Eri Chichibu, 2016 TOMODACHI Suntory Scholar, Receives 2019 ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award

On March 11, 2019, Eri Chichibu, a TOMODACHI Suntory Music Scholarship Fund 2016 Scholar, was announced as a recipient of the 2019 ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards. Eri is a pianist from Miyagi Prefecture, and currently studies at the Berklee College of Music through the TOMODACHI Suntory Music Scholarship Fund to pursue her dream of becoming one of the great composers in the world.

The Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards program, supported by the ASCAP Foundation, was established in 2002 to support young gifted jazz composers. The recipients, who receive cash awards, range in age from 11 to 29, and are selected through a juried national competition. The ASCAP composer/judges for the 2019 competition were: Fabian Almazan, Erica Lindsay, and Nate Smith.

The ASCAP Foundation President Paul Williams said, “The young people selected as Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer recipients are among the most promising talents in jazz today.”

Eri commented, “It is my great honor to receive such a prestigious award. I am grateful to the TOMODACHI Suntory Music Scholarship Fund and all the people who gave me continuous support. March 11 [the date of the Great East Japan Earthquake], the day when the recipients of 2019 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award were officially announced, is a special day for me. It is some kind of fate that I could share the great news, which makes mefeel hopeful about my future on such a day. I will continue to practice diligently without ever forgetting my feelings of appreciation.”

For “The ASCAP Foundation”, click here