Turn The Spotlight has announced three prizes awarded to outstanding Fellows in recognition of their projects developed throughout the 2020-21 season.

The $5,000 Hedwig Holbrook Prize went to trans and nonbinary writer Aiden K. Feltkamp for “Anthology of New Music: Trans & Nonbinary Voices, Vol. 1.” The work is the first to offer musical repertory created by and for transgender and nonbinary artists. The award was named in honor of late soprano Jennifer Holbrook.

Taking home the $2,500 Spotlight Prize was composer Niloufar Nourbakhsh for “Another Birth.” In conjunction with the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, Nourbakhsh mentored seven young female instrumentalists in Kabul to compose music for members of the Zohra Orchestra.

The $1,500 Spotlight Prize went to conductor Alexandra Enyart for “Witness,” which explored transgender identity  in order to help reduce the suicide rates among trans people. Enyart composed and performed a collection of solo pieces through the Taking Imperfect Action Concert Series.

Finally, the 2020-21 Turn the Spotlight Cohort also featured Chelsea Gallo, Briana Hunter, Jennifer Kronenberg, Morgan Middleton, and Brin Solomon.

“This cohort had barely begun when the pandemic hit,” said Spotlight Founder Beth Stewart, a classical music publicist based in Chicago. “With so much in flux, we expected that many of our fellows might opt to defer their Spotlight Projects. Instead, they persevered through extremely trying circumstances, creating tangible results that will positively impact our industry – and people around the world.”