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2020 Composition to be Premiered at 2022 Summer ConferenceDue to the postponement of the 2020 Summer Conference and the fact that the 2021 conference was held virtually, we will premiere the winning composition for the 2020 contest at the 2022 Summer Conference. We thank those who participated in the 2020 competition and look forward to premiering the work this summer along with the 2022 winning selections!
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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. |
Laurel Luke Christensen
Maira Myers
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2021-22 Composition Contest
ACDA-PA announces the 10th Annual Choral Composition Competition
This year’s competition will be for two categories of composers:
STUDENT CATEGORY
GENERAL INFORMATION
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
NON-STUDENT CATEGORY
GENERAL INFORMATION
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
EVALUATION FOR BOTH CATEGORIES
NOTIFICATION OF THE RESULTS
This year’s competition will be for two categories of composers:
- Students (High School/Undergraduates) and
- All Others (Graduate Students and non-students)
STUDENT CATEGORY
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Composers 18 or older currently enrolled in High School, College or University (undergraduate) in Pennsylvania. (Graduate students must apply for the Non-Student category) These composers need not be residents of PA, but they must either be a resident of PA or currently attending a PA college or University.
- Entry deadline: March 15, 2022
- Winning composition award: $500.00
- Entrants do not have to be composition majors, nor do they have to be music majors.
- Level of difficulty should be for an established Middle School/Jr. High (6th-9th grade) choir.
- Texts may be sacred or secular but should be in English.
- Texts must be free from copyright restrictions, either public domain or written permission from the poet/copyright holder included with the application.
- Composition must be 3-5 min in length, scored for SATB (minimal divisi) and piano.
- 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.
- Composers will retain the copyright of their compositions.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
- All submissions must be sent via the form on the ACDA-PA website (www.acdapa.org/composition_contest)
- All submissions must be pdf format.
- All identifying marks must be removed from the score. Submission must be anonymous.
- A letter of recommendation from a teacher/professor who is familiar with the student’s compositions must also be uploaded to the ACDA-PA website.
- The following will be considered ineligible:
- Entries received after March 15, 2022 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
- Entries that do not include a letter of recommendation from student’s professor
NON-STUDENT CATEGORY
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Composer must be 18 or older and a resident of Pennsylvania or currently a graduate student in a PA college or university.
- Entry deadline: March 15, 2022
- Winning composition award: $1000.00
- Level of difficulty should be for an established University or College choir.
- 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.
- Composition must be 3-5 min in length, scored for SATB (divisi) and can either be unaccompanied or accompanied with piano.
- 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.
- Texts must be free from copyright restrictions, either public domain or written permission from the poet/copyright holder included with the application
- Composers will retain the copyright of their compositions.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
- All submissions must be sent via the form on the ACDA-PA website (www.acdapa.org/composition_contest)
- All submissions must be pdf format.
- All identifying marks must be removed from the score. Submission must be anonymous.
- The following will be considered ineligible:
- Entries received after March 15, 2022 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 FOR BOTH CATEGORIES
- Entries will be judged by the Choral Composition Contest Committee of ACDA-PA which is comprised of distinguished composers and conductors.
- 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
- The winning compositions (one from each category) should show the unique and creative voice of the composer.
- The committee reserves the right to not present either (or both) award(s) if the submitted compositions do not meet the expected standards
NOTIFICATION OF THE RESULTS
- Both winning composers will be notified via email on or before April 15, 2022.
- One winner from the student category will be selected to receive the $500.00 prize and One winner from the Non-student category will be selected to receive the $1000.00 prize. Honorable mentions (no cash award) may also be named by the judges.
- A public announcement of the winners will be made on the ACDA PA website on or before April 30, 2022. The winning composers will be asked to provide biographical information for publicity purposes
- A public acknowledgement will be made at the performance/premiere of the works at the Summer Conference of ACDA-PA August, 2022 at Messiah University.
- The student composition will be premiered by the Middle School Honor Choir
- The non-student composition will be premiered by the Student/Director Honor Choir
| 2021 Composition Competition Guidelines |
The submission deadline has passed and entries for 2022 are no longer being accepted. Thanks to all who participated. We look forward to announcing the winners at the summer conference!
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.
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.