Cory Rishel, a class of ‘30 music education major, won a gold award this August from the 8th Edition of the Fenix Award International Music Competition. With the gold award came a poster with his photo and different achievements listed on it. He earned this from his original piece he submitted, titled “The Road.”

The piece was written for symphonic orchestra and also includes traditional Indian instruments, essentially weaving a web between genres. It meshes parts from traditional Arabian, traditional Indian and modern Western music. 

“When I was looking at different cultures for inspiration I ran across two very different pieces that inspired this piece…’Arabesque’ by Samuel Hazel, [which] is very Arabian and grand with Hollywood score-like elements, and a choir piece titled ‘Desh’ by Ethan Sperry,” Rishal said. 

The influence shines through in Rishel’s writing, but he doesn’t lean on it too much, making the sound his own. Music in the West typically sticks to the same couple of formulas, so adding in elements from other cultures is refreshing on the ear.

It begins with an English horn solo, and as the song progresses, the main melody gets passed around different instruments. After the introduction, the piece broadens through the addition of more instruments. After that, it shrinks back down into just a select few. This back and forth persists throughout the piece.

The song was an idea for a year or two, but Rishel had only begun writing it in June once hearing about the contest.

“The Fenix Awards was on a composer forum I saw online for competitions…So I started writing after I saw the post was a few months away from its deadline,” he said.

The Fenix Awards Competition is one that allows musicians from all over the world to participate. Whether they be instrumentalists, singers or composers, they could submit their music to be judged. All ages are welcome, with the age groups spanning from seven and under up to 26 and over. There are no travel fees either, as the competition is fully digital.

This wasn’t Rishel’s first time composing or entering a contest; he has been doing it since his freshman year of high school. His band director inspired him to take music theory, and continued to encourage him. Rishel has since entered competitions through the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, and his band director had the band play a piece Rishel had written.

These competitions Rishel has entered throughout the years have helped him grow as a composer and musician.

“There was a period of time where I had been submitting to competitions expecting just to get the feedback and keep learning,” he said. This determination and continued learning led to him getting a gold award and more confidence in his abilities. 

“Now I know where my skill actually lies in comparison to other people doing the same thing,” Rishel said.

“The Road” was an idea for a long period of time because Rishel typically has lots of ideas for songs, but isn’t always necessarily advanced enough to write them at the time. Taking on a challenge charged by the competition, he fully fleshed out his idea, and created his “most advanced work ever.”

He relies more on rhythm than harmonies in his work because he believes that they can feel more inspired than harmonies can. This philosophy created complex rhythms throughout the song that aid it well. 

Akin to journalistic writing, Rishel spent a couple of days researching other Arabian and Indian songs before actually writing his piece. After his research, he began with just a simple melody. Building off of this melody, he wrote counter-melodies and percussion, which increased the depth of his song.

The evaluation portion of the contest is split into five sections with each one being 20 points. These being technical ability, personality, musicality, interpretation and artistic vision and professionalism of preparation. 

Rishel’s song encompasses all five of these categories. The complex rhythms and unique blend of genres gives the piece a distinct personality, and the average listener can tell that Rishel put a lot of thought and passion behind his song.