Meet the Winners of the Memphis Composers Institute
On February 9, 2025 The Memphis Symphony Orchestra will premiere works by three extraordinary composers selected from an international call for scores.
Soomin Kim (star / ghost / mouth / sea), Evan Erickson (Oobleck), and Sina Karachiani (Stranger of Kin) bring fresh and compelling perspectives to the concert hall, blending influences ranging from Persian traditions to contemporary storytelling.
Their works will debut alongside a new viola concerto by composer D. J. Sparr in an inspiring concert celebrating the next generation of orchestral music.
The selection committee also wishes to acknowledge two composers whose compelling works received honorable mention: William “Liam” Cummins (Joyas Voladoras) and Kian Ravaei (Majnun in the Wilderness), as well as all of the composers who submitted works for consideration.
About the Artists
Evan Erickson — Oobleck
Clarinetist, composer, and engraver Evan Erickson studies under Robyn Jones (clarinet) and Kamran Ince (composition) at the University of Memphis. He has been a two-time finalist for the ASCAP Morton Gould Award (2023, 2024) and is passionate about championing underrepresented composers. He founded a non-profit Call for Scores initiative that has premiered the works of emerging artists with sponsorships from Dorico, Finale, and NotePerformer.
Sina Karachiani — Stranger of Kin
San Francisco-based Sina Karachiani, an alumnus of The Walden School’s Creative Musicians Retreat, blends Western classical music, Persian traditions, and electronic media to explore themes of self and personal growth. His work Whirling Onward was performed by the USC Thornton Symphony Orchestra, and his Double Bass Sonata won first prize in the MACCC Composition Contest. Stranger of Kin is inspired by his grandmother’s struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease.
Soomin Kim — star / ghost / mouth / sea
Composer and singer Soomin Kim explores identity, technology, and storytelling through music. She is a three-time recipient of the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award (2019, 2020, 2022) and the 2024 winner of the University of Florida Call for Scores by Women Composers. Kim’s compositions have been featured at the Ravinia Festival, Sydney Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and Norfolk New Music Workshop. She currently serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Composition at Oberlin Conservatory.
D. J. Sparr — Extended Play: for Viola and Orchestra
Composer and electric guitarist D. J. Sparr, whom Gramophone recently hailed as “exemplary,” is one of America’s preeminent composer-performers. He has caught the attention of critics with his eclectic style, described as “pop-Romantic…iridescent and wondrous” (The Mercury News) and “suits the boundary erasing spirit of today’s new-music world” (The New York Times). The Los Angeles Times praises him as “an excellent soloist,” and the Santa Cruz Sentinel says that he “wowed an enthusiastic audience…Sparr’s guitar sang in a near-human voice.”
D. J. Sparr, named one of NPR listeners’ favorite 100 composers under 40 in 2011, was the electric guitar concerto soloist on a 2018 GRAMMY-Award-winning album with JoAnn Falletta and the London Symphony Orchestra. He has composed for and performed with renowned ensembles, including the Houston Grand Opera, Cabrillo Festival, New World Symphony, Washington National Opera, and Eighth Blackbird. A recipient of awards from BMI, New Music USA, and the League of Composers/ISCM, Sparr was a Young American Composer-in-Residence with the California Symphony and is a faculty member at The Walden School’s Creative Musicians Retreat in Dublin, New Hampshire. His works and performances appear on Albany, Naxos, Innova Recordings, and Centaur Records. Based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Sparr teaches at LSU’s Roger Hadfield Ogden Honors College, and his music is published by Bill Holab Music.
Kyle Dickson, conductor
American conductor Kyle Dickson is celebrated for his dynamic presence on the podium. He is Assistant Conductor of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Memphis Youth Symphony. From 2021-2023, Dickson was a Salonen Fellow with the San Francisco Symphony and Assistant Conductor of the Chicago Sinfonietta.
Dickson has appeared as Guest Conductor with the National Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Portland (ME) Symphony, and Oakland Symphony with recent debuts with the Louisville Orchestra, Pasadena Symphony, and the Grant Park Music Festival. As Cover Conductor, Dickson has been engaged by the New York Philharmonic, St. Louis Symphony, and the San Diego Symphony as well as serving as Assistant Conductor for concerts with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Orchestre de Paris, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
A champion for youth and diversity in the arts, Dickson created the award-winning MUSIC REPRESENTS series and was Assistant Conductor for Carnegie Hall’s NYO2 in 2022. He has worked as guest conductor with youth orchestras across the country including ICYOLA, Colburn Academy Virtuosi and the Chicago Youth in Music Festival.
Kimberly Sparr, violist
Kimberly Sparr, praised for her versatility and virtuosity, is a solo, chamber, and orchestral violist. She is the Associate Professor of Viola at Louisiana State University, violist of the Atlantic Chamber Ensemble, and a member of the trio Scabaret. She is also on the faculty of the Brevard Music Center.
Sparr has held assistant principal roles with the Richmond Symphony and Colorado Music Festival and has performed with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, and Washington National Opera. She has appeared as a concerto soloist with ensembles including the LSU Symphony, Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, Amarillo Virtuosi, Pittsburgh Civic Orchestra, Texas Tech University Symphony Orchestra, LSU Wind Ensemble, and the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra. She has also been a guest artist with Agarita and the Harrington String Quartet.
An experienced educator, Sparr has taught at Texas Tech University, The College of William and Mary, and UMBC. She has also served on the faculty of the National Music Festival and the Summer Strings Academy for Girls.
