A Bit of History…
The Institute for Choral Creativity (ICC) was founded by composer Ed Frazier Davis in the summer of 2020, and is an outreach institute of the William Baker Choral Foundation. The ICC was conceived after Ed sought to expand his role as the Choral Foundation's Composer-in-Residence, acting as a liaison between composers and Choral Foundation ensembles in the hope of building a more robust 21st-century music presence in the organization's repertoire.
The ICC Mission…
The ICC seeks to further and empower the art of contemporary choral music by 1) identifying talented emerging and underrepresented choral composers and connecting them with ensembles committed to performing and/or recording their music; 2) curating an annual composition competition with a cash prize and multiple performances of the winning work(s); and 3) offering private and group instruction, starting in the summer of 2021, in writing for choirs, contemporary choral music appreciation, and other topics for anyone from compositional newcomers to experienced composers looking to diversify their output.
More to Come…
The ICC is a fledgling organization and we plan to expand our responsibilities drastically in the months and years to come! As of this writing, only the first two of our mission statement goals are "live;” educational outreach is next on the horizon, with webinars, a podcast, and other class topics such as sightreading and music theory all under consideration.
Previous ICC Composition Winners:
2023:
First Prize: "Lucis Creator Optime" by Cole Reyes
Second Prize: "Ask the Orange" by Gala Flagello
Honorable Mention: "2020 in Five" by Scott Jurek
2022:
First Prize: "The Sometimes Joy of Reminiscing" by Zachary James Ritter
Second Prize: "Wessobrunn Prayer" by Edmund Jolliffe
Honorable Mention: "Reflections on Becoming" by Cole Reyes
2021:
First Prize: "Come to Me in Dreams" by Caroline Mallonee
Second Prize: "the wound is the light is the place is" by Joseph Rubinstein
Honorable Mention: "An Affirmation" by Martin Kennedy
2020:
First Prize: "Golī az dast beraft" by Daniel Sabzghabaei
Second Prize: "There Will Come Soft Rains" (from ‘‘Teasdale Songs’’) by Sam Wu
Honorable Mention: "street after street alike" by James May
For more information about the ICC, contact: efdavis@festivalsingers.org
