Rhodes College music alumnus Gunter Gaupp ’16 is the 2025 winner of The American Prize Charles Ives Award in Chamber Music, which honors the finest contemporary chamber music composers in the U.S. in professional, college/university, high school and community divisions. Gaupp is recognized in the professional division for his composition Is This/This Is It, written for two violins, a viola, and cello.
Gaupp describes the composition as “a tone piece dealing with feelings of malaise and dissatisfaction while dealing with grief and mortality. The perspective of the piece repeatedly looks out to ask ‘Is this it?’ while attempting to shock itself into new appreciation by answering resolutely ‘This is it’.”
Gaupp came to Rhodes from Baton Rouge, LA, and as a student performed as a member of the Rhodes College Jazz Ensemble. He was inducted into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa honor society and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music. He also holds a master’s degree in music from The University of Memphis.
Now based in Memphis, TN, Gaupp is not only a composer, but also a guitarist, band leader, and an active performer in the local music scene. In addition, he teaches music at Memphis Rise Academy High School. Gaupp was selected for a residency at Crosstown Arts in 2022 and recognized in the Memphis Flyer’s “20 under 30” in 2023.