Canadian harpist and composer Kalen Smith is the winner of the 8th USA International Harp Competition (USAIHC) Ruth Inglefield Composition Contest with his composition Bioluminescence. According to a press release from the USAIHC, the jury also acknowledges and congratulates the four other composers whose works were chosen for the final round: Yeonsuk Jung (South Korea), Kinetic Dissipation; Caroline Lizotte (Canada), Kheírōn Op. 53, Nocturne for Harp; Ramin Amin Tafreshi (Iran), Event Horizon (the Point of no Return); and Alexander Thomas (United Kingdom), Finally, someone who gives a damn if I’m foolish.
Kalen Smith is an award-winning Canadian composer and harpist, currently pursuing a master’s degree in composition at McGill University. He says his works combine his experience as a performer on harp, tonal music structures, contemporary techniques from his academic studies, and effects from electronic music. Smith describes his style as “an eclectic collage, where musical meaning is created through the juxtaposition of extremes.” As a composer, Kalen’s awards include third place in the national SOCAN Foundation Electroacoustic Prize and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada commission from 2022–2023.
As the winner of the 8th Ruth Inglefield Composition Contest, Smith says, “No composition is ever written in isolation. I am eternally grateful to my harp teacher, Jennifer Swartz, who offered insightful feedback and helped to edit and proofread the score. I am also thankful to my composition teachers, including Sean Ferguson, Chris Harman, and Jean Lesage.” Smith says about his winning composition, “Bioluminescence creates musical color by exploring the extreme registers of the harp, from the abyssal wire strings to the luminous high range. A brilliant underwater collage is formed with melodic fragments and highlighted by a variety of harp techniques including près de la table, xylophonics, harmonics, and fingernails.”
The winning composition will be part of the required repertoire performed by all USAIHC semi-finalists in the 13th competition in 2025, and will be featured on debut concerts by the 2025 gold medalist. Smith will also receive a $2,000 prize funded by the American Harp Society, Inc. The work will be published by and available for purchase from Lyon & Healy Publications by Jan. 2, 2025. Smith will also appear at the Composition Forum at the 13th USAIHC in May 2025 to discuss Bioluminescence; the Composition Forum features performances of the other finalists’ works.
The composition contest takes place prior to the triennial performance competition and was established as part of the USAIHC’s mission to inspire new works for the harp. Named after Dr. Ruth Inglefield, who chaired the first six cycles, the 8th composition contest received 73 applications submitted by composers from 23 countries. The jury for the 8th composition contest included composer Chen Yi (China/USA), as well as harpists Mariko Anraku (Japan/USA), Sylvain Blassel (France), Kateřina Englichová (Czech Republic), Marisela Gonzalez (Venezuela), and Jessica Zhou (China/USA). Deliberations were administered by Sonja Inglefield (Director), Ann Yeung (Jury President), and Thea Kammerling (Secretary); the pre-screening committee included Emily Levin and Kaori Otake.
To learn more, visit the USAIHC website.
