Scott Lee (Ph.D. 2018) Wins Jâca Emerging Composers Prize for Clarinet and Guitar Piece

Scott Lee (Ph.D. 2018) has been awarded Second Prize in the 2024/2025 Jâca Emerging Composers Competition for “Evasive Maneuvers,” written for clarinet and guitar.

Jâca is the award-winning duo of Wesley Ferreira and Jaxon Williams. “I’m honored to be awarded in the competition, but I’m most excited that I’ll get to work with Wesley and Jaxon in a performance of the work,” said Lee. “They’ll be only the second duo to perform it, so I hope this will lead to broader exposure for the piece.”

Originally written for Silviu Ciulei and Jeffrey Brooks, “Evasive Maneuvers” premiered at the University of Florida School of Music in 2021, where Lee is assistant professor of Composition.

Lee described “Evasive Maneuvers” as featuring “slinking clarinet tunes and syncopated guitar grooves that weave around each other in different streams of rhythmic activity, sometimes seemingly at odds, and sometimes coming together.” 

Now in its third year, the Jâca Emerging Composers Competition attracted nearly 30 submissions from composers across the United States, Canada, Argentina and Israel. The competition’s goal is to enrich the repertoire for the unique instrumentation of clarinet/guitar duo while also supporting the careers of emerging and mid-career composers.

“We were immediately struck by the musical drive and character in ‘Evasive Maneuvers’,” said Wesley Ferreira. “It’s a piece that challenges both performers and listeners in the best possible way, and we’re excited to bring it to life in future performances.”

In addition to his success in the Jâca Emerging Composers Competition, Lee is also one of ten composers selected from a competitive pool of 197 applicants to receive a commission from the prestigious Barlow Endowment, based at Brigham Young University, which is dedicated to promoting excellence in music composition. As part of this commission, Lee will compose a 15-20 minute string sextet for the Flatirons Chamber Music Festival in Boulder, CO, set to premiere in Summer 2026. Titled “Strata,” the piece will draw inspiration from the distinct layers of geological activity visible throughout the Colorado landscape, serving as a rich metaphor for the layers of human experience and societal structure.