Let Us Now Praise Composer/Saxophonists

Let Us Now Praise Composer/Saxophonists

The Deep Listening Institute will honor Roscoe Mitchell with the 2009 Deep Listening Golden Ear Award, and Erica vonKleist, 26, was awarded one of two 2009 Martin E. Segal Awards.

Written By

NewMusicBox Staff


Roscoe Mitchell
Photo by Joseph Blough

The Deep Listening Institute will honor Roscoe Mitchell with the 2009 Deep Listening Golden Ear Award as part of Big Deep, a benefit concert for the institute to be held on April 18 at The Kitchen in New York City. Deep Listening Institute recognizes the composer and saxophonist’s “astute contributions to the world of music.” The Golden Ear award was established in 2007 to recognize musicians who, in their practice, are great listeners. Mitchell will be the third artist to be honored with a Golden Ear award. Trombonist Stuart Dempster received the first Golden Ear in 2007 on the occasion of his 70th birthday. The second Golden Ear was presented posthumously to the noted musician and educator Toyoji Tomita in 2008.


Erica vonKleist

Composer and saxophonist Erica vonKleist, 26, was awarded one of two 2009 Martin E. Segal Awards on March 10 (the other went to youth development/community arts activist Mauricio Tafur Salgado). Each winner received $7,500—a cash award increased by $2,500 last year—to be used for future study and career advancement. Now in its 23rd year, the award is given annually to two rising young artists in recognition of outstanding achievement. VonKleist has performed with and been commissioned by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and the Grammy-nominated Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra. She is also the recipient of a 2005-2006 ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Award, granted to encourage talented young jazz composers under the age of 30. —Condensed from the press release