The Department of Music is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 prizes for distinction in Music Composition, awarded annually to undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate distinction in the area of Music Composition, as determined by a committee of faculty members in the Composition area.
The Boris & Eda Rapoport Prize
Awarded annually to a junior undergraduate composer who, in the opinion of the Faculty, has demonstrated special merit in composition for chamber ensembles. This year's award has been given to Won Jong.
Won Jong [b. 2003] is a South Korean composer whose work reflects an attentiveness to fragile and failing motions, imperceptible muscular activity, as well as the extremes of taciturnity, austerity, and interiority. His music often draws inspiration from literature, architecture, and the visual arts.
Jong’s works have been performed across North America, Europe, and Asia by ensembles such as Yarn/Wire, ekmeles, Ensemble PHACE, and Decoda. In addition, Jong frequently extends his line of work to interdisciplinary collaborations with artists, filmmakers, and choreographers.
Jong is currently studying composition at Columbia University where he has been mentored thus far by Marcos Balter, Zosha Di Castri, and Georg Friedrich Haas.
