2022-23 Composition Contest

ACDA-PA announces the 11th Annual Choral Composition Competition 

GENERAL INFORMATION 
  1. The Choral Composition Competition is open to composers of all ages.
  2. Composers must be a resident of Pennsylvania or currently enrolled as a student in a PA college or university.
  3. Entry deadline: March 15, 2023
  4. Winning composition award: $1000.00
  5. Texts may be sacred or secular and can be in any language. An English translation should be included for any text that is not in English. Pronunciation guides may also be provided if needed.
  6. Composition must be 3-5 min in length, scored for SATB (limited divisi) and can either be unaccompanied or accompanied with piano.  Please keep in mind that the piece will be rehearsed and performed within a one day honors workshop and must be attainable by a mixed high school and collegiate choir.  
  7. Composition must be an original work (not an arrangement). The piece must have not been previously published, commissioned, or performed. The performance of the winning composition must be the world premiere.
  8. Texts must be free from copyright restrictions, either public domain or written permission from the poet/copyright holder included with the application
  9. Composers will retain the copyright of their compositions. 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES 
  1. All submissions must be sent via the form on the ACDA-PA website (www.acdapa.org/composition_contest) 
  2. All submissions must be pdf format.
  3. All identifying marks must be removed from the score. Submission must be anonymous.
  4. The following will be considered ineligible:
  • Entries received after March 15, 2023 11:59:59 PM Eastern Standard Time
  • Incomplete Entries
  • Entries with composer identification on the scores (a pseudonym is allowed)
  • Entries which do not follow submission guidelines

EVALUATION OF COMPOSITIONS
  1. Entries will be judged by the Choral Composition Contest Committee of ACDA-PA which is comprised of distinguished composers and conductors.
  2. The committee will judge blindly, receiving musical scores from the Choral Music Development Chair without composer identification. The name of the entrant will not be revealed to the committee until all their decisions have been submitted to the Choral Music Development Chair.
  3. The winning composition should show the unique and creative voice of the composer.
  4. The committee reserves the right to not present an award if the submitted compositions do not meet the expected standards.

NOTIFICATION OF THE RESULTS
  1. Winning composer will be notified via email on or before April 15, 2023.
  2. One winner will be selected to receive the $1000.00 prize. Honorable mentions (no cash award) may also be named by the judges.
  3. A public announcement of the winner will be made on the ACDA PA website on or before April 30, 2023. The winning composer will be asked to provide biographical information for publicity purposes.
  4. A public acknowledgement will be made at the performance/premiere of the piece at the Summer Conference of ACDA-PA August, 2023 at Messiah University.
  5. The composition will be premiered by the Honor Choir.

2022 Winners Announced

ACDA-PA is pleased to announce the following winning compositions in our 2022 competition.  The pieces will be premiered at the Summer Conference.
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​NON-STUDENT CATEGORY
"All Night I Could Not Sleep" for SATB divisi a cappella
by Laurel Luke Christensen

Laurel Luke Christensen (b. 1988) seeks to write music that reveals what is ineffable, but intimately relatable. Her compositions I Saw a Star and Dawn Will Break Upon Us won the Virginia Chorale and Siena College Choral Composition Competitions in May 2019 and March 2020 respectively. Her proposed choral work, Sanctuary, was selected as a runner-up for the ACDA Genesis Prize in October 2020. Laurel holds a BM and an MM in Music Education and has conducted Middle School, High School, and Community Choirs and taught Music Appreciation, AP Music Theory, and private voice and piano lessons to students of all ages. Originally from Colorado, she currently lives in Philadelphia with her husband and two sons.

STUDENT CATEGORY
"The Violet" for SATB and piano
by Maira Myers

Maira Myers is a rising Junior at Messiah University. Although she is originally from Harrisonburg, Virginia, she has come to Pennsylvania to pursue music education. Maira specializes mainly in voice and has always loved to sing in choirs. She is part of Concert Choir and Chamber Singers at Messiah University and has also sung in numerous choirs throughout her high school years, including district, honors, and state choir. Maira has always had a love and passion for composing music and recently started taking lessons under Dr. Richard Roberson. She is very thankful for the opportunity to continue composing and pursuing music. 
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Laurel Luke Christensen
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Maira Myers
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2020 ACDA-PA Composition Competition Winner
Congratulations to Geoffrey McKain, the 2020 ACDA-PA Composition Competition winner!! Geoff’s submission, “Close Thine Eyes” is a setting of a Roger Quilter text, composed for SATB choir and piano. The 2020 competition was open to undergraduate and graduate music students across the state. “Close Thine Eyes” will be premiered at an upcoming ACDA-PA event.

Geoffrey McKain, a 2018 graduate of Bethel Park High School, is a rising junior at Duquesne University studying music education. His primary instrument is voice, but he also plays piano and percussion. Geoffrey is currently the President of the university's ACDA chapter, and he also performs with the school's Voices of Spirit and Pittsburgh's Voces Solis. In high school, he performed with the PMEA All-State Choir for three consecutive years, as well as Pittsburgh's Junior Mendelssohn Choir his senior year. Geoffrey enjoys composing music and practicing conducting in his spare time.
ACDA-PA: American Choral Directors Association of Pennsylvania
Independent voices joining to form a common theme.