Listen to Athena’s composition performed by the Queensland Youth Orchestras conducted by Paul Dean.
Listen to Athena’s original composition submitted with her entry.
Athena Zhang (Age 14, Vic/USA)
FANFARE: Awakening
My name is Athena Zhang and I am 14 years old. Currently, I am a 9th Grader of Phillips Academy Andover, USA. I took Advanced Music Theory and Composition with Dr. Jacoby last school term.
I studied music composition with Prof. Cohen of Berklee College of Music when I was 6 -13 years old. Now I am a private student of Yiming Wu of May Flower Art Center in Boston.
I was awarded Emerging Composer at Tribeca New Music Young Composers Competition in 2018 & 2019, and ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composers Award in 2020 when I was 12 years old.
Besides music, I enjoy drawing, day dreaming and travelling.
Composition Inspiration
Awakening is a piece inspired by the warm greeting of spring weather after a frigid stagnant winter, with the rousing of critters from all about. The sun rises, signaling a brand new day, climbing each note to ascend, ending the piece off with a triumphant step towards a new season of life.