Amadeus Choir Christmas Carol and Chanukah Song Writing Competition

“The intention of the competition initially was to inspire young writers to be creative and to help inspire them to compose music for choirs. It has grown to be so much more than that. It has certainly been a joy and a privilege for us to present the premiere performance of these works and to share our ability to place these wonderful compositions on the world choral stage for the first time.”
- Lydia Adams (reflecting on the 20th anniversary of the competition)

Established by conductor Lydia Adams in 1987, the annual Christmas Carol and Chanukah Song Writing Competition is an opportunity for composers of all ages and levels of experience to hear their compositions come to life. Its principal goals are to provide a forum for new compositions to be brought forth, to motivate composers to develop their craft and to augment the existing choral repertoire for Christmas and Chanukah. Originally intended for only children and youth, the entry rules changed in 2000 - beginning that year, and every second year thereafter, the Competition remains open only to children and youth, but for alternate years, beginning in 2001, the Competition was opened to all composers, regardless of age and experience.

When asked about what inspired her to introduce the competition more than 20 years ago, Lydia Adams credits her experiences with the Bach Choir in London, England under the direction of Sir David Willcocks. At their yearly concert of carols, he would invite school-aged children to write a carol for the Bach Choir and the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble. Lydia says “It was always a singular pleasure and inspiration for me to watch that young person’s face as he or she listened to the magic created by Sir David and the combined forces as we all performed the carol in a format that surely, they couldn’t have dreamed of. I thought that it was a perfect way to ‘catch’ a young composer’s imagination – what an inspiration for a young composer – it must have been a life-changing experience for them. I thought then that if I ever had the chance to provide a similar experience of inspiration for young composers, that I would do it at the earliest opportunity.”

The Competition now has categories open to both amateur and published composers of all ages, who may write for any choral voicing (and with or without organ, piano, or brass accompaniment).

Winners of the Competition have the opportunity to hear their works performed by the Choir at its annual holiday concert in December. Several winning carols from past years are also featured on the Choir's Ring-a the News! CD, released on the IBS label. Many works have been published by Gordon V. Thompson in the Amadeus Choir Series, Lydia Adams, Editor.

Some past winning composers include Kola Owalabi, Scott Tresholm, Jeff Ryan, Eleanor Daley, Mark Sirett, Cassandra Luftspring and Laura Silberberg, but there are numerous others. And the next one could be you!

For more information and to obtain competition guidelines and an application form, please contact the choir office.