Timothy C. Takach | Winner, 4th Annual Commission Competition
Timothy C. Takach (b. 1978) has received a number of commissions from various organizations including the St. Olaf Choir, Cantus, the Bowling Green State University Men’s Chorus, The Singers: Minnesota Choral Artists, the Cherry Creek High School Meistersingers, and the Western Michigan University Chorale. His compositions have been heard on NPR and have been recorded by various groups in North America. Takach graduated with honors from St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN in 2000 with a BA in Music Theory/Composition and a BA in Studio Art. While there he studied composition under Dr. Peter Hamlin and Dr. Timothy Mahr. He now lives in Minneapolis and sings with the professional male vocal ensemble, Cantus. As a singer with Cantus, Takach gives over 80 concerts a year and has had his works performed in concert halls across the United States, Canada, and Europe.
Mr. Takach’s composition, A Depth We Cannot Sound, was premiered as part of BCE’s 10th season finale concert, Bang!
Honorable Mentions
Till MacIvor Meyn | Honorable Mention, 4th Annual Commission Competition
Till MacIvor Meyn earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of California at San Diego, a Master of Music in Composition from Indiana University, and the Doctorate of Musical Arts in Composition from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. Dr. Meyn is Associate Professor of Theory and Composition at Texas Christian University, and has taught at Youngstown State University, the University of Southern California, and Pepperdine University among other institutions. Performance highlights include: Orion in Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenyang, China 2009; Dominant Curve at the National Music Academy of Ukraine in 2009; Red/Blue at Clarinet Fest 2008 in Oklahoma City, MO; Precipiceat the 2008 Biennial Saxophone Congress in South Carolina; Anthem at the 2007 Florida State University Festival of New Music; Groovelocity at the 2006 SCI/CMS National Convention in San Antonio; The City in the Sea by the Woodley Ensemble in Washington, D.C. (2007); various compositions at the 2002, 2005 and 2006 National Flute Association Conventions in Washington, D.C., San Diego, and Pittsburgh, at the 2006 World Saxophone Congress in Slovenia, at the Manhattan School of Music (January 2005), at the 2004 Intercollegiate Men’s Choruses National Seminar at Harvard, and at the 2004 Midwest Regional ACDA Convention in Indianapolis. Dr. Meyn’s music is published by Alry Publications, ECS Publishing, and C. Alan Publications. Dr. Meyn is also a baritone singer, and has performed with numerous choral ensembles, notably Schola Cantorum of Texas, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the University of Southern California Chamber Singers, and the Indiana University Pro Arte Early Music Ensemble.
Matthew Peterson | Honorable Mention, 4th Annual Commission Competition
Matthew Peterson writes music for concerts and the stage. His musical output is broad and diverse. He considers himself first and foremost a songster and storyteller, whether composing for opera, orchestra, or any other ensemble. He continues an American musical tradition exemplified by artists such as Charles Ives and Bob Dylan. He has received commissions from musicians and ensembles in the United States, England, and Sweden, and his music has received performances at concert halls, festivals, and universities across North America and Europe. He has received the Fulbright Grant, and awards from BMI, ASCAP, the National Opera Association, Vocal Essence, Chanticleer, and others. Matthew lives outside Stockholm, Sweden, following his calling as an opera composer. Matthew and librettist Jason Zencka have written two chamber operas together. The Binding of Isaac was premiered in 2006 at St. Olaf College. Voir Dire will be premiered in Stockholm in spring 2011. He has studied composition at the Gotland tonsättarskola (Visby, Sweden), Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and St. Olaf College. His former teachers include Per Mårtensson, Henrik Strindberg, Sven-David Sandström, Claude Baker, and Justin Merritt. He recently joined the faculty of the Gotland tonsättarskola where he will teach notation and aural-skills. Matthew was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, in 1984. He lives at Mörby Gård, near Rånäs, Sweden.
Paul J. Rudoi | Honorable Mention, 4th Annual Commission Competition – 2011
Paul J. Rudoi, tenor vocalist and composer, has performed and recorded a wide range of music as a soloist and in various ensembles around the country. Early on in his career, he sang with the Blanche Moyse Chorale, the Sons of Orpheus, and the American Boychoir. Since 2008, he has been a member of the full-time vocal ensemble Cantus and has performed with various artists including Bobby McFerrin, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the James Sewell Ballet. Though Paul composes for various instruments, his primary focus has always been vocal music. Sections of his song cycle Child of the Heartless Wind, based on poetry by Sara Teasdale, were premiered in early 2008, and his Song of Unity, written for male chorus, was premiered shortly thereafter. In March of 2010, Paul was awarded a Subito Grant from the American Composers Forum to record three of his choral works, including an arrangement of I Wonder As I Wander and a double choir setting of E.E. Cummings’ i carry your heart with me. Paul holds a degree in vocal performance from the Hartt School in Hartford, Connecticut. His teachers have included Edward Bolkovac, Edie Hill, and Kevin Jones.