Jarvis ’20 Awarded 2017 William Averitt Prize for Excellence in Composition

Grayson Jarvis ’20 was awarded the 2017 William Averitt Prize for Excellence in Composition for his piece, “Coax.” His composition for solo piano will be performed by Assistant Professor of Piano Ieva Jokubaviciute, M.M., during the EDGE Ensemble concert at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19, at Bright Box Theater in Old Town Winchester.

“While writing ‘Coax,’ I explored the piano as if I were discovering it for the first time. My goal was to write a work where the piano sounded ‘prepared,’ without actually preparing the instrument with external objects. With these additional sounds and textures now at my disposal, I present my own interpretation of the story of Adam and Eve,” said Jarvis.

The William Averitt Prize for Excellence in Composition is awarded each year to an outstanding undergraduate student in the composition program at Shenandoah Conservatory. Named in honor of Professor Emeritus William Averitt, one of the founders of the program in composition at Shenandoah, this award recognizes outstanding talent in composition at Shenandoah Conservatory. All works submitted for composition juries throughout each academic year are eligible, and will be judged based on (1) excellence of compositional craft; (2) artistry and creativeness of ideas; and (3) clarity of execution in score preparation.

Upon the completion of the jury process, faculty review all jury scores and submitted works. They select single composer/work by consensus to be awarded the prize. Winners receive a certificate of achievement and a performance of the winning work by a Shenandoah Conservatory ensemble.

Jarvis is also currently working with working with Associate Professor of Theatre J.J. Ruscella, M.F.A., to score a production of “The Exonerated,” which is directed by Ruscella and will be presented Oct. 20, through Oct. 22, in Glaize Studio Theatre.