Composer wins over audiences

A large and enthusiastic audience showed up Wednesday for the Pacific Symphony concert at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. They came to hear Stanislav Ioudenitch play Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto. But there was another drawing card as well: the finals of the orchestra’s first American Composers Competition.

Nearly 200 composers had sent entries, which a panel of composers whittled down to six. From those, conductor Carl St.Clair chose the three finalists’ works.

What piqued the audience’s interest was the chance to vote, at Wednesday and Thursday performances, and decide which of the three composers would be given a $5,000 commission to write another new work for the Pacific ensemble (the two runners-up each receive $1,500).

Three young composers -- John Kaefer of Ridgewood, N.J.; Ryan Francis of Portland, Ore.; and Mischa Zupko of Chicago -- brilliantly showed their compositional equality.

Kaefer’s “Mosaic” sounds like an urban legend -- steely and hard-edged, it alternates the aggressive with the ghostly in waves of abrasiveness. Francis’ “Straits of Anian” is shorter, more lyric, a post-impressionistic view of nature; it shimmers compellingly. Zupko’s “Canter Into Black” is a sound-narrative based on “Equus”; it tells its story swiftly and engagingly.

Between both performances, a total of 3,500 audience members voted, and the $5,000 commission went to Zupko, 31. When he was informed, he said the money would allow him to get married this summer.

As for the rest of the concert, on Wednesday the orchestra played well and Ioudenitch delivered a thrilling performance of Tchaikovsky’s B-flat minor concerto, producing a kaleidoscope of tone colors and dynamics -- from the overwhelming to the gossamer. His technique is as shiny and unblemished as a new car.

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Pacific Symphony

Where: Segerstrom Hall, Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

When: Today, 3 p.m.

Price: $12-$50

Contact: (714) 755-5799