Congratulations to 2022–23 Luna Lab fellow Lili M. Namazi, who was just awarded the 2023 G. Schirmer Prize for Luna Composition Lab for their work [to be determined].
“Everyone at Luna Composition Lab was blown away by Lili Namazi’s composition [to be determined]. This work showed maturity, restraint, and an impressive command of orchestration. Lili is fast becoming a fresh new voice in the contemporary music scene, and we at Luna Composition Lab are thrilled to be even a small part of that trajectory.”—Missy Mazzoli and Ellen Reid
Inaugurated in 2019, G. Schirmer & Associated Music Publishers, part of the Wise Music Group, awards the G. Schirmer Prize each year to a Luna Lab fellow. It offers access to publishing industry professionals and a cash prize, as well as educational mentoring and networking opportunities.
“I conceptualize [to be determined] as a brief segment on a continuum of time and sound. Motifs are introduced but never fully realized, and the piece remains soft and sparse for its duration, never reaching any semblance of a climax. I was fascinated by the sound of harmonics produced on piano strings, and that features prominently in the piece as a bed of sound on which other textures fade in and out of being. As harmonic tension builds, the density of sound begins to increase, but then the tension dissipates almost prematurely. This sense of ambiguity and hidden versus audible elements inspired the piece’s title; these seven minutes don’t exist in isolation, but what came before them and what comes after are wholly open to interpretation.”—Lili Namazi
Watch [to be determined], performed by musicians from the International Contemporary Ensemble.