UNCSA Composition students earn top honors at state MTNA competition

Two students from the Composition program in the School of Music at UNCSA were recognized at the recent Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) state competition. High School Music student Jesse Sawaya, of Missoula, Montana, was named the winner in the Senior Division, and graduate student Erin Giuliano, of Apex, received an honorable mention in the Young Artist Division.

The state competition was held last fall in conjunction with the N.C. MTNA Annual State Conference, held at UNC-Wilmington.

“Congratulations to our Composition students on this well-earned recognition,” said Music faculty member Jared Miller. “Their achievements reflect the focus, creativity and musical rigor they bring to their work every day. Results like this speak to the strength of our training and to the supportive environment that helps young composers grow into confident, expressive artists.”

Jesse Sawaya / Photo: UNCSA

Sawaya’s composition, “Funeral Mosaic to the Victims of the Russo-Ukrainian War,” will advance to the MTNA National Composition Competition, scheduled for this month with winners announced Feb. 1. Winners will have their works performed at the MTNA National Conference being held March 20-24, in Chicago. The work is written for large orchestra and was composed in response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The composition is scored for expanded woodwinds, brass, percussion, keyboard, harp and strings.

Erin Giuliano / Photo: UNCSA

Giuliano was recognized for her solo piano work, “Three Miniatures: Refraction, Doorway, and Monarch Butterfly.” The composition consists of three character pieces inspired by brief, reflective moments.

Both students study in the Composition program under Miller. 

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