Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music student Nabil Abad travelled this month to Alabama to attend a performance of one of his compositions chosen as the winner for the 2019 Composition Contest held by the Alabama Orchestra Association.
Abad, a senior music composition major, was chosen after submitting his orchestra piece Discord to the association’s call for scores. For winning the competition, his piece was performed by the association’s Festival Orchestra on Feb. 10. in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he was housed as composer-in-residence for four days.
Abad said that the program gave him insight into the composition world and helped teach him important skills for his career that could otherwise only be learned on the job.
“It gave me useful experience for what to do in rehearsal with an orchestra when they’re playing your music,” he said. “And also, it gave me some good public speaking experience, because they had me give a ‘meet the composer’ talk to the students where I told them about myself and answered any questions that they had.”
Emphasizing the rarity of this opportunity, Abad found his experience helpful not only as an opportunity to grow his skillset, but also as a way to market himself to future employers.
One of Abad’s instructors, Jonathan Sokol, assistant professor of composition, emphasized the importance of such experiences in building a young composer’s career and reputation.
“These opportunities,” he said, “allow a composer’s name and music to be heard by a wider audience. Important contacts are made, and networking opportunities expand.”
Sokol said he has been impressed with the accolades of BW’s composition students during his time teaching for the university. Even so, he remarked that Abad’s recent success in a short span of time is “less common” for the typical undergraduate composer.
Abad’s piece Discord was premiered by the BW Symphony Orchestra during Spring Semester 2018 in conjunction with the Conservatory’s annual Composer Forum—a concert showcasing student-written works for full orchestra—before its recent recognition.
When asked what advice he would give other students seeking opportunities in their career field, Abad said that, “it’s important to take advantage of any opportunity that might be available to you…always be on the lookout for these sorts of things.”

Abad, a senior music composition major, was chosen after submitting his orchestra piece Discord to the association’s call for scores. For winning the competition, his piece was performed by the association’s Festival Orchestra on Feb. 10. in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he was housed as composer-in-residence for four days.
Abad said that the program gave him insight into the composition world and helped teach him important skills for his career that could otherwise only be learned on the job.
“It gave me useful experience for what to do in rehearsal with an orchestra when they’re playing your music,” he said. “And also, it gave me some good public speaking experience, because they had me give a ‘meet the composer’ talk to the students where I told them about myself and answered any questions that they had.”
Emphasizing the rarity of this opportunity, Abad found his experience helpful not only as an opportunity to grow his skillset, but also as a way to market himself to future employers.
One of Abad’s instructors, Jonathan Sokol, assistant professor of composition, emphasized the importance of such experiences in building a young composer’s career and reputation.
“These opportunities,” he said, “allow a composer’s name and music to be heard by a wider audience. Important contacts are made, and networking opportunities expand.”
Sokol said he has been impressed with the accolades of BW’s composition students during his time teaching for the university. Even so, he remarked that Abad’s recent success in a short span of time is “less common” for the typical undergraduate composer.
Abad’s piece Discord was premiered by the BW Symphony Orchestra during Spring Semester 2018 in conjunction with the Conservatory’s annual Composer Forum—a concert showcasing student-written works for full orchestra—before its recent recognition.
When asked what advice he would give other students seeking opportunities in their career field, Abad said that, “it’s important to take advantage of any opportunity that might be available to you…always be on the lookout for these sorts of things.”