Young Composers Initiative

OMEA Young Composers Initiative 2026-27 Composition Competition

The OMEA Young Composers Initiative was created to encourage, foster, and promote musical creativity across Ohio’s young music students. The current board members are all professional composers and teachers in the state of Ohio: 

Dr. Jennifer Merkowitz, chair (Otterbein University), Dr. Cara Haxo (The Walden School), Dr. Matthew Kennedy (Heidelberg University), Dr. Robert McClure (Ohio University), and Dr. Marilyn Shrude (Bowling Green State University).

The board members will serve as judges for the 2027 Composition Competition and will mentor the winning composers through virtual lessons in preparation for the performance of their selected composition at the 2027 OMEA Professional Development Conference in Columbus, OH, January 28-30, 2027. The session is scheduled for Saturday, January 30, 11:00am-12:00pm.

This year’s performing ensemble is a duo from Bowling Green State University:

Haley Harrison is a St. Louis-based clarinetist and educator who serves as the co-founder and co-artistic director of the no comfort in the waiting room new music collective. As clarinet and saxophone instructor at the Black Swamp Fine Arts School, Harrison works to shape a mindset that values curiosity over perfection, treating mistakes as gateways to a deeper understanding of personal artistry. Beginning her freelance work in 2021, she has also been able to enhance her musicianship through performances with Theater in the Park (IL) as well as the Toledo, Lima, Perrysburg (OH), and Adrian (MI) Symphony Orchestras. Her talent has been recognized with numerous awards and honors including Eastern Illinois University's New and Emerging Artist Series Endowment in 2026, volunteering and performing in the 2022/2025 ICA ClarinetFests, and 1st prize in the Charleston International Romantic Music competition in 2023. Harrison earned a Bachelor of Music from Eastern Illinois University and a Master of Music from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She currently serves as a Teaching Assistant at Bowling Green State University, where she is entering her 3rd year in the DMA degree program in Contemporary Music.

Niayesh Javaheri is a pianist and educator based in Bowling Green, Ohio, currently pursuing a DMA in Contemporary Music at Bowling Green State University with Dr. Solungga Liu. She has performed as a soloist and chamber musician across Iran, Europe, and the United States. Niayesh has premiered and recorded numerous works, including a piece featured on the album Contemporary Music in Iran, and has appeared at the Annual New Music Festival at Bowling Green State University (Ohio), NUNC! 6 (Illinois), Nief-Norf (Tennessee), the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts, as well as the Fajr International Festival (Iran), Kunstkreis C Festival (Austria), and the SPLICE Institute (Michigan). She is the winner of the 2025 BGSU Concerto Competition and performed Joan Tower’s Piano Concerto with the Bowling Green Philharmonia. She holds a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelor of Music from the Conservatory of Music and Dramatic Arts in Vienna, Austria.

The details of the 2026-27 Composition Competition are below:

Eligibility

The Competition is only open to students who meet the following criteria:

(1) Ohio Resident
(2) Sponsored by an OMEA member
(3) Currently enrolled in grade 7-12
(4) Not a previous winner of OMEAYCI

Composition Guidelines

1. The submitted composition must be written for clarinet and piano duo.

2. Compositions of any style or aesthetic direction will be accepted.

3. The submitted composition’s duration should be between 3-10 minutes.

4. Each student may only submit ONE composition to the competition.

5. Specific instrument/notation guidelines are below. If you have further questions about these guidelines, please email jmerkowitz@otterbein.edu.

Clarinet: Scores may call for any clarinet (Eb, Bb, A, or Bass), and alternate with no more than one other clarinet in a single piece. Widely used extended techniques such as multiphones, microtones, or slap tongue on bass clarinet are welcome. Please provide fingerings for any multiphonics.

Piano: Please do not use a stretch in either hand greater than a 9th unless it can be rolled. Extended techniques are welcome, though the pianist may ask for modifications based on the specifics of the instrument available at OMEA.