Central Michigan University

Chanticleer debuts work by CMU music student

Friday, November 30, 2007

Topics in this story: Arts and entertainment, Awards, College of Communication and Fine Arts, People, School of Music

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Media Contact(s):

Lindsay Allen
989-774-7327

Program Contact(s):

Philip Rice
rice1pa@cmich.edu

The musical composition of one Central Michigan University student received a grand debut from one of the world's most renowned vocal ensembles.

Coldwater sophomore Philip Rice was named a winner of a biennial student composer competition hosted by Grammy Award-winning Chanticleer. As a result, the ensemble performed "May the Road," the third movement of his winning work "Three Irish Blessings," during the recent Chanticleer Youth Choral Festival in San Francisco. Rice attended the performance, which was part of a workshop that draws up to 250 high school students each year.

Rice said hearing his work debuted at such a high-caliber event and meeting the members of the ensemble made for a moving experience.

"It was very exciting and very surreal," he said. "The members of Chanticleer were really friendly and laid-back, so it didn't really feel like a big deal until I stopped to think about it."

After finding out about the competition online, Rice, who is studying music theory and composition in CMU's School of Music and has composed more than 130 vocal and instrumental works, applied by submitting his work and a brief biography.

"Needless to say, I was very excited and honored," he said. "I definitely was not expecting anything to happen."

Chanticleer has been called "the world's reigning male chorus" and "America's favorite choral ensemble" by the New Yorker magazine. The 12-man ensemble has performed all over the world, and its repertoire features a variety of musical genres, including jazz, gospel, classical and more.

The group's composition competition encourages students to write quality works for high school-level choirs.

Rice is the son of Mitch and Candy Rice of Grand Rapids. Homeschooled until his senior year of high school, he enrolled at and graduated from Coldwater High School in 2005.

In addition to winning the Chanticleer competition, he has won awards from Kansas University's Choral Society Composers Contest and in competitions hosted by SibeliusMusic.com. In the future, he plans to continue entering similar competitions and sending works to Chanticleer and other ensembles.

For more information about Rice and his work, visit http://www.philiprice.net.