"One of the Purposes of the American Choral Directors Association is "to foster and encourage choral composition of superior quality." Each spring, the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association supports this important work with our annual Student Choral Composition Contest. Wisconsin high school and college students are eligible to submit their newly written compositions for consideration and feedback by the May 1st deadline. The winning composers and their works are then recognized at our summer conference, Refresh!, and their scores are made available to our membership for performance the following year.
Announcing the 2023 WCDA
Student Choral Composition Contest Winners
Student Choral Composition Contest Winners
2023 WCDA Student Composition Contest Winner - Collegiate Division:
You Know No More Than I, for SATB choir with piano, by Emmeline Liske, based on a text by A. E. Houseman
Emmeline Liske is originally from Oshkosh, WI. She will graduate from UW-Eau Claire in December 2023 with a Bachelor of Music Education with a choral emphasis. Throughout college, she has studied and performed on voice, French horn, and piano. She has also been an active student conductor, arranger, and accompanist, as well as NAfME chapter president. After graduation, she hopes to teach choir at the secondary level, and later attend graduate school to continue studying music.
You Know No More Than I, for SATB choir with piano, by Emmeline Liske, based on a text by A. E. Houseman
Emmeline Liske is originally from Oshkosh, WI. She will graduate from UW-Eau Claire in December 2023 with a Bachelor of Music Education with a choral emphasis. Throughout college, she has studied and performed on voice, French horn, and piano. She has also been an active student conductor, arranger, and accompanist, as well as NAfME chapter president. After graduation, she hopes to teach choir at the secondary level, and later attend graduate school to continue studying music.
2023 WCDA Student Composition Contest Winner - High School Division:
Won't Hold My Breath, for SSA choir with piano, words, and music by Mylana Lunde & Trinity Mahnke
Trinity Mahnke just finished her Senior year at Beaver Dam High School. She has been participating in choir on and off since elementary school and has been playing flute in band for eight years. She also plays saxophone in Jazz Band and has played in a handful of musical pit orchestras. She plans on attending UW-Whitewater in the fall, majoring in music education, with hopes of becoming a high school band director.
Mylana Lunde also just finished her Senior year at Beaver Dam High School. She has been a passionate songwriter since she was very young, learning to sing and play piano early on. She stayed involved in theatre, music classes, and local performances since Elementary school. She is attending UW-Madison in the fall, majoring in music. She is thrilled to continue her musical journey, and to keep writing music and doing what she loves.
They were very excited to collaborate and submit this piece for the competition, and wanted to say: "Thank you to the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association for this opportunity, and to our director, Mark Lefeber, for being a supportive mentor every step of the way." They hope their song can bring joy and inspiration to other aspiring composers and musicians!
