Each year the winning songs from the Eric Stokes Song Contest are widely varied and always delightful. This year is no different! Today we shine the spotlight on 2016 youth winner Ivan Cunningham. Ivan is a 16-year-old junior at Perpich Center For Arts Education. His winning composition, Sanctions, will be performed at Zeitgeist's Playing it Close to Home concerts Feb. 18-21.
I've always been interested in music. Through having musician parents, I've always had an entire library of music at my fingertips for me to listen to and learn from. I started playing saxophone at 10 years old, and it has been my main instrument since. Over the last few years, I've become very interested in jazz and other forms of improvisational music. I have had playing experience in my father's ensemble Fall of The House of Usher, as well a group I formed with my friends, Halcyon Daze.
I wrote this piece, Sanctions, for Janika Vandevelde's composition class at Perpich. We each wrote a piece for the Zeitgeist instrumentation and then had the amazing opportunity to take a field trip to Studio Z so we could hear our pieces sightread by the ensemble and receive a recording of the reading.
I only started getting serious about notated composition this school year, due to the classes I've been taking at Perpich. Since I started school at Perpich, I have discovered that composing and playing music is all I want to do with my life. I have found a new way of expressing myself and I believe that it is a beautiful thing.
I would like to thank Janika Vandervelde for all the countless hours of amazing work she has put into inspiring my class and I. She could not have done a better job in making it clear that she wants us to succeed.
—Ivan Cunningham
I've always been interested in music. Through having musician parents, I've always had an entire library of music at my fingertips for me to listen to and learn from. I started playing saxophone at 10 years old, and it has been my main instrument since. Over the last few years, I've become very interested in jazz and other forms of improvisational music. I have had playing experience in my father's ensemble Fall of The House of Usher, as well a group I formed with my friends, Halcyon Daze.
I wrote this piece, Sanctions, for Janika Vandevelde's composition class at Perpich. We each wrote a piece for the Zeitgeist instrumentation and then had the amazing opportunity to take a field trip to Studio Z so we could hear our pieces sightread by the ensemble and receive a recording of the reading.
I only started getting serious about notated composition this school year, due to the classes I've been taking at Perpich. Since I started school at Perpich, I have discovered that composing and playing music is all I want to do with my life. I have found a new way of expressing myself and I believe that it is a beautiful thing.
I would like to thank Janika Vandervelde for all the countless hours of amazing work she has put into inspiring my class and I. She could not have done a better job in making it clear that she wants us to succeed.
—Ivan Cunningham
Playing it Close to Home
Feb 18, 9:30 a.m.
Inver Hills Community College Black Box Theater
2500 80th St E, Inver Grove Heights, MN
$10 / free for students
Feb. 19-20, 7:30 p.m.
Feb 21, 2 p.m.
Studio Z: 275 East Fourth Street, Suite 200, St. Paul
$15 / $10 students & seniors
Tickets & Details
Inver Hills Community College Black Box Theater
2500 80th St E, Inver Grove Heights, MN
$10 / free for students
Feb. 19-20, 7:30 p.m.
Feb 21, 2 p.m.
Studio Z: 275 East Fourth Street, Suite 200, St. Paul
$15 / $10 students & seniors
Tickets & Details
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