Perrine wins Sousa/Ostwald Award

Cornell College music professor Aaron Perrine has won the 2015 Sousa/Ostwald Award from the American Bandmasters Association for his composition “Only Light.” This is the second time he has won the award, having previously won in 2013.

“Only Light” was commissioned by the University of Iowa Symphony Band, which is directed by Richard Mark Heidel, and premiered at the North Central College Band Directors National Association Conference in February 2014. It has been performed numerous times since its premiere, and was included on the latest University of Kansas Wind Ensemble recording project. The recording will be released on the Naxos label next year.

The Sousa/Ostwald Award has been awarded jointly by the American Bandmasters Association and John Philip Sousa Foundation since 1956, and comes with a cash prize of $5,000.

“It’s arguably the most prestigious and coveted composition award for band music in the nation,” Cornell College Dean Joe Dieker, who holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Instrumental Music, said.

Perrine, who has a Ph.D. in composition from the University of Iowa and has taught at Cornell College since 2014, has been commissioned to write a piece to begin the UI Symphony Band’s first concert in the university’s new music facilities. That piece will premiere in fall 2016.

Read a full interview with Perrine in his hometown newspaper, the Mille Lacs (Minnesota) Messenger.