Ryan Fillinger Wins ASB’s Young Composers’ Contest

Austin, TX

After an extensive review process, Ryan Fillinger (22), a student at the University of North Texas, has been selected as the winner of the Austin Symphonic Band’s second annual Young Composers’ Contest. A panel of adjudicators selected Mr. Fillinger out of a field of sixty-two international applicants.

In addition, six applicants were selected as finalists. These include (listed alphabetically):

  • Tyler Arcari

  • Kevin Charoensri

  • Noah Hudson-Camack

  • Julien Meisenzahl

  • Jules Pegram

  • Jonathan Ragonese


Ryan Fillinger

Ryan Fillinger (b. 2001) is an Oregon-born composer of wind ensemble, orchestral and chamber music. He currently studies as a music composition major at the University of North Texas (UNT) under acclaimed composers and faculty Dr. Sungji Hong and Dr. Kirsten Soriano, and film composer Bruce Broughton.

Ryan was the second-place winner of the Florida Bandmasters Association Young Composers Competition in 2021, and was a finalist in the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards in 2022. He has worked with various musicians and ensembles at UNT including the Wind Orchestra, the Wind Ensemble, the Symphony Orchestra, and chamber groups such as the Quasar Trombone Quartet and the Lotus Saxophone Quartet.


Comments from ASB’s Music Director:

Music Director Dr. Kyle Glaser said:

"The ASB is thrilled to have Ryan as our second Young Composers’ Contest winner. His fresh voice will undoubtedly craft a wonderful new addition to the wind band repertoire, and we very much look forward to collaborating with him on this project."

Addressing the selection process, Glaser continued:

“The size and scope of our contest grew this year, and the selection committee was extremely pleased with the quality and quantity of submissions. I would also like to recognize our six finalists, whose works deserved special commendation for their craft and artistry."


Acknowledgements:

The Austin Symphonic Band would like to thank Dr. Brett Richardson, Director of Bands at Texas Lutheran University, for serving as an outside reviewer for this contest.

Ryan Fillinger’s new work will be premiered by the Austin Symphonic Band at an indoor concert during the 2024-2025 season.

For further details about the Young Composers’ Contest, click here.


About the Austin Symphonic Band:

ASB (founded 1981) is nationally recognized as one of the finest community music ensembles in the country, acclaimed by audiences at the Midwest Clinic International Band, Orchestra and Music Conference, and the Texas Bandmasters Association Convention. The band received the John Phillip Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Scroll for outstanding achievement as a community band in 1994 and was named the “Official Band of the City of Austin” by the Austin City Council in June 1989.

The ninety-plus members of ASB come from all walks of life and unite in a common passion for making music. ASB presents three indoor season concerts each year and three free outdoor concerts: Mother's Day, Father's Day and Fourth of July.