On May 28, 2025, the BMI Foundation and BMI announced the recipients of the 73rd annual BMI Composer Awards. The winners include two SMTD students: Cole Reyes, who is pursuing a DMA in composition, and Jason Zhang, who graduated in April with a bachelor’s degree in composition. Zhang, age 22, received the Carlos Surinach Award for the youngest winner of the competition.
Cole Reyes (2nd from left) and Jason Zhang (5th from left) are pictured with the other winners of the BMI Composer Award and representatives of BMI and the BMI Foundation. Photo by Brian Berson for BMI
BMI – a rights management company representing songwriters, composers, and music publishers – and the nonprofit BMI Foundation have awarded over 600 grants to young composers since the competition began, recognizing superior ability in music composition. All works in the competition were judged anonymously, and six winners were chosen from 650 applicants.
Cole Reyes
Reyes, a composer, educator, and arts administrator who studies at SMTD with Roshanne Etezady, won for his composition burnt sienna for chamber orchestra. “Winning a BMI Composer Award has always been a dream of mine,” he shared. “I was so thankful to be surrounded by so many friends and colleagues in this year’s group of winners.”
Jason Zhang
Zhang’s winning composition is like Clockwork, perpetuum for string quartet. “It’s truly an honor to have won the Carlos Surinach Prize for youngest winner at the BMI awards this year,” he stated. “I’m super grateful to all the folks at BMI who have been so nice and encouraging throughout this ceremony, the Bergamot Quartet for premiering my piece, my family who have supported me throughout my musical journey, and my composition teachers at the University of Michigan: Bright Sheng, Michael Daugherty, Roshanne Etezady, and Evan Chambers. I also want to thank Aleksandra Vrebalov who helped me greatly throughout the writing process.”
Noting the special circumstance of having two representatives of U-M and SMTD among the six winners, Zhang said, “I’m still in awe to be in the company of the other winners, all of whom I had heard of before and deeply admire, and I’m especially happy to be able to share this win with another Wolverine, Cole Reyes!”