Choral Composition Festival
Ithaca College Thirty-Fourth Annual Choral Composition Contest
Sponsored Jointly by Ithaca College and Roger Dean Publishing Company
Professor Lawrence Doebler founded the Choral Composition Festival in 1979 to encourage the creation and performance of new choral music and to establish the Ithaca College Choral Series. Six scores were chosen for performance this evening from entries submitted from around the world.
Ithaca College hosts a yearly choral music composition contest. On the day of the festival the top six entries are performed by high school choirs from throughout New York. The festival starts in the morning with the introduction of the groups, then continues throughout the day with rehearsals and workshops. Each choir works with the composer of the piece that is to be performed. In the afternoon, all the groups meet in Ford Hall Auditorium and rehearse the massed choir piece with Mr. Doebler. The Ithaca College Choir performs its annual commissioned work having worked with the composer during the afternoon rehearsal and workshop. There is a concert in the evening at 7:00 p.m. in Ford Hall Auditorium in which all the works are performed, and the winner of the Robert Campbell ’40, M.S. ’50 Endowed Choral Composition Prize is announced.
2011 Finalists in the Composition Contest:
Stephen Bouma – Omaha, NE
“She Walks in Beauty”
Steve Cohen – Larchmont, NY
“Adonai Malach” (Psalm 97)
Christopher Harris – Houston, TX
“Slumber On”
“He’s Able”
Martin Sedek – Denville, NJ
“Little Bird”
Stephen Shewan – Medina, NY
“A Musical Zoo”
Invited High Schools:
Ithaca HS Ithaca, NY
Arthur Loomis, director
Newark HS Newark, NY
Jean Bendix, director
Niagara Wheatfield HS Sanborn, NY
David Curtis, director
Ward Melville HS Setauket, NY
Linda Contino, director
West Genesee HS Camillus, NY
Anthony Alvaro, director
Winchester HS Winchester, MA
Christopher Nickelson, director
Carol Barnett, commissioned composer
“Bega”
Ithaca College Choir World Premiere
Lawrence Doebler, conductor
