Grove City College Associate Professor of Music and Director of Jazz Ensembles Dr. Joseph Hasper recently won second place in The American Prize in Composition for Choral Music.
Hasper earned the prize for five songs he entered – “Twenty-Four Hallelujahs,” “If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking,” “The Kings, They Came,” “Refuge” and “In The Fishery of Souls” – and beat out hundreds of entries for one of the top prizes in the nationwide arts competition. Hasper, who teaches music theory and composition, wrote the music, with text based on scripture and the poetry of Emily Dickinson and Sara Teasdale.
“It’s a nice affirmation of what I do,” Hasper said. “One of my composition teachers always told me to never enter a competition with the expectation of winning. Enter because it urges you to do your best work.”
“This is a prestigious award for Dr. Hasper. Being recognized by The American Prize is the musical and compositional equivalent of publishing research in a respected journal,” said Dr. Jeffrey M. Tedford ’00, chair of the Department of Music.
A prolific composer, Hasper has had his work performed by ensembles in over 40 countries and a variety of Grove City College ensembles over the last few years.
For more about the Department of Music at Grove City College visit gcc.edu/musi.