Announcing the 2021 YCA Composer-in-Residence
YCA is thrilled to announce that Nina Shekhar has been selected to be YCA’s 2021 Composer-in-Residence! She joins the YCA roster with a three-year comprehensive management contract, and will be awarded $18,000 for three YCA commissions to be written over the course of the residency, and premiered in upcoming debut concerts.
Nina Shekhar is a composer who explores the intersection of identity, vulnerability, love, and laughter to create bold and intensely personal works.
Described as “vivid” (The Washington Post) and “surprises and delights aplenty” (The LA Times), her music has been commissioned and performed by leading soloists, ensembles and orchestras across the country. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Music Composition at Princeton University. An active educator, she is a Composer Teaching Artist Fellow for Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and is on faculty at Brightwork newmusic‘s Project Beacon initiative. Read more about Nina
From President Daniel Kellogg (YCA 2002 Composer-in-Residence): “YCA is delighted to welcome Nina Shekhar as Composer-in-Residence. Her music deeply impressed our jury and it will be a great pleasure to support her work. Nina joins an illustrious list of YCA composers who began their careers on our roster.”
“I’m very excited to be YCA’s next composer-in-residence during a time when the arts world is redefining what music-making means through and post-pandemic. I’m grateful to have YCA’s support as I navigate my own creative pathways and forge my values as an artist.” – Nina Shekhar
hush (2019) for two microtonal keyboards
DEAR ABBY (2020) for two singers and sinfonietta (performed by Albany Symphony Dogs of Desire)
Visit Nina’s SoundCloud and YouTube for more music.
This year, we received submissions from 82 composers, representing an incredibly high level of talent and imagination. Great music is being written by so many wonderful young composers throughout this country.
We’d like to recognize three composers selected as finalists this year:
We acknowledge and thank the following members of the jury, who spent countless hours listening and reviewing scores: Jonathan Bailey Holland, composer; Tania Leon, composer; Andrew Norman, composer; Ursula Oppens, piano; Lesley Robertson, viola; Nadia Sirota, viola; Jeffrey Swann, piano, Susan Wadsworth, YCA Founder.
The YCA Composer Program was founded 28 years ago by YCA’s Alumni Association to discover and support exciting young composers and to provide opportunities for collaboration with excellent performers. Since the inception of the program, YCA has brought 12 exceptional composers to public attention: Dan Coleman, Kevin Puts, Kenji Bunch, Mason Bates, Daniel Kellogg, Benjamin C.S. Boyle, Andrew Norman, Chris Rogerson, David Hertzberg, Tonia Ko, Katherine Balch, Saad Haddad — and now, most recently, Nina Shekhar.
Read more about the YCA Composer Program