ISU student wins award for composition

A former Iowa State University student has taken a giant step in his quest to become a great composer. Jonathan Saggau is the winner of a B-M-I Student Composer Award — one of just nine awarded in the Western Hemisphere every year. He says it’s a well-known award among young composers.The award-winning piece was based on the creator of the atomic bomb, and Saggau did his research and imagined he was inside Robert Oppenheimer’s mind. Oppenheimer was reportedly torn between completing the problem and what he would created once he solved the problem.Saggau says the piece is supposed to take you on an emotional ride.Saggau says his interest in composing music didn’t begin early on.What’s in store for Iowa’s BMI student composer award winner? Saggau says until he “kicks the bucket”, he’ll make his living composing. He’s got a good start: Saggau was recently commissioned by Iowa State to compose the musical piece that will be played this fall at the inauguration of Gregory Geoffrey, the new university president.