Next round of Commission Awards will be announced at the final concert of the season, on April 21, 2024 at 3 PM

We are grateful for the support of Musica Canis Avem for this round.

“MADE IN BALTIMORE” – BCGS Commissioning Program

In 2006, the BCGS Artistic Director Manuel Barrueco initiated a new program called “BCGS Commission Award” where a young and talented composer is commissioned to write a piece for the BCGS to be premiered during our concert season.

The first BCGS Commission Award went to composer Christopher Gainey who wrote Chupacabra for two guitars, which was premiered during our Yount Talent Concert on November 12, 2006 by Duo Transatlantique. The new piece was subsequently published and distributed world-wide by Vogt&Fritz in Germany.

The second BCGS Commission Award went to Gabriela Lena Frank who wrote Inca Dances for guitar and string quartet. The new work was premiered on April 19, 2008 by Manuel Barrueco and Cuarteto Latinoamericano and was released on the CD “Sounds of the Americas” on Tonar Music. Inca Dances is published by G. Shirmer Inc. in New York and won a 2009 Latin GRAMMY Award for “Best Classical Contemporary Composition” and its commission was made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The third BCGS Commission Award was given to Matthew Cmiel, who wrote a solo work for classical guitar in two movements: I Wasted Time and Now Doth Time Waste Me. The work was premiered during our Yount Talent Concert on March 29, 2009, by Max Zuckerman.

The fourth BCGS Commission Award was given to Christopher William Pierce, who wrote a work for classical guitar duo in three movements: Three Pieces for Two Guitars. The work was premiered during our Yount Talent Concert on February 7, 2010, with the ChromaDuo (Tracy Anne Smith & Rob McDonald).

In honor of our 25th Anniversary, the BCGS has commissioned four new works for the classical guitar from these composers, in alphabetical order:

  • John Belkot composed a solo guitar piece called Der duft des winters which was performed by Andrew Poxon.
  • Joshua Bornfield composed a guitar quartet called Murmurs which was performed by the Atlantic Guitar Quartet.
  • Scott Lee composed a solo guitar work called To Build a House performed by Oscar Somersalo.
  • Elizabeth Nonemaker composed a guitar duo called Old Habits, Similar Patters performed by Jeremy Lutty and Meng Su.

The works were premiered in a sold-out concert celebrating these Baltimore area composers and the artists that performed them on Sunday, March 9, 2014 at 2pm in the Recital Hall of Towson University Center for the Arts. Ronald Pearl conducted in interview with each of the composers before their respective world-premieres. The commissions were supported by the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, creator of the Baker Artists Awards, www.BakerArtistAwards.org and the Citizens of Baltimore County.

In honor of its 30th Anniversary in 2017-2018, the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society commissioned four young Baltimore-based composers to write works inspired by “Charm City.” And the project received the name “Made in Baltimore.”

  • Jordan Chase composed a solo guitar work called Nevermore which was inspired by the theories surrounding the death of Edgar Allan Poe and performed was performed by Mengyi Li.
  • Gabriel Bouche Caro composed a solo guitar piece called …of unnoticed charm which was inspired by the small specific details of architecture in the Mount Vernon area in Baltimore and performed by Jesse Washburn.
  • Edmund Scott Miller composed a guitar duo called Storied and sought inspiration in the rich history of Baltimore, the cityscape of many-storied buildings, and most importantly, the socio-economic ‘strata’ that divide up the city geographically and culturally. The work was performed by Zoe Johnstone Stewart and Jeremy Lyons.
  • Samuel Winnie composed a guitar trio called Esplanade; a tone poem inspired by the Inner Harbor in Baltimore in which he describes his general feelings towards the harbor in its present state, beauty and malady alike. The work was performed by Katie Cho, Connor Milstead, and Shon Stelman.

In the 2020-2021 concert season, the BCGS presented local performers as a show of solidarity during the pandemic that has affected artists greatly. To maximize the impact of “presenting local,” the BCGS commissioned three works to be premiered during the season and Elizabeth Nonemaker’s work “Old Habits, Similar Patters” was performed again by the Beijing Guitar Duo.

List of commissioned composers:

  1. John Belkot
  2. Joshua Bornfield
  3. Gabriel Bouche Caro
  4. Jordan Chase (x2)
  5. Matthew Cmiel
  6. Gabriela Lena Frank
  7. Christopher Gainey
  8. Scott Lee
  9. Ronn McFarlane
  10. Edmund Scott Miller
  11. Elizabeth Nonemaker
  12. Ronald Pearl
  13. Christopher William Pierce
  14. Samuel Winnie

World premiere of “Between Earth and Sky” by Jordan Chase, performed by the Barrueco Studio Ensemble: Gwenyth Aggeler, Nadja Jankovic, Jennier Kim, and Jesse Washburn, commissioned by the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society. The work was premiered during the concert of Manuel Barrueco on April 10, 2021.

Night Rose was commissioned by the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society and premiered by Matt Palmer and Ronn McFarlane on March 6, 2021.

Night Rose is my first composition for guitar and lute. It’s a Nocturne, written in the Romantic style. I’m grateful to Matt Palmer for his exquisite guitar playing on this video recording. And I’m grateful to the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society for commissioning this piece.” – Ronn McFarlane

Together Apart by Ronald Pearl was commissioned by the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society with support from Musica Canis Avem. The work was premiered on May 8, 2021 by the Atlantic Guitar Quartet: Mark Edwards, Kevin Shannon, Zoë Johnstone Stewart and Jonathan Zwi.

This program has been supported in part by William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, creator of the Baker Artist Portfolios and Musica Canis Avem. Thank you!

Please note that we do not accept submissions for the BCGS Commission Award.