EarRelevant Staff | 10 FEB 2026
HOT SPRINGS, Virginia— The Garth Newel Piano Quartet has selected Italian composer Michele Allegro as the winner of its 12th International Composition Competition, awarding top honors to his piano quartet Rush after what organizers described as a record number of submissions.
Allegro, who is based in Agrigento, Italy, will receive the Glorvina and Richard Lynn New Music Prize and a travel stipend to attend the world premiere of the work, scheduled for July 11, 2026, during the Garth Newel Music Center’s Summer Festival in Hot Springs, Virginia. He is also expected to participate in a residency at the festival from July 7–11.
According to Jeannette Fang, pianist of the Garth Newel Piano Quartet and director of the competition, the ensemble responded immediately to the score’s character. She said the work stood out for its “bold expressiveness, rhythmic strength, and brilliant ensemble writing.”
In a statement provided by the Center, Allegro said, “In composing Rush, I wanted to create music deeply rooted in the late Romantic tradition of the piano quartet, yet simultaneously modern and dynamic, where the rhythmic and lyrical aspects of the string instruments are sharply contrasted and simultaneously blended with the shifting harmonies and accordal texture of the piano. The key feature of this piece is its emotional contrast, between two different states of mind in the piece, a sort of primordial battle between the anxieties and fears that characterize our time and the search for both emotional and spiritual stability. The performers are asked to deliver an energetic, vital, rhythmic, intensely passionate, and expressive interpretation.”
The Glorvina and Richard Lynn New Music Prize, funded by longtime supporters of the organization, is intended to encourage the creation of new chamber works and their performance.
This year’s competition received 115 submissions from composers around the world, including entries from Europe, Asia, and the Americas, as well as the United States.
Founded in 1973, the Garth Newel Music Center is a year-round chamber music venue in Virginia’s Allegheny Mountains and home to the Garth Newel Piano Quartet, its resident ensemble. The quartet performs dozens of concerts annually and sponsors the composition competition as part of its effort to expand the contemporary piano-quartet repertoire and support living composers. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Michele Allegro: hfacebook.com/micheleallegroofficial
- Garth Newel Music Center: garthnewel.org
Read more by EarRelevant Staff.
.png){kind=logo}