Veronika Krausas wins tenth annual Elaine Lebenbom Memorial Award for Female Composers

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) has announced the winner of the tenth annual Elaine Lebenbom Memorial Award for Female Composers: Los Angeles-based Australian-Canadian composer Veronika Krausas.

The Lebenbom Award includes the commission by the DSO of a new orchestral piece to be premiered by the orchestra in an upcoming season, a $10,000 cash prize, and a one-month residency at the Ucross Foundation, an artist’s retreat in northern Wyoming.

“I’m excited to receive the award; being familiar with many of the women who have won in the past, I’m honored to be included in the group,” says Krausas. “I’ve been wanting to write a new symphony piece—orchestras offer such a large palate of instrumental colors to work with. I’m looking forward to visiting Detroit to explore the city and see if my experiences there will inform the composition.”

Krausas has composed works for orchestra, chamber groups, soloists, player pianos, and other configurations, as well as operas and multimedia pieces that blend music with dance, acrobatics, and video. She currently serves on the faculty of the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California.

The Elaine Lebenbom Memorial Award, launched in 2006, is the only annual orchestra-sponsored award granted annually to a living female composer of any age or nationality. Krausas was chosen by a jury of DSO musicians and members of the Detroit music community.