tampa, FL (Margate, FL); Gabriel Chakarji, age 29 of Queens, NY (Caracas, Venezuela); Ethan Cohn, age 27 of New York, NY; Ariel Sha Glassman, age 27 of Denton, TX (Dublin, OH); Phillip Golub, age 30 of Brooklyn, NY (Los Angeles, CA); Jake Hart, age 26 of Winston-Salem, NC (New City, NY); Anthony Hervey, age 26 of New York, NY (Miami, FL); David Leon, age 29 of Brooklyn, NY (Miami, FL); and David Mirarchi, age 26 of Queens, NY (Scranton, PA).

The ASCAP composer/judges for the 2023 competition were: Ayn Inserto, Aruán Ortiz,and Sachal Vasandani.

Additional funding for the program is provided by The ASCAP Foundation Bart Howard Fund.

About The Herb Alpert Foundation

The Herb Alpert Foundation, a non-profit, private foundation established in the early 1980's, makes significant annual contributions to a range of programs in the fields of Arts, Arts Education and Compassion and Well Being. Its funding is directed toward projects in which Herb and Lani Alpert and Foundation President Rona Sebastian play an active role. [The Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals.]

About The ASCAP Foundation

Founded in 1975, The ASCAP Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting American music creators and encouraging their development through music education, talent development and humanitarian programs. Included in these are songwriting workshops, grants, scholarships, awards, recognition and community outreach programs. The ASCAP Foundation is supported by contributions from ASCAP members and from music lovers throughout the United States. www.ascapfoundation.org

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