Oct. 23, 2009 – College of DuPage Choral Activities Director Lee Kesselman recently was named recipient of a 2009-2010 ASCAPLUS Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
This is the 17th consecutive year the Glen Ellyn resident has won an ASCAP award.
The ASCAPLUS Award recognizes active writers in the early or middle stage of their careers and established writers who work outside of broadcast media. A three-person panel selects winners based on the unique prestige of applicants’ composition catalogs and recent performances in areas not surveyed by ASCAP.
“I’m pleased with the consistent recognition of my works by an independent panel,” Kesselman said. “While I am constantly writing new works and receiving performances, recognition by the ASCAP panel is an award which has a special significance in that it recognizes both the quality of works and performances of my works.”
Kesselman joined the College’s faculty in 1981 and is widely known as a composer, teacher and conductor. More than 75 of his compositions have been published by such noted companies as Boosey & Hawkes, Lawson-Gould, Plymouth Music and Classic Artists Publishing. In addition to his writing and teaching, Kesselman has taught conducting in six countries and directs the New Classic Singers, a choral group he formed in 1982.
He currently is working on pieces for a Chicago area high school choir, a suite for flute and string bass, a large work for chorus, and a re-orchestration of works by Handel.