About the Music

Forest Fantasie (2023) for flute, clarinet/bass clarinet (doubling), guitar, piano, and percussion, was awarded the 2024 Dolphy Prize. The work was described by one Dolphy Prize reviewer as "evocative, catchy, and conceived with considerable imagination." The composer describes the work as follows:

Forest Fantasie takes you on a trip through various characteristics of a forest environment, from frolicking about at the start, to wandering the mysterious ancient parts. This is then interrupted by chaotic rhythms that manipulate the original themes of the piece as nature is disturbed by outside influences.

Listen to the premiere performance:

PDF Edition

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About the Composer

Micah began his music studies early in his youth with his father, who taught him the fundamentals of music theory and harmony. In High School, Micah utilized his background in music when he joined the Walnut Hills Wind Ensemble as a freshman, playing the bassoon. Micah would then go on to perform with the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra, where he was taught by the CSO Principal Bassoonist Christopher Sales, and join the Nouveau program for minority musicians. As he began to take an interest in music composition, Micah decided to make three compositions for the Interlochen Center of the Arts Summer camp. It was after this experience where he got the opportunity to study with CCM Professor Ellen Harrison and create a composition for Artswave Isolation Commissions: The Past We Step Into.

In college, Micah continued his compositions as well as interests in game design by graduating with degrees in Music Composition and Game Development in the Honors College of Miami University. Micah has composed works for various instrumentations involving woodwinds, percussion, strings, piano, electronics, and more performed in live concerts or for video game soundtracks.