Ok and Barda/Hocking Named Winners of NOTUS Composition Contest
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
IU Jacobs School of Music – Bloomington, IN
IU Jacobs School of Music Composition students Jieun Ok and Courage Barda/Eli Hocking (submitting jointly) have been named First and Second-Prize winners, respectively, of the 2025 NOTUS Student Composition Contest.
First Prize winner Jieun Ok a composer who earned her Bachelor of Music in Composition from Yonsei University and is now pursuing a Master of Music degree in composition and music theory at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where she continues to refine her voice as a composer and collaborator. She currently studies with David Dzubay.
Ok’s winning work for mixed chorus and alto saxophone is Nil-ri-ri-ya, a setting of a traditional Korean folk song. Of the work, Ok shares: “Nil-ri-ri-ya” is a traditional Korean folk song that was sung in the Gyeonggi province. Like Arirang, It is filled with sorrowful themes, such as longing for an absent lover and lamenting over aging. The recurring refrain “nil-ri-ri-ya” is said to imitate the sound of the piri (a traditional Korean wind instrument). … The reason I chose the saxophone is because its sound is very similar to the piri. The choir and saxophone interact with each other, and at times, one takes over from the other.”
Second Prize winners Courage Barda and Eli Hocking are both undergraduate composers studying for their degrees currently with Profs. Han Lash and P.Q. Phan, respectively.
Barda and Hocking’s jointly created Second Prize work is La Mandoline, an adaptation of a poem by French-Polish writer and art critic Guillaume Apollinaire. They say of their work: “La Mandoline” is a meditation on the idea that music and art are humanizing forces, even in the bleakest of times.”
NOTUS will give the world premiere of the works by Jieun Ok and Courage Barda/Eli Hocking on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 at 8pm in Auer Concert Hall as part of their concert Meditations and Reflections. This concert will also feature new works by composition faculty members Aaron Travers and David Dzubay.
The judges also awarded Honorable Mentions this year to composer Jamey Guzman for her score Raise Her Up.
The judges for this year’s competition were Allan Armstrong, Assistant Professor of Music (Voice), Betsy Burleigh, Thomas R. Kasdorf Professor of Music (Choral Conducting), and John Gibson, Associate Professor of Music (Composition).
The Contest is an initiative of Dominick DiOrio, Professor of Music and Director of NOTUS: IU Contemporary Vocal Ensemble. DiOrio did not take part in the judging panel. The submission of scores was anonymous and the judges did not see names or identifying information until after final decisions were made. The annual competition is open to all current undergraduate and graduate composition students at the Jacobs School of Music.
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Jieun Ok (b. 1997) was born in Seoul, South Korea, and has actively broadened her musical expertise by immersing herself in diverse genres, such as jazz, theater music, and game music. She has established a versatile portfolio that includes premieres by Jeju Wind Orchestra, Cheongju Philharmonic Orchestra, Flasic Game Orchestra, Seoul Choral Society, Busan Conductors Choir, Busan Harmony Choir, and Trio Achim, reflecting her ability to compose for various instrumental and vocal settings. Jieun currently contributes as a composer and arranger for Trio Achim, where she explores unique chamber arrangements, and as an orchestrator for Flasic, creating intricate orchestrations for game music performances. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Composition from Yonsei University and is now pursuing a Master of Music degree in composition and music theory at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where she continues to refine her voice as a composer and collaborator.
Courage Barda (b. 2003) is a composer, media artist, and countertenor who composes and performs concert and interactive multimedia works which combine music with text, movement, theater, and digital technologies. They use a variety of experimental techniques in their work, captivating audiences through their expanded vocal lexicon, psychedelic video art, and minimalist prose. Their reconciliation with dance after a disabling neurological event is a key aspect of their work as an artist. Restricted by their physical impairment, they have developed a robust yet clear choreographic language that is defined by aleatoric and adaptive movement techniques. Their work is commissioned and performed by individuals and ensembles throughout the U.S., most notably Choral Arts Initiative, Hub New Music, International Brazilian Opera Company, The Capital Hearings, and NOTUS, Indiana University’s contemporary vocal ensemble. In addition to their own compositions, Barda performs an eclectic repertoire as a countertenor specializing in the performance of both early music and new music. They are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in composition and historical performance (voice) at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, studying composition with Han Lash and voice with Judith Malafronte. They formerly studied composition with Don Freund and voice with Steven Rickards.
Eli Hocking (b. 2005) is a prudent and pensive composer, poet and organist. Having transcribed folk songs from around the world, such as northern Japan and the Bayaka tribe in Central Africa, Hocking aims to create the “folk music of humanity” — a musical style that captures the song innate within humankind. To achieve this, he often uses his knowledge of linguistics and characteristics of world languages to diversify his compositional style. Hocking was a finalist in the Kuttner String Quartet competition in 2023, and has had pieces premiered by trumpeter Stephen Stavnicky and by the Jacobs School of Music ballet department. Using his knowledge of the French language, Hocking has set poems of Apollinaire and Lamartine for choir, and has presented those works to the French department at IU. Hocking’s interests also extend to playing organ; his repertoire includes Messiaen’s Apparition de L’Église éternelle, Vierne’s Berceuse, and Sark’s Toccata Primi Toni. He has written numerous organ works. His previous organ instructors include Robert Nicholls. Hocking is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Composition from the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana, with minors in French and Linguistics. He is currently studying composition with P.Q. Phan.
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