INTRODUCTION
The International Federation for Choral Music has organized five international choral composition competitions since this project was created in 2010. The aim of these competitions is to promote the creation and distribution of new, innovative, and accessible choral repertoire and to promote and encourage composers to creation and distribution.
The International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM) launched its sixth International Choral Composition Competition 2023/2024 to promote new works in choral music and encourage innovation in choral writing that fits the needs of a 21st-century choir. The deadline to submit pieces for this composition was September 30, 2023. The winners of the two categories (Mixed and Equal Voices Choirs and A Song for World Choral Day) will be announced by the end of November 2023.
WINNERS OF THE PAST COMPETITIONS
Winners of the First Composition Competition 2010
- First Prize: “White, those that stayed still” by Matthew Van Brink (New York – USA)
- Highly commended, for harmonic thought: “At that hour” by Tom Norman Harrold (Glasgow, Scotland, UK)
- Highly commended, for choral textures and formal landscape: “Drawing number one” by Michael Fili (Pittsburgh, USA)
Winners of the Second Composition Competition 2012
- First Prize: “Eight Haikus” by Francis (Frank) Corcoran (Germany)
- Special Prize Original Sonic Landscape: “On Desire” by Itzam L. Zapata Paniagua (Mexico)
- Special Prize Notable Harmonic Originality: “Pie Jesu” by Tas Rudi (Belgium)
- Suitability for Youth Choir: “Yuku haru ya” by Ivan Bozicevic (Croatia)
- Suitability for Community Choir: “Poem I” by Xingzimin Pan (USA)
- Repertoire Value and the Well-Crafted Manuscript: “Ave Verum” by Gaetano Lorandi (Italy)
Winners of the Third Composition Competition 2017
- First Prize: ‘‘NUR’’ by Juan Manuel Conejo Gonzales (Spain)
- Second Prize: ‘‘Falling Stars’’ by Jakub Szafrański (Poland)
- Third Prize: ‘‘Miserere’’ by Benedikt Brydern (USA)
Winners of the Fourth Composition Competition 2019
- First Prize: ‘‘Jubilate Deo’’ by Simone Campanini (Italy)
- Second Prize: ‘‘Te Lucis ante Terminum’’ by Jonathan David (USA)
- Third Prize: ‘‘A Voice is Heard in Rama’’ by David Walters (USA)
Winners of the Fifth Composition Competition 2022
- World Choral Day category winner: "the Road of Life" by Chris Artley (New Zealand)
- Mixed Choir category winner: ‘‘He Vuelto Al Mar’’ by Victor Daniel Lozada Lima (Venezuela)
- Two special recognitions:
- "High up" by Vera Ivanova (Russia/USA)
- "Night Watch" by David Hamilton (New Zealand)
Winners of the Sixth Composition Competition 2023/2024
- World Choral Day category winner: "the Arrow and the Song" by Paolo Orlandi (Italy)
- Mixed Choir category winner: "A Jelly Fish" by Marie Herrington (USA)
- Special recognitions:
- "Light" by Peter Walters, UK
- "And I Will Dwell with The Lord" by Motshwane Pege, South Africa
JURY MEMBERS SINCE 2010
- Graham Lack (Germany), Reijo Kekkonen (Finland), Stephen Leek (Australia), Jonathan Rathbone (United Kingdom), Ko Matsushita (Japan), Ambrož Čopi (Slovenia), Dominick DiOrio (USA), Oscar Escalada (Argentina), Josep Vila i Casañas (Spain), Alberto Grau (Venezuela), Ēriks Ešenvalds (Latvia), Sergey Pleshak (Russia), Andrea Ramsey (USA), Miguel Astor (Venezuela), Nana Forte (Slovenia), Onur Turkmen (Türkiye), Eric Banks (USA), Ana María Raga (Venezuela), Özkan Manav (Türkiye), Tracy Wong (Malaysia/Canada), Michael Ostryga (Germany).
ARTICLES PUBLISHED
