Announcing The NowBeat Commission Awardees!

Announcing The NowBeat Commission Awardees!

March 4, 2024

Today, The NowBeat Project is thrilled to release the results of the adjudication process for The NowBeat Commission. Guest judges Dr. Jennifer Jolley of Lehman College and Dr. Michael Frazier of Oberlin Conservatory reviewed all 19 submissions from alumni of The NowBeat Project’s previous programs, and the following awardees were chosen:

Recipient of The NowBeat Commission:

  • Zachary Jarvis, Danville, CA, USA (2023 Cycle Participant)

Honorable Mentions:

  • Tyler Bialowas, McKinney, TX, USA (2023 Cycle Participant)

  • Euan Dandurand, Lancaster, CA, USA (Spring 2022 & 2023 Cycle Participant)

  • Irene Huang, Toronto, ON, CA (2023 Cycle Participant)

We extend heartfelt congratulations to the above composers and to all applicants of The NowBeat Commission! It was an extremely competitive review process, and the judges were impressed by all of the submissions.

As the recipient of The NowBeat Commission, Zachary Jarvis will receive a $500 honorarium to compose a new work for string quartet, which will be premiered by Juilliard student musicians at The NowBeat Concert in New York City in May 2024. Please stay tuned for more information coming very soon!

About the Awardees

Zachary Jarvis

Recipient of The NowBeat Commission

Eleven years ago I took my first piano lesson, and less than a month after I wrote my first composition. But until high school, I planned on studying piano; in my head, composition was just a fun hobby.
In the summer before 10th grade, after applying on a whim, I attended Interlochen Summer Arts Camp and my world was, musically speaking, rocked. This camp allowed me to truly explore composition, learn more advanced music theory, and hear my music played by other musicians for the first time. I went back to Interlochen in 11th grade, this time for twice as long, and continued to learn and grow as a composer. While there, I met my current composition teacher, from whom I’ve taken lessons for about a year.
During 11th grade, I started to submit my music to competitions and programs for the first time (which is how I ended up applying to the NowBeat project!). To my surprise, a lot of my submissions were successful! Now, as a senior in high school, I’ve continued to avidly compose, focusing on large ensemble pieces and string writing. I am attending Yale next year and plan to study music composition.

Tyler Bialowas

Honorable Mention

Tyler is a teenage composer. He started music composition in 2020, and so far, he's composed over 25 songs. He started playing piano when he was 2 years old. He studies composition at the Music Institute of North Texas, with Dr. Imre Pátkai, and piano at the Music Institute of North Texas, with Dr. Katharina Dann. In addition to composing music, Tyler likes video games, Microsoft Flight Simulator, his dog (Biscuit), mountain biking, theatrical lighting design, NTPA Studios, and playing piano.

Euan Dandurand

Honorable Mention

I've been playing piano for the past eight years, and after a push from my mom to write down an improvisation I came up with, I began composing three years ago, in January of 2021. I've mostly stuck to writing for piano solo, that being the instrument I play, but I've also ventured into composing piano trios for my brothers, who play violin and cello, and I to play together. Through the NowBeat Project, I've composed pieces for marimba and oboe as well. I've also written for string quartet and woodwind quartet, though those pieces haven't, yet, been performed live. This past fall, I joined the Antelope Valley Children’s Choir, and this upcoming spring, I hope to perform, with some friends, an ensemble that I've arranged for us to sing.

Irene Huang

Honorable Mention

Irene Huang is a full scholarship student at the Phil and Eli Taylor Academy of the Royal Conservatory of Music, under the tutelage of Dr. Michael Berkovsky. She received her ARCT First Class Honours with Distinction in both piano and violin, the highest academic standings awarded by the RCM Certificate Program. She also received RCM’s Gold Medal for achieving the highest ARCT violin mark in the province. Currently, Irene is the pianist in the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, the collaborative pianist for the North Toronto Songbirds school, and the composer-in-residence for the Chinese Artists Society of Toronto Youth Orchestra.

In 2020, Irene created Autumn Strings – a chamber group with a mission to share their love for music through monthly concerts on YouTube, volunteer activities, and collaborations with other amazing musicians. In 2021, Irene founded and coached Unique Mind Music – a youth ensemble where students got the opportunity to develop their artistic skills and spread joy through music during the pandemic.

Irene also has extensive collaborative experience, having worked with strings, woodwinds, brass, and vocal musicians for recitals, exams, competitions, and festivals. Her music training and experience have prepared her to pursue her passion as a professional composer. In 2021, Irene composed “Hide and Seek” piano trio and “Yellow Sky Over Blue Mountains” string quartet. Both pieces were performed by Glenn Gould School students and earned the top prize at Western University’s Composition Competition. In 2022, Irene’s composition “Face the Music” won first place in the United Nations’ Youth Music Challenge and was featured during their inaugural event for the International Day for Disarmament. In 2023, Irene's new composition "Deaf Pillows" won the first prize in the Musical Offering's Young Women's Composition Competition.