Sigma Alpha Iota

OPPORTUNITIES 2009 Margaret Blackburn Biennial Composition Competition winner Liza White White Named Blackburn Biennial Composition Competition Winner T he Pittsburgh Alumnae Chapter named Liza White the winner of the 2009 Margaret Blackburn Biennial Composition Competition. The winning composition, entitled "Big Fish" is for two clarinets. A total of 23 entries were received from young women across the United States, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Receiving honorable mention were "A Personal Hell" for soprano and chamber ensemble, composed by Fu-Tsun Wang, University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign and "Different Sorts" for violin and classical guitar composed by Laura M. Kramer, University of Southern California. The judge for the 2009 competition was Nancy Galbraith, a composer and Professor of Music at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh PA. Nancy is an Honorary Member initiated by the Pittsburgh Alumnae Chapter. The Blackburn Composition Award is given in memory of Margaret Blackburn, composer of the SAI Chorale. Margaret was an initiate of the Alpha Mu Chapter at Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in 1935. Her chorale won an SAI national composition competition and was made the official chorale in 1947. Margaret remained an active member of the Pittsburgh Alumnae Chapter until her death in 1993. She 16 PAN PIPES FALL 2010sai-national.org was awarded the Ring of Excellence for the SAI Chorale at the 1971 SAI National Convention, and she was honored at the 1990 SAI Convention when the SAI Ritual Service was dedicated to her. Liza White received her Master of Music degree in Composition from the New England Conservatory of Music and her Bachelor of Music degree in Composition and Trombone Performance from Boston University. She has also studied at the Royal College of Music in London, England. White's music has been performed by leading ensembles such as ALEA III, the University of Massachusetts Youth Wind Ensemble, and the Charlestown Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet. She has been recognized with numerous awards including the 2007 Craig and Janet Swan Prize and a 2008 Emil and Ruth Beyer Award from the National Federation of Music Clubs. She has held residencies at the MacDowell Colony and the Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences and has been invited to attend many national music festivals. She is currently working toward a Ph.D. in Composition at the University of California at Berkeley. The deadline for entering the next Margaret Blackburn Biennial Composition Competition will be April 10, 2011. Please write to Melissa Alpha Nu initiate Margaret Blackburn, composer of the SAI Chorale, as seen in the Nov. 1938 PAN PIPES. Lessure at Lessure@lycos.com for further information. The competition is open to females enrolled in a degree program at the university level.

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