2025 Annual Report
2025 Winners
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Toggle ItemPrize Winner
2025 Barlow Prize Winner
The Barlow Endowment for Music Composition at Brigham Young University proudly announces the Barlow Prize recipient for 2025.
After reviewing 526 submissions from 46 countries, the judging panel awarded David Biedenbender the $25,000 Barlow Prize to compose a major new work for wind symphony, to be premiered by a consortium of performers which will include BYU Wind Symphony, Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, United States Navy Band, and University of Michigan Symphony Band.
Composer David Biedenbender has collaborated with many renowned performers and ensembles, and his works have been performed, recorded, and broadcast around the world. “His music is…active, compelling…shot through with energy….wonderfully imagined…Clearly, this is a composer to watch out for.” (Fanfare Magazine) He has written music for the concert stage as well as for dance and multimedia collaborations, and his creative interests include working with classically trained musicians and improvisers, chamber and large ensembles, interactive electronic interfaces and live brain data. His music is influenced by experiences performing in rock and jazz groups, classical ensembles and concert bands, a New Orleans-style brass band, as well as Indian Carnatic Music. A dedicated teacher, he is Associate Professor and Chair of Composition in the College of Music at Michigan State University, and he holds degrees in composition from the University of Michigan and Central Michigan University.
GENERAL AND LDS COMMISSION RECIPIENTSAFTER CONSIDERING 189 APPLICATIONS FOR GENERAL AND LATTER-DAY SAINTS COMMISSIONS, THE ENDOWMENT GRANTED A TOTAL OF $80,000 TO TEN COMPOSERS WHO WILL WRITE WORKS FOR THE INDICATED ENSEMBLES AND MUSICIANS
LATTER-DAY SAINT COMMISSION RECIPIENTS ENSEMBLE/PERFORMER Keith Bradshaw SUU Orchestra and Choirs Benjamin Taylor Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra Leilei Tian Ensembles Less Utopies -
Toggle ItemPremieres and Performances
Click on an image for more information regarding premieres and performances of pieces written by Barlow recipients.
data-content-type="event"Todd Kitchen's Soprasymmetry IV "as west and east in all flat maps are one"
7:30 PMSaturday, January 25overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=data-content-type="event"Christopher Trapani's "The Color of Where You Can Never Go"
3:00 PMSunday, October 05overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment= -
Toggle ItemChair Report
Dean Reich The Barlow Endowment for Music Composition at BYU enjoyed another successful year of commissions and premieres alongside significant transitions within our leadership and staff. This year’s $25,000 Barlow Prize was awarded to David Biedenbender for a major new work for wind symphony. It will be performed by the BYU Wind Symphony, Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, United States Navy Band, and University of Michigan Symphony Band. An additional $80,000 was awarded to ten talented composers in the General and LDS categories. Those new works will be performed by a variety of ensembles and soloists.
We thank Kevin Anthony for his dedicated service and welcome Elizabeth Ogonek to the board. Gloria Barlow Bowman began her service as the family representative, bringing new energy and professional experience to expand the Barlow brand. Dan Bradshaw continues as Executive Director.
We honor the memory of the late Ed Adams, who served as Barlow Chair for the past decade. As current Dean of the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications, I am pleased to step into this service, drawing on my past roles as Vice Chair, Consortium Judge, and performer of the 2020 Prize. Vice Chair Shawn Smith—also a past Consortium Judge—will conduct the BYU Wind Symphony for the premiere of the 2025 Prize.
We offer our bittersweet congratulations and deep gratitude to retiring Administrator Francie Jenson and Financial Officer Thaylene Rogers. The Endowment remains in excellent hands as Administrator Maile Roberts and Financial Officer Josh McDaniel seamlessly assume their respective roles.
For over four decades, the Barlow Endowment has fostered far-reaching music-making worldwide, and we look forward to many more years of global collaboration.
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Toggle ItemIntern Reports
Samuel Erickson This was my second time as an intern for the Barlow Endowment, and it was even more rewarding than before. I had more opportunities to connect with professional composers, including conversations about my own work and shared experiences living in Argentina, which led to meaningful exchanges and career advice. These interactions also became valuable learning moments. I was reminded that being transparent with influences can elevate music from derivative to inspired, that variety and development are essential to maintain listener engagement, and that clarity in presentation is critical, as poor recordings or unchanging textures can lead to rejection. I am grateful to the Barlow family for the opportunity to learn, connect, and grow through this experience.
Luke Wallin I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to be an intern for the 2025 Barlow Endowment. It truly was a wonderful experience, and I especially thank the Barlow family for supporting this event. It was very enlightening to be surrounded by accomplished musicians, both in formal and casual settings. Being able to talk to the advisors and guest judges about the experiences that led them to where they are now was very beneficial. Seeing some similarities between the experiences I have had so far and theirs was also reassuring and inspiring. Some of the most impactful things I took away from this week took place during the judging rounds. I specifically remember discussions about form and texture that I found fascinating and edifying. There were a few times when a judge would make an observation about the “thickness” or “thinness” of a piece’s texture that I had not noticed myself. This broadened my understanding of why certain pieces felt more appealing to me than others. It was also interesting to see the judge’s reactions as different sections of a piece were played. I would like to again express my gratitude to the Barlow family for providing this amazing opportunity.
Rylie Pence This year was my second year participating as an intern for the Barlow Endowment and I couldn’t be more grateful to be invited back. I thank Gloria Barlow Bowman and the entire Barlow family for the opportunities I’ve had to be an intern at Snowbird and the opportunities that the Barlow Endowment provides to composers all around the world. As I’ve worked with such a diverse group of advisors and guest judges, I’ve noticed the varieties in personal musical preference, compositional and musical abilities, and ideas regarding the direction of future new music. While some judges prefer an emphasis on a carefully constructed tuneful melody, others might prefer innovative instrumentations and more ambient textural pieces. No matter the differences in the judge's perspectives, they all manage to show respect and integrity to each other and to the composers whose work they are reviewing. However, I did notice a surprising shift in the preferences in new music styles from last year’s Barlow experience, in the judging decisions and in the composers' submissions themselves. I’ve realized that every piece of music submitted and every composer who participates holds significant value, even if they don’t receive a commission.
Cade Singleton I am grateful for the opportunity to attend the Barlow Endowment judging session at Snowbird this year. As an intern, I was not directly involved in judging, but being around experienced composers, conductors, and musicians gave me valuable insight into the process. I learned how powerful it is when composers bring their own experiences and emotions into their work, and how that balance of emotion and technique helps music truly connect with people. I was especially impressed by the number of high quality submissions. So many pieces were creative, sophisticated, and deserving of recognition. It was inspiring to see how close the competition was and to be reminded that awards do not define the value of one’s art. This experience motivated me to continue growing as an artist. I am very grateful to the Barlow family for their support of the arts and for the impact this experience has had on me.
Enoch Thornock Going to Snowbird to assist and observe the judging process for the Barlow endowment was an experience I never thought I would have. I was blown away by the level of professionalism of everyone involved as well as the wonderful treatment we all received. Getting to spend my time hearing from composers at a high academic level was a real treat. It helped me get a better sense of what I might expect in my future schooling and career. I am also very grateful for the recreational activities I got to be involved in, such as hiking and eating good food. I feel like I have a much better sense of what the professional composing world looks like after having done this internship. It was very helpful for me to be around such high achieving individuals in the field. The board of advisors especially were each inspiring to me. They have taken in such a large amount of music and are incredibly well networked. They made some really interesting comments about the music they were judging, and I got to write down a good amount of notes. I am super grateful to BYU and the Barlow endowment for making this experience possible for me. It has already changed my life!
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Toggle ItemPersonnel
Board of Advisors
Kevin Patrick Anthony, with a PhD from the University of California, Irvine in Integrated Composition, Improvisation, and Technology, is a music composer, electronicist, and artist who blends traditional composition with modern technology. His academic background includes degrees from Brigham Young University Idaho (BMA) and Brigham Young University (MA in Music Composition), establishing a strong foundation in music and creativity. His work, which explores digital signal processing, AI, virtual reality, and motion-to-music translation, reflects his commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration. Recent highlights include performances at national and international conferences such as NIME, SEAMUS, and the EMM annual festival, and his compositions have been featured in an award-winning film at the EDM Dance Film Festival, Toronto Lift-off Film Festival, and the New York Arts and Entertainment Festival. He has also collaborated with groups such as Hub New Music and the BYU Singers. Recently, Kevin collaborated with Keely Glenn and Michelle Kesler on the Within the Canyon performance—a large interdisciplinary live concert featuring acoustic music, interactive electronics, dance, and 270-degree video projection. In addition, he presented his research on immersive music at Purdue University. Currently, he teaches music composition at Brigham Young University Provo and lives with his family in Springville, Utah.
Miguel del Aguila is a three-time Grammy-nominated American composer known for his rhythm-driven, Latin-inspired modern classical music. With over 140 compositions, his work blends traditional forms with innovative techniques, drawing heavily from his Latin American heritage. Del Aguila’s music has been performed by more than 100 orchestras worldwide, including prestigious ensembles such as the Springfield, Santa Fe, and Duluth Symphonies, and conducted by renowned figures like Leonard Slatkin, Marin Alsop, and JoAnn Falletta. His 65 CDs have topped the Billboard Classical Charts, earning widespread acclaim for their brilliance, wit, and sonic energy. In the 2024-2025 season, his works will be showcased at prominent venues such as the Kennedy Center and New World Symphony, alongside premieres in festivals like the Canberra International Film Festival and National Flute Convention. New album releases include Black Moon Trio and Miguel del Aguila: Barroqueada for horn & piano.
Carolina Heredia composes acoustic and electronic music and produces interdisciplinary artworks. She has a musical background in Western European Classical and Electronic, South American folk, and Argentinian tango music. She has received prestigious composition awards, including the 2015 Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard University, the 2019 Barlow Music Composition Commission, the 2018 Missouri Music Teachers Association, and the 2017 John Corigliano Composition International Competition at Chamber Music OC, among others. Her music has been programmed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Green Umbrella Series, the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra series, the NYC SONIC Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, the Lake George Music Festival, and the Bowdoin Music Festival, among others. She was a founding member and the Executive Director of the Khemia Ensemble and is currently a founding member of ANTiCX, a collective of multimedia artists. Carolina holds a Doctorate in Music Composition and was a Research Fellow for the Institute of Humanities at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Missouri and later an Assistant Professor in Music Composition and Associate Director for the Mizzou New Music Initiative before taking the position of Director of Programs for the American Composers Forum. She is currently based in Los Ángeles, California.
David A. Jones is a composer, hornist, singer, and educator based in Salem, Oregon. He teaches at Linn-Benton Community College, directs the New Horizons Willamette Valley Orchestra, and serves as Vice President of the Cascadia Composers chapter of NACUSA, a Tagalog-speaking member of the Oregon Secretary of State's Translation Advisory Council, and as a founding member of the Willamette River Horn Quartet. Jones champions music that is intricate and cleverly crafted while still being comprehensible and relatable. His quietly energetic music is a blend of the comfortably expected and the delightfully unexpected. Recent highlights include performances of his music by soprano Madeline Ross, the Willamette Valley Concert Band, the Georgia Southern University Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and the Statesboro Chamber Orchestra. This summer, Jones will release his debut solo album, Golden Scenescapes, featuring a little-known Sonata for Horn and Piano by Ernest Gold, alongside his own horn sonata and music by Ryan M. Hare and Ken Davies. He lives with his wife and two children in Salem, Oregon.
Julián Mansilla serves as a Professor of Music at the Conservatory of Music of Bahía Blanca, Argentina. He teaches Music Education, Music Pedagogy, and Musical Improvisation Techniques, and also serves as Head of the Department of Instrumental Music and Vocal Studies at CMBB. In addition to his teaching, he continues to organize the festival "Che Bandoneón!" in his hometown, where he presents concerts and classes aimed at expanding the repertoire and visibility of the bandoneon. In recent years, he has made significant progress in creating compositions and educational materials to increase access to this instrument. As a composer, he continues his project "Buscando Caminos", focusing many of his compositions through his group, the Napostá Quartet. Last year, he began a new composition project titled "Pictures from a Religion", inspired by 10 images of the eyes and hands of 10 LDS artists. The project is envisioned as a musical suite referencing Modest Mussorgsky’s masterpiece. Alongside his extensive teaching work, Julián actively contributes as a composer and performer in various ensembles. In 2025, he will perform his double concerto for bandoneon and French horn with the Bahía Blanca Symphony Orchestra. He currently lives with his wife and their three young children in Argentina.
Juri Seo, Associate Professor of Music at Princeton University, is a Korean-American composer and pianist. Her compositions merge many of the fascinating discoveries from the past century—in particular, the expanded timbral palette and unorthodox structures—with functional tonality, counterpoint, and classical form. She is a Guggenheim Fellow and a recipient of a Koussevitzky Commission from the Library of Congress. In 2025, her new work The Parliament of Fowles, a setting of Geoffrey Chaucer’s poem, was premiered at the Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. She is also looking forward to the premiere of her string orchestra work Songbird by the New York Classical Players in March. She is currently working on a new piece for the Terra String Quartet, which will be presented at Caramoor. Her fourth portrait album, Obsolete Music, is set to be released by New Amsterdam Records in June.
Consortium Representatives
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Takeshi Ooi
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Courtney Snyder
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Shawn Smith
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Capt. Robert "Seph" Coats
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Jeffrey Allardyce
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Andrew Maxfield
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Diane ReichFamily Representative
Gloria Bowman
Program Assistant
Maile RobertsFinancial Officer
Thaylene Rogers
Executive Director
Dan BradshawAdministrator
Francie Jenson
