Emerging Composers Competition

Nurturing choral music as a living, evolving art is central to Cerddorion’s mission. In 2013 we launched our annual Emerging Composers Competition to foster the creation and performance of new works for mixed chorus.

Our most recent competition drew 27 entries from throughout the world, including submissions from Italy, Denmark, Nigeria, Russia, Poland, Sweden, China, Korea, Germany, Australia, and the United States. We are delighted to announce the winners:

First Prize: Anuj Bhutani of Denton, Texas, for Moments (poem by e.e. cummings)

Second Prize: Karen Lemon of Oyster Bay, Australia, for The Starlight Night (poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins)

Honorable Mention: Przemysław Pacek of Warsaw, Poland, for Nolite Timere (traditional Latin text)

Cerddorion will premiere the first and second prize winning compositions during the 2022-23 season.

Previous Winners

2019: First Prize: Karen Lemon (Sydney, Australia), Lève-toi, et viens; Second Prize:  Jordan Andrew Davis (San Diego), Ave Maria; Honorable Mention: Martin Sedek, The Fair-hair’d Girl.

2018: David Åberg (1st prize), Bernardino Zanetti (2nd prize)

2017: Bernardino Zanetti and Ron Anderson (tie for 1st prize)

2016:  Antonio Somma (1st prize), Kyle Pederson (2nd prize)

2015:  Craig Bakalian (1st prize), Francisco José Carbonell (2nd prize), Brian Mountford (honorable mention)

2014:  Steven Serpa (1st prize), Joshua Fishbein and Theo Popov (tie for 2nd prize)

2013:  Dominick DiOrio (1st prize; no other prizes awarded)