The first-ever composition competition for the Kauila Oboe announces the winners:
- 1st Prize: Paul Cosme – Return of Kauila for oboe and piano
- 2nd Prize: Joseph Williams – He mai kuhewa for oboe and piano
- 3rd Prize: JunYi Chow – When the Wood Breathes for solo oboe
- Honorable Mention: Dalen Wuest – Chants, lullabies, and dances for oboe and piano
Contestants were tasked with creating new music that honors and extends the legacy of the Kauila Oboe which was commissioned by J. Scott Janusch, former Hawaii Symphony principal oboist, and created from the wood of a rare 300-year-old Hawaiian kauila tree, felled during a hurricane on Kauai.
Special thanks to J. Scott Janusch, for initiating this composition project and to Dr. Youn Joo Lee, associate principal oboist of the Seoul Philharmonic, for serving on the selection panel.
All four works will be performed by Dr. Alex Hayashi on April 6 at Orvis Auditorium. He will also present and discuss the pieces at the Composers Workshop on April 2.
For more information on the Kauila Oboe, please refer to the following articles published by UHNews:
World class Kauaʻi-born kauila oboe returns home
Oboe made of rare Hawaiʻi wood added to UH music department collection