News Releases


September 27, 2010
For Immediate Release
For additional information: 
Barbara Kerr, APR
Executive Director of
Communications and Marketing
Telephone: 360-992-2921
Email: bkerr@clark.edu

 

Clark College Music Professor Wins a Fifth National Award

With new works scheduled to be published and performed this fall, 
Clark College music professor Donald Appert has been honored 
with his fifth national ASCAPLUS Award, presented 
by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). 

 

 

Clark College Music Professor Donald AppertVANCOUVER, Wash. – For the fifth time in his career, Clark College music professor Donald Appert has been honored with the ASCAPLUS Award, presented by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).  Appert also received ASCAP awards in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009. 

Appert, who resides in Vancouver, is currently in his 21st season as Music Director/Conductor of the Clark College Orchestra.  He received the ASCAPLUS Award for the world premiere of his work Easter Wings composed for the Clark College Concert Choir, performances of Nara Variations by the Oradea State Philharmonic (Romania) and the Orchestra Classica di Alessandria (Italy), and Elegy performed by the Craiova State Philharmonic (Romania).

The news comes during an exciting year for Appert.  His full orchestra piece, NW Triptych, is to be published by Harmonic Services Group and will be premiered by the Oregon Sinfonietta during their Nov. 7 concert in Portland.  Another publisher, TAP Music Sales, plans to publish Appert’s Chanson for Violin and Horn, a work that he composed for his daughter’s wedding last August, as well as Quartetto Primo for trombone quartet which was performed in rehearsal and recorded by students at the Tanglewood Music Center, summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

In addition, Appert has received a commission from bass clarinet virtuoso Rocco Parisi to create a concertino for bass clarinet and strings.  Appert met Parisi while conducting in Italy.  

Appert was accepted into membership in ASCAP in 1978.  Appert said, “This past year has been an especially creative one for me as a composer. Looking back, it is most satisfying to have been able to make the time in my busy schedule to write such a variety of music – from chamber music to choral music to orchestral music. I am most excited about the upcoming premiere of my first work for full orchestra and pleased that ASCAP continues to honor my accomplishments.”

ASCAPLUS is an awards program that provides cash and recognition to active writers in the early and mid stages of their careers and to established writers whose main activity is outside of broadcast media. ASCAPLUS Awards are determined annually by a panel of distinguished music experts who are neither members, nor employees of ASCAP, and are completely independent in their award adjudication.   

ASCAP is a membership association of more than 330,000 U.S. composers, songwriters, lyricists, and music publishers of every kind of music.

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