John McIntyre, associate professor of music and chair of the Department of Music and Theatre at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, has been named a recipient of a 2008-2009 ASCAPLUS Award. McIntyre has applied for and received the award eleven times since 1998. 

The award, given by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), reflects the Society’s continuing commitment to assist and encourage ASCAP composers. Awards are granted by an independent panel and are based upon the unique prestige value of each applicant’s catalog of original compositions, as well as recent performances in areas not surveyed by the Society.

McIntyre’s award is a cash award meant for composers who work in “non-commercial” fields, such as concert and church music. These composers are not compensated for the public performance of their works, unlike most composers of music for film, TV, theater, and other commercial venues.

In order to receive an award, a composer must be a member of ASCAP and they must apply for it by submitting a record of not-for-profit performances, new compositions and arrangements, and commissioned works. Later, an independent panel of judges reviews the applications to determine if an award is merited, and how much money the recipient should receive.

“It’s often difficult for a musician to try to piece together a career in music,” McIntyre said. “We tend to think of success in terms of fame and huge fortunes. I consider myself one of the most fortunate, though, because I get to pass what I have learned on to the students at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College while still having the opportunity to compose and arrange. It’s tough to keep things in balance, but it is worth the effort. This award from ASCAP is most welcome not only because it comes in the form of a check, but because it confirms and encourages me in my work.”

McIntyre holds music degrees from Western Washington University, the University of Miami, and the University of Southern California. He previously taught at Texas Christian University and at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, Colombia. McIntyre is also on the faculty of the Rensselaer Program of Church Music and Liturgy at Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind.

McIntyre’s compositions and arrangements have been performed in churches and concert halls in North and South America and Europe, and recorded by Nicolas3, the Emerald City Brass Quintet and Musickes Pleasure. He has received awards from ASCAP and the Choral Conductors Guild, and his publishers include Concordia, GIA, Augsburg Fortress, Southern Music and G. Schirmer.

McIntyre also composed a Psalm setting in 2007, which was commissioned for the Mass for the Inauguration of David G. Behrs, Ph.D., 15th president of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. McIntyre has also received commissions from Flutes Unlimited, a community music ensemble based on Chicago's southwest side, and the Summer Brass Workshop, which is based in Minnetonka, Minn.

The Music and Theatre Department at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College offers a variety of music and theatre degrees, including the bachelor of arts degree in music and the bachelor of arts in women and theatre. It also offers the bachelor of science in music therapy and the bachelor of arts in music education (all-level, all-area). The College also offers a master's degree program in music therapy. The music programs at The Woods are fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. The music therapy programs are approved by the American Music Therapy Association and the Music Education program is approved by the Indiana Department of Education.

To learn more about the Department of Music and Theatre at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, e-mail McIntyre at music@smwc.edu.