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MSU composer nominated for 2018 Grammy award

January 7, 2018
Music education senior Aaron Wright plays the trombone in the Wind Symphony during a rehearsal on Sept. 30, 2015, in Wharton Center's Cobb Great Hall. The group was rehearsing for a concert featuring David Maslanka's music on Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Wharton Center's Cobb Great Hall.
Music education senior Aaron Wright plays the trombone in the Wind Symphony during a rehearsal on Sept. 30, 2015, in Wharton Center's Cobb Great Hall. The group was rehearsing for a concert featuring David Maslanka's music on Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Wharton Center's Cobb Great Hall. —

MSU College of Music associate professor of composition Zhou Tian was nominated to receive a 2018 Grammy award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition.

According to a press release, Tian’s 35-minute concerto, “Concerto for Orchestra," is in the running for the industry award, presented by the Recording Academy.

The four-movement piece was written for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s 2015-16 season finale. 

The winner of the award will be announced at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in New York on Jan. 28.

“I am humbled and extremely honored,” Tian said in the press release. “There were no notifications beforehand, so many friends and colleagues learned about it before I did. I was driving to MSU that morning and my wife called and said many of her colleagues were sending congratulations."

Zhou regards “Concerto for Orchestra” as one of his most important works. 

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra commissioned Zhou for the concerto after having previously commissioned him for a 15-minute work, “Trace," in 2013. 

Zhou’s work stands comparable to great works of standard symphonies, professor of composition and chair of the MSU Composition Area Ricardo Lorenz said in the press release. 

“We are extremely proud to have Zhou as our colleague and to have his strengths and achievements complement those of our composition faculty," Lorenz said. “(Zhou) is a superb composer who bridges the artistic, the academic, and immensely competitive and savvy world of the music business."

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