LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Each year the Kentucky Music Teachers Association (KMTA), an affiliate of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), selects one composer from the region to write a commissioned work for performance at the following year’s state conference. The KMTA 2008 Commissioned Composer is Richard Burchard.
Burchard is an Associate Professor of Music and the music department chair at Bellarmine University, Louisville Kentucky. He attended Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and holds a bachelor’s of music and master’s of music from the University of Louisville.
Following the premiere performance of the composition at the 2008 KMTA Conference, it will be submitted to a distinguished panel of recognized composers who will select the Music Teachers National Association Shepherd Distinguished Composer of the Year from all of the 2008 state commissioned works produced throughout the United States. The winning composition is presented in a concert performance at the MTNA National Conference.
Music Teachers National Association is dedicated to encouraging the creation of new works by American composers through its affiliated state associations. It assists with the generation and performance of new music through the National Commissioning Program.
The Kentucky Music Teachers Association exists to further music education within the state and to nurture growth and professional development by providing programs that encourage and support teaching, performance, composition, and research.