IFCM - International Federation for Choral Music

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.

In 2021 International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM) launched its Fifth International Choral Composition Competition to promote new works in choral music and encourage innovation in choral writing that fits the needs of a 21st-century choir. We were looking for compositions that combine originality, imagination, and creativity within the context of contemporary global themes.

All applicants sent their works according to the published Rules and Regulations. We received 93 applications: 74 for the Mixed Choir category and 19 for the World Choral Day category, a successful outcome with an excellent representation of countries:

USA : 17 applications
Canada, Italy : 7 applications
UK : 5 applications
France, Indonesia, Spain : 4 applications
Germany, Philippines, Venezuela : 3 applications
Austria, Belgium, China, Hungary, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Korea, Turkey, Russia: 2 applications
Australia, Brazil, Columbia, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Mozambique, North Korea, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland: 1 application

The competition was fully anonymous, and five Jury members met in March and chose the winners according to the Rules and Regulations of the Competition: Andrea Ramsey (chair, USA), Nana Forte (Slovenia), Onur Türkmen (Turkey), Miguel Astor (Venezuela), Andrea Ramsey (USA), Ko Matsushita (Japan).

With great pleasure we are now announcing the winners and special mentions in both categories:

The winner of the World Choral Day category is

Chris Artley, New Zealand, with On the Road of Life

The winner in the Mixed Choir category is

Victor Daniel Lozada Lima, Venezuela, with He Vuelto al Mar

Two special recognitions:

Vera Ivanova, Russia/USA, with High up
David Hamilton, New Zealand, with Night Watch

On behalf of IFCM and the Jury members, we express our sincere congratulations to the winners and deepest gratitude to all the applicants.

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 Fourth 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)

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), and Sergey Pleshak (Russia)