The ASCAP Foundation announces the recipients of the 2025 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards. Established in 2002, the program recognizes gifted young jazz composers up to the age of 30. It carries the name of the great trumpeter and ASCAP member Herb Alpert in recognition of The Herb Alpert Foundation’s multi-year financial commitment to the program. The recipients, who receive cash awards, are selected through a juried national competition.
“With The Herb Alpert Foundation’s unwavering support, the Young Jazz Composer Awards continue to elevate emerging voices of jazz, one of our most vital art forms,” said ASCAP Foundation President Paul Williams. “These gifted young composers are the future of the genre, and we are honored to be a part of their musical journey.”
“The ASCAP Foundation has been dedicated to nurturing the musical talent of tomorrow for 50 years,” said ASCAP Foundation Executive Director Nicole George-Middleton. “We are incredibly grateful for the generous support of The Herb Alpert Foundation that allows us to do what we do best — uplift the next generation of music creators.”
The 2025 ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award recipients are listed below with their age, current residence and place of origin:
Jonah Barnett, age 25 of Washington, D.C. (Alexandria, VA); Eli Feingold, age 27 of Brooklyn, NY (Marlboro, NJ); Michael Hilgendorf, age 26 of New York, NY (Chesterfield, MI); Benedict Koh, age 25 of Boston, MA (Singapore); Aditi Malhotra, age 27 of Boston, MA (New Delhi, India); Giovanni Martinez, age 20 of New York, NY (Jacksonville, FL); Alan Montaño, age 20 of Brighton, MA (Concord, CA); Bakhari S. Nokuri, age 19 of Los Angeles, CA (Dayton, MD); Marc Perez, age 24 of Los Angeles, CA; Artur Ponsà of Boston, MA (Barcelona, Spain); Jahari Stampley, age 25 of Chicago, IL; Katie Webster, age 24 of Brooklyn, NY (Seattle, WA); and Alejandra Williams-Maneri (Alejandra Sofia), age 26 of Brooklyn, NY; (Barre, MA).
Composers receiving Honorable Mention this year are:
KiMani Bridges, age 22 of New York, NY (Louisville, KY); Austin Ford, age 25 of New York, NY (Portland, OR)); Evan Kappelman, age 23 of Philadelphia, PA (Olathe, KS); Spencer Merk, age 26 of Baltimore, MD (Cincinnati, OH); and Adithya Vaidhyan, age 23 of New York, NY (Wake Forest, NC).
The ASCAP composers who judged the 2025 competition were: Theo Croker, Zaccai Curtis, Endea Owens and Erica Seguine.
Additional funding for the program is provided by The ASCAP Foundation Bart Howard Fund.
