We are pleased to announce that PhD composers Benjamin T. Martin and Paul Novak were among the recipients of the 73rd annual BMI Composer Awards. The awards, which celebrate excellence in composition, were presented to six emerging composers by BMI Foundation President and BMI Executive Director of Classical Deirdre Chadwick and renowned composer and Chair of the Composer Awards Ellen Taaffe Zwilich.
Benjamin T. Martin received the award for their piece Unfurling Dances (written for and premiered by the Grossman Ensemble), and Paul Novak received the award for his piece seven dreams about my body.
In addition to the awards, BMI Foundation announced a new partnership in 2025 with American Composers Orchestra (ACO) and International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) so that each organization will perform one winning orchestral work and one winning chamber work, respectively, in an upcoming concert. The selected winning pieces for this year’s performances are Unfurling Dances by Benjamin T. Martin, which will be performed at an ACO EarShot Reading, and seven dreams about my body by Paul Novak, which will be performed at an ICE concert.
Read the full article on BMI's website.
About the Composers
Benjamin Martin - Unfurling Dances for large ensemble
Benjamin Martin (he/they) (b.1998) is a composer, singer, and musical collaborator based in Chicago, IL. Benjamin takes great joy in writing bespoke works which serve to illuminate and amplify the unique gifts of a wide array of individual artists. While interested in all manner of expressive media, their love of the human voice and the written word is often at the center of their compositional orbit. Benjamin received a BM from Oberlin Conservatory in Composition with a minor in Vocal Performance. While attending, they were the recipient of the 2022 Walter E. Aschaffenburg prize in Composition. They are currently pursuing their PhD at the University of Chicago, where they study with Augusta Read Thomas.
Paul Novak - seven dreams about my body for sextet
The “spellbinding” (Washington Post) music of Chicago-based composer Paul Novak immerses listeners in shimmering and subtly crafted musical worlds full of color, motion, light, and magic. His recent projects engage with dreams and memory, queer identity, climate change and the natural world, and psychosomatic illness. Novak’s recent commissions include projects with American Composers Orchestra, Balourdet Quartet, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and Kinetic; other recent collaborators include the Austin Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic, Reno Philharmonic, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and DanceWorks Chicago. He has received awards from the Barlow Endowment, ASCAP, BMI, American Academy of Arts and Letters, and more. Originally from Reno, NV, he completed his undergraduate studies at Rice University, and is currently a PhD student at the University of Chicago.