I am pleased to announce that my orchestral work, Soundness of the Sea from the Quintet Suite, Sirens of the
Salish Sea, is a semi-finalist in the Composers Music For Orchestra category of The American Prize 2022.
The list includes many accomplished composers (the list below is only the first half the semi-finalists) with their original orchestral works and this competition is very competitive indeed! I am extremely grateful to be on this list!
Updates later as to the finalist will be. The American Prize Website and the complete list of semi-finalist:
Nan Avant, a native of the Pacific Northwest, was brought up in a peaceful pastoral setting amidst artists on her maternal side and the rich South American heritage of Peru on her father’s side. Music was constantly playing in the background of her early years. Symphonies, musicals, South American music, Tangos, and Peruvian waltzes all contributed to her love of music. At an early age, she began studying piano and continued through high school and college. At the age of 16, she and her sister lived with relatives in Lima, Peru while their parents embarked on an adventure, riding motorcycles from Seattle to the border of Panama and Columbia. Living internationally was life enriching and opened new vistas to her as a young person. Returning to the United States, she continued her piano studies and expanded her horizons by learning to play the balalaika, becoming a member of the Seattle Balalaika Orchestra. It was also during this time in her life that she began composing music for piano.. Avant reveived a BFA degree from California Institute of the Arts, and studied film scoring at the Pacific Northwest Film Scoring Program under the direction of two time Emmy Winner, Hummie Mann.
