2003-04 McKNIGHT FELLOWS AND VISITING COMPOSERS

(May 19, 2003) Four McKnight Composer Fellowships have been awarded to Minnesota artists, selected from a record pool of 67 applicants. The awards for excellence come with $25,000 in unrestricted funds, and are supplemented by an optional $5,000 for each composer to carry out a community residency project.

The 2003 Composer Fellows are Jeffrey Brooks of Minneapolis, George Cartwright of Roseville, Michael Croswell of St. Paul, and Janika Vandervelde of St. Paul.

Two non-Minnesota artists, Oliver Lake of Montclair, N.J., and John Morton of Tappan, N.Y., have been selected as McKnight Visiting Composers. They each receive $14,000 to visit Minnesota and pursue a self-designed community residency project lasting two months.

Lake's residency at Minneapolis' Pillsbury House Theater will focus on the ways that connections between music and words can stimulate creative development, collaboration, and community interaction.

Morton will work with the New York Mills (Minn.) Arts Retreat and Regional Cultural Center to explore the sonic and sculptural properties found in rural industry and farming implements.

The winners were selected by a panel comprised of Eleanor Hovda (N.Y.), Robert Moran (Pa.), and Roger Kleier (N.Y.).

The McKnight Composer Fellowships and Visiting Composer programs are funded by the McKnight Foundation.