Rockford native earns Emmy nomination
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Award-winning composer, conductor and Rockford native Jake Runestad has been nominated for a 2022 Emmy Award in the category of musical composition for his environmentally-charged work titled “Earth Symphony.”
Runestad’s 35-minute composition is a five-part dramatic monologue from the voice of Mother Earth that imagines her hope for humanity, her discovery of its power, her ruination at its hands, her lament at its loss and her eventual recovery.
“‘Earth Symphony’ is my most ambitious and most important work to date,” Runestad said in a news release. “I’m thrilled it has gained visibility in this way and I hope that it spurs questions, dialogue and action to care for our planet.”
“Earth Symphony” was commissioned and first performed by Tucson, Arizona-based True Concord Voices & Orchestra and was subsequently aired on Arizona PBS for a TV special entitled “From the Edge to Hope.”
The Emmy nomination is Runestad’s first. The Emmy Awards will be held on Sep. 12 in Los Angeles.
More:Rockford native Jake Runestad's work 'The Hope of Loving' gets Grammy nomination
Runestad was nominated for a 2020 Grammy Award for “The Hope of Loving,” an album devoted to his choral music by Austin, Texas-based choir Conspirare.
In 2016, Runestad won the ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Award which recognizes young creators of concert music.
Runestad, 36, grew up in Rockford and is a 2004 graduate of Guilford High School, where he was a saxophonist in the school’s band. He began composing music during his senior year at Guilford.
In 2014, the Rockford Symphony performed Runestad’s composition “Dreams of The Fallen.”
Runestad holds a Masters degree in composition from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University.
He is currently living in Minneapolis.
Ken DeCoster covers business news and features. Contact him at 815-987-1391, kdecoster@rrstar.com or @DeCosterKen.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford native earns Emmy nomination
