Posted on September 12, 2002 at 3:06 p.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Michael Angell, D.M.A., director of the Computer Music Ensemble and associate chair of the music department at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), has been awarded grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts (ASCA) and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

ASCA awarded Angell a $5,000 artist’s fellowship grant in music composition for projects taking place from October through September 2003. Much of the award will go toward funding a commission for a new work for Birmingham’s Amion String Quartet, Angell said. The grant was awarded by competitive application after Angell submitted a portfolio of his works from the last few years.

Angell also was honored with an ASCAP Award for the fifth year in a row. An independent board of panelists grants ASCAP awards, and decisions are based upon the unique prestige value of a writer’s catalog of original compositions as well as recent performances. ASCAP is committed to assisting and encouraging writers of serious music.

Angell directs the UAB Computer Music Ensemble and writes classical music for traditional instruments, computer-generated works and pieces combining the two media. His works have been performed throughout the United States and internationally. Recent performances have been in Birmingham, Atlanta, Detroit, Iowa City and Havana, Cuba.

Angell is the founder and former president and board member of the Birmingham Art Music Alliance and is a former president and board member of Artburst. Angell is a member of the board of directors for the Society for Electroacoustic Music in the United States. He has also received honors from the International Trumpet Guild.