Missouri Western Music’s Jenkins receives national award

Dec. 10, 2024-Dr. Derek Jenkins, associate professor of music composition and theory at Missouri Western State University, received the Marian Anderson Award in Social Justice from The American Prize for his composed piece "Dreams of America" for brass band and still images.

Dr. Jenkins is a composer whose music has been performed throughout the United States, Europe, Canada and Brazil by the Cheyenne and Dubuque Symphony Orchestras; Fountain City Brass Band; Dresdner Bläserphilharmonie; Czech National Concert Band; Banda Sinfônica Municipal de Hortolândia; Seattle Wind Symphony; U.S. Army Materiel Command Band; Youth Symphony of Kansas City; Mid America Freedom Band; the Carinthia, Joseph Wytko, and Saxophilia Saxophone Quartets; Ensemble for These Times; Songeaters; as well as individual artists, university bands, honor bands and honor orchestras around the country. Jenkins holds degrees from UMKC and Rice University. More information can be found at derek jenkins.com.

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts is the nation's most comprehensive series of contests in the performing arts. The American Prize is unique in scope and structure, designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, directors, ensembles and composers in the United States at professional, college and university, community and high school levels, based on submitted recordings.

Missouri Western State University is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit missouriwestern.edu.