Contest winner, Andy Akiho, pictured with eighth blackbird. L to R: Michael J. Maccaferri, Timothy Munro,
Yvonne Lam, Matthew Duvall, Andy Akiho, Lisa Kaplan, and Nick Photino – Photo by Kipling Swehla

MakeMusic announced today the winner of the Finale National Composition Contest. Andy Akiho of New Haven, Conn. won the final prize, which included $3,000 and a future public performance by the Grammy-winning ensemble eighth blackbird. Learn more about Andy, and see an example of his handiwork with Finale, in this interview from the Finale Blog.

The Finale National Composition Contest is a partnership between MakeMusic, the American Composers Forum and the Grammy-winning ensemble eighth blackbird. The objective of the competition is to encourage creativity by composers throughout the United States and to recognize and reward their accomplishments.

The contest was launched in July 2010. In February 2011 three finalists were selected from more than 500 submissions. Each finalist subsequently wrote a piece specifically for eighth blackbird and traveled to Chicago to rehearse and prepare the music with the ensemble. On Dec 8 all three pieces were performed at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, and the winner was announced later that evening.

A second competition, the 2012 Finale National Composition Contest, was announced in October 2011. This time MakeMusic and the American Composers Forum team up with the acclaimed American string quartet JACK Quartet. Finalists will be announced by February 1, 2012, and complete details can be found on the contest website.

Please join me in congratulating Andy by clicking on “Comments” below.