Sam Ritter (DM ’20) was recently named a finalist among over 400 submissions in the ASCAP Foundation’s Morton Gould Young Composer Awards Competition for his work “What Room Does Fear Have.”

Premiered in January of 2019, “What Room Does Fear Have” is scored for chorus, string orchestra, 2 solo french horns, and mezzo-soprano solo. The text was adapted from Jon Jorgenson’s viral video “What are you afraid of?”

The premiere performance included over 60+ volunteer JSoM students, with a special appearance by IU choral conducting faculty member Dr. Chris Albanese. The stunning mezzo-soprano solo was championed by Dr. Courtney Jameson, first place winner in the Artist Division of the National Opera Association’s Carolyn Bailey and Dominick Argento Vocal Competition in 2018, and winner of multiple districts of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

Enjoy the performance!

More information about the piece can be found here.