CONTACT: Ellen Schantz at 847-491-5726 or eschantz@northwestern.edu

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Northwestern University School of Music Soliciting Nominations for 2008 Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Music Composition

Prize includes $100,000 and performance with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

EVANSTON--The Northwestern University School of Music announces a call for nominations for the 2008 cycle of the Michael Nemmers Prize in Music Composition. The biennial award honors classical music composers of outstanding achievement who have significantly impacted the field of composition. The prize, conferred through nomination, includes a cash award of $100,000, a performance by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and a residency of four non-consecutive weeks at the Northwestern University School of Music where the recipient will interact with faculty and students. Previous winners have been John Adams in 2004 and Oliver Knussen in 2006. 

Nominations for the Nemmers Prize are reviewed by a three-member selection committee, comprising individuals of widely recognized stature in the music community. One member is designated by the Chicago Symphony and the remaining two by the Northwestern University School of Music. The prize will be awarded without regard to citizenship or institutional affiliation. 

The Michael Nemmers Prize in Music Composition is made possible through a generous gift from the late Erwin E. Nemmers and Frederic E. Nemmers, who also enabled in 1994 the creation of the Erwin Plein Nemmers Prize in Economics and the Frederic Esser Prize in Mathematics, both leading awards in their fields. 

Nominations for the 2008 prize cycle will be accepted now until February 1, 2008, with the announcement of the winner scheduled for late spring. Nominations preferably should come from recognized experts in the music profession and should describe the nominee’s accomplishments and qualifications in no more than two pages. A resume is encouraged, but is not required. Self-nominations will not be accepted, and former or present members of the Northwestern University faculty or employees of the Chicago Symphony are not eligible. All nominations should be sent to: 

Secretary to the Selection Committee
Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Music Composition
Office of the Dean
School of Music
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL  60208

For further details on the Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize and the prize criteria, visit the Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize web page.

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