Announcing Winner of 2020 Left Edge Percussion Composition Competition

Left Edge Percussion is excited to announce the winner of the 2020 Left Edge Percussion Composition Competition at the Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University! We received 83 entries from across the U.S. and from Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the U.K., and Venezuela.

The winning composition is “Quintic” for percussion quintet by Josh Gottry. Two honorable mentions that also stood out were “Interstices” by Randall Synder and “River Sprint for Percussion Quartet” by Hanna Kim.

As the winner, Josh will receive a $1,000 prize and a $500 travel stipend to be in residence at the Oregon Center for the Arts at SOU from May 25-29. “Quintic” will be premiered on May 28 at our concert, “Evolution.”

Josh Gottry earned his Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance at Northern Arizona University, his Master of Music in Composition at Arizona State University, and has successfully established himself as a respected educator, an accomplished percussionist, and an internationally recognized composer.

Mr. Gottry currently serves as adjunct music faculty at Chandler-Gilbert Community College, teaching courses in music theory & composition, percussion, and music humanities. For more than two decades, Mr. Gottry has been creating innovative, pedagogical, and engaging new compositions and arrangements. During that time, he has been selected for numerous ASCAP Plus awards and has created over 100 published works.

We received 83 entries to the competition, and were extremely impressed with the artistry and quality of the submissions. Thank you to all of the composers who entered the competition and for sharing your music with us! The competition is sponsored by the Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University and a Faculty Professional Development Grant.