"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 2025

Student Choral Composition Contest
Win cash for your choral composition!!

Wisconsin student composers are invited to submit works for beginning to intermediate choirs to the WCDA’s Student Choral Composition Contest. There will be two divisions: High School, with one $300 prize, and Collegiate, with one $500 prize. The winning composition in each division will also be made available to our WCDA members for one year, for the purpose of giving live performances by their ensembles.

High School division students are eligible if they are currently enrolled in any Wisconsin high school. Collegiate division students are eligible if they are currently pursuing an undergraduate degree at any Wisconsin college or university, or if they are a Wisconsin high school graduate currently pursuing an undergraduate degree at an out-of-state college or university. There is no age limit, and no entry fee!

Entries for the 2025 WCDA Student Choral Composition Contest will be accepted from now until May 2nd, 2025. The compositions should be scored for 2 to 4 voices in any combination (2 part, SAB, SATB, SSA, TBB, etc.), with no divisi. The piece can be a cappella, accompanied with piano, or accompanied by a unique backing track recording created specifically for your composition. The difficulty level should be appropriate for a beginning to intermediate level high school choir.

Full Contest Requirements can be found at:
2025 Composition Contest REQUIREMENTS

Contest Entry Form can be found at:
2025 Composition Contest ENTRY FORM

Questions? Contact our Wisconsin Composition Chair, Brad Burrill, at:
rrwicomposition@wischoral.org

Good luck!

Announcing the 2025 WCDA
Student Choral Composition Contest Winner

2025 WCDA Student Composition Contest Winners 

HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION WINNER

Ben Jaeckel
River Falls High School

Ben Jaeckel is an incoming senior at River Falls High School, where he participates in a wide range of vocal and instrumental ensembles, including band, choir, a cappella, and school musicals. He takes full advantage of the musical opportunities available to hiim. His interest in composition began during the COVID-19 pandemic, and he quickly developed a passion for writing music. He started by composing for small ensembles and gradually expanded to full concert band works. Ben believes that writing for choir presents unique challenges due to its limitations in range and difficulty, making it more demanding than writing for band. Although he has not yet selected a college, Ben plans to major in music education or performance, with a minor in music composition.

Ben composed The Flickering Light after a teacher introduced him to the composition contest. He set out to create a piece that would challenge both the emotions of the singer and the intentions of the composer. The work explores the idea of passion and belief persisting through adversity, despite the “flickering” or inconsistencies life may present. Ben hopes to include this piece in his compositional portfolio for college applications. Lastly, Ben would like to thank WCDA and all the music educators who have helped him achieve this honor.

To learn more about Ben’s work, follow him on Instagram @benjaeckelcompositions or visit his website at www.benjaeckelcomposes.com.
Ben jaeckel
COLLEGIATE DIVISION WINNER

Bella Brundage
UW-Milwaukee

Bella Brundage is a singer-songwriter, composer, performer, award-winning arranger, and multi-instrumentalist based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Composition and Technology, they have had the privilege of writing for professional groups such as the bass clarinet and marimba duo Transient Canvas, as well as university ensembles including Concert Chorale, the New Music Ensemble, their award-winning student-founded group Public Hearing A Cappella, and several UWM filmmakers. In Spring 2024, Concert Chorale premiered Bella’s first choral work, Tonight I’ve Watched the Moon (2023), to great audience acclaim. In addition to their success in the 2025 WCDA Student Composition Contest, they have been admitted to the Screen Music Program in Italy for the Summer of 2025, and received Best Arrangement in the ICCA Great Lakes Quarterfinal for the 2024 season.

From a young age, Bella felt compelled to create music. As a child, they sang constantly, often writing songs instead of joining in rounds of tag or four-square. Their songwriting journey began in earnest around the age of thirteen, alongside a self-taught exploration of recording techniques. Choir also played a vital role in their musical upbringing. An a cappella arranging assignment in high school led them to write their first choral piece, which ultimately inspired them to pursue a degree that would support both their passion for composition and their skills in production.

Since then, Bella has worked to expand their musical palette while staying grounded in their roots as a songwriter and aspiring film composer. They believe deeply in the intricate relationship between music and visuals—whether imagined or seen on screen—which informs their nuanced attention to melody and space across all forms of their work. Bella creates music that aims to transport listeners—music that lingers. Their artistic interest lies in telling stories of the heart and mind, guiding audiences to far-off imaginary places or deeper into personal reflection through honest accounts of their own life and daydreams. If you would like to explore more of Bella's work, you can find scores, videos, and routes for commissioning works at https://bellabrundage.com.
Bella brundage