The Sinquefield Composition Prize is a prestigious award given each year to one Mizzou student for excellence in music composition. Last week, I joined Curator Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield, Provost Matthew Martens, College of Arts and Science Dean Cooper Drury and School of Music faculty at a reception announcing the 2025 winner: master’s composition student, Giovanni Porfirio.

I enjoyed hearing Giovanni describe his genre-spanning approach to composition as well as his musical influences. As part of the prize, Giovanni is commissioned to write a new, original work that will be performed by the University Philharmonic Orchestra and professionally recorded. It will premiere this February at the Chancellor’s Arts Showcase.

Mizzou’s music composition program is one of the best in the country, and we are grateful for the generous support of Curator Cairns Sinquefield, Rex Sinquefield and the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation. Their vision for the Mizzou New Music Initiative (MNMI) has made our campus a global destination for students like Giovanni and world-renowned faculty like 2024 Guggenheim Fellow Utku Asuroglu. MNMI supports a range of ambitious programing, including the Sinquefield Composition Prize and the Mizzou International Composers Festival, which has resulted in more than 1,250 new works produced over 20 years.

Congratulations again to Giovanni! I look forward to hearing how he, and our many talented Mizzou composers, create their own legacy and influence others.

— Mun