Society of Saint Gregory

Hi All,

I'd be grateful if you could pass on the following news, which is of especial interest to young composers.

Composers who are 21 years of age or under are invited to submit a new carol for Advent or Christmas, suitable for upper voices. The carol can be for unison, SA or SSA choir, or for choir and congregation. The accompaniment may be piano and/or organ, or may be unaccompanied.

There will be two prizes of €350 and €150 awarded for the best carols, and the winning carol will be performed by the Schola of St Joseph's Secondary School at the annual Mercy carol service which takes place in St Mary's Church Navan during December 2016.
Full details from www.ahymnformercy.weebly.com.

This announcement is coming a little late, but it's important that the work of some fine young composers is fully acknowledged:
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The task of this year’s competition was to write a carol for unison, SA or SSA choir, or for choir and congregation. Sixteen entries were received, and the judges had the challenging task of singing and playing through each piece, and evaluating them on their liturgical, musical and textual merits.

The first prize was awarded to Fergus Hall from Scotland for his stunning piece “A Mother’s Child”, featuring lush Romantic choral writing and symphonic piano accompaniment.

The judges found that two carols were worthy of joint second prize: “Drop Down Dew” by US composer Wilhelmina Esary, for unaccompanied SSA choir, with excellent word-painting and adventurous harmonies; and “Dormi Jesu” by Nyi Nyi Myin, also from the USA, which had a very memorable choral ritornello, and is a lyrical and attractive setting that is ideal for school choirs.

The high standard of compositions meant that the judges felt that a number of pieces deserved special mention. Highly commended were “Come See the Child” by Abe Eui Hyeon Song (USA), and “Shout! Hallelujah, Glory to God” by Hunter Chang (USA). Two other carols were commended, both by Irish composers: “The Little Churchyard” by Tara Scanlon, and “Verbum Caro Factum Est” by Sean Tunney.

The Schola from St Joseph's Mercy Secondary School Navan premiered the winning carol in a concert in February in Dalgan Park.