Learn more about the past winners of our annual composers competition!

Chorus Austin’s Annual Composers Competition began in 2013 as exclusively a Young Composers Competition, open to composers 30 and younger. Now its in 9th year, it has been expanded to include a division for Young Composers, but also for composers of all ages. We are proud to have accepted applications from all over the world, and winners from Venezuela, Spain, and across the United States. Click here to learn more about our competition requirements. If you wish to be notified of future competition dates, please join our email newsletter.
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For questions or more information about this or any future Composers Competition, please email composerscompetition@chorusaustin.org

2021 Winner 
Daniel Reza Sabzghabaei (دانیال رضا سبزقبایی) 
​Goli az Dast Beraft (گلی از دست برفت) 
​"A Flower Was Lost"

Daniel Reza Sabzghabaei (دانیال رضا سبزقبایی) is a creator who aims to emphasize the malleability of time and how we experience it, not just in the concert hall but in everyday life as well. His work has been presented and commissioned by organizations including: Intimacy of Creativity Festival, the International Contemporary Ensemble, National Sawdust, JACK Quartet, Guerilla Opera, the Banff Centre, OPERA America, Music from Copland House, Beth Morrison Projects, the New York Festival of Song, TAK Ensemble, the Moab Music Festival, [Switch~] Ensemble, Pro Coro Canada, The Esoterics, Unheard-of//Ensemble, Young New Yorkers Chorus, Contemporaneous, loadbang, VocalEssence, TACET(i), Israeli Chamber Project, ICon Arts Festival, and the Busan Choral Festival.  He holds degrees from the University of North Texas and the Peabody Conservatory. Daniel is currently a doctoral candidate and Sage Fellow at Cornell University. Learn more about Daniel Sabzghabaei.

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2021 Runner-Up
​Mattias Lundberg 
Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal

Mattias Lundberg writes for choir with a conductor’s perspective. While his academic focus is in Baroque music, his own compositions reflect a modern approach to form and harmony, gravitating towards rich, dense chords as the foundation for his choral settings. Mattias was born in Washington, DC to British and Swedish parents, and spent the pandemic working for Arts Laureate as an audio engineer for virtual choir projects.
Also a professional singer, he graduated from Haverford College in 2020 with a BA in Music, and is attending the Yale School of Music to pursue a MM in Choral Conducting. 

2021 Honorable Mentions: 

Patrick Vu - ​I Believe
Dylan Trần - Dear Heart

2021 Finalists​:

German Bárboza
Eric Choate
John Franek
​Isaac Lovdahl

2020 Winner
Sam Wu
​Sheng Sheng Man

​Sam Wu attended The Juilliard School for his M.M. in Composition, after receiving an A.B. in Music and East Asian Studies from Harvard University. Sam's piece "Sheng Sheng Man" was selected as 2020 our winner, but the piece could not be performed live due to COVID-19 restrictions. Chorus Austin recorded Sam's piece in June of 2021. See the recording here!

​ Learn more about Sam Wu.

2020 Runner-Up
Rachel Lanik Whelan ​
How (this)

Rachel Whelan is currently a PhD student and teaching fellow in composition at the University of North Texas. Rachel's piece "How (this)" was selected as 2020 our runner-up, but the piece could not be performed live due to COVID-19 restrictions.Chorus Austin recorded Rachel's piece in June of 2021. See the recording here!
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Learn more about Rachel Whelan.

2019 Winner 
Dr. Sarah Rimkus
Rough Country

2018 Winner
Darren Schmidt
Set Me as a Seal

Dr. Sarah Rimkus, a doctoral graduate of the University of Aberdeen, was chosen as our 2019 winner from more than 80 submissions. Her piece Rough Country
(from her longer work, Failed Saints) was performed as part of Chorus Austin's "Southwest Voices" concerts on May 4-5, 2019 in Austin, Texas.

Learn more about Dr. Sarah Rimkus

Darren Schmidt, an award-winning composer and performer from Baltimore, Maryland, was selected as our 2018 winner. His work, Set Me as a Seal, received its world premier performances as part of Chorus Austin's "Southwest Voices" concerts May 5 & 6, 2018 in Austin, Texas.

Learn more about Darren Schmidt

2016 Winner 
Michael Gaydeski
Dreams in the Dusk

Michael Gaydeski holds a master's degree in music composition and trumpet performance from Oklahoma City University and a bachelor's degree in music theory and composition from Indiana University. Chorus Austin presented the world premiere of Dreams in the Dusk at our "Southwest Voices" concerts on April 30 - May 1, 2016. 

2015 Winner
Francisco Carbonell
O Sacrum Convivium

Francisco Carbonnel is a graduate of the Conservatorio Profesional de Música de Valencia, where he studied music theory and composition. Since Chorus Austin's performance of this piece in 2015, O Magnum Mysterium has gone on to win 3rd prize in the International Composition Competition Musica Sacra Nova in 2016.

2017 Winner
Carlos Cordero
7 Seconds of Love

Carlos Cordero, originally from Venezuela and a recent MM graduate of Moores School of Music at the University of Houston, was selected as our 2017 winner. His work, Seven Seconds of Love, received its world premiere performances as part of Chorus Austin’s “Southwest Voices” concerts May 20 & 21, 2017 in Austin, Texas.

Learn more about Carlos Cordero

2014 Winner
Dr. Joshua Fishbein
A Prep School Boy

Dr. Joshua Fishbein is a doctoral graduate of UCLA, and teaches on the music theory faculties at The Peabody Institute of John Hopkins University and and Towson University. Since winning our premiere Young Composer Competition award with A Prep School Boy, he returned to commission Sunset Symphony for Chorus Austin as a part of the Dale Warland Singers Commission, presented by Chorus America.