High School Composition and Songwriting Competition Results
Congratulations to the following winners and runners up of this year’s Don Wright Faculty of Music High School Composition and Songwriting Competition at Western University.
Composition
Winner: Sky Yang
Runners up: Joshua da Costa and Joshua Young
Songwriting
Winner: Ryder James
Runners up: Emily Wu and Charlie Gao
Pictured above, clockwise from left: Ryder James, Emily Wu, Joshua da Costa, Sky Yang, Joshua Young, and Charlie Gao
In addition to cash prizes, the winners and runners up in both categories were offered a lesson or coaching opportunity at the Don Wright Faculty of Music.
*****
Faculty member judges were impressed by the exceptional level of skill and creativity demonstrated by all the top winners and shared feedback on the winning entries:
Composition category results, with feedback from professor Paul Frehner:
Sky Yang’s Hourglass is an intriguing piece exploring a wide range of orchestral sonorities, from delicately fragile textures to full and powerful climaxes. The focal point of the work is a long-range crescendo that leads to a well-timed tutti arrival. This is followed by an imaginatively composed out orchestral decay that evokes in this listener images of melting structures. After a false ending the piece concludes with a surprising final tutti. I’m sure we will be hearing more from this composer in the future.
Joshua Young’s Liquorice Stick Stomp is a fun toe-tapping piece that evokes a Dixieland jazz vibe. The solo clarinet and trombone lines are full of character and spontaneity. The double bass and washboard parts combine for an effective rhythm section. Young is commended for playing all the parts himself on this recording.
Joshua da Costa’s “Scherzo” from his Symphony No. 1 in C# minor is a well-structured and exciting piece that shows an impressive command over fundamental aspects of orchestral writing. This piece also demonstrates that the composer has fine sense of melodic line and a keen ear for imaginative harmonic development.
Songwriting category results, with feedback from professor Norma Coates:
Ryder James - Monsters. A very likeable piece, Indie genre lyrics are not about romances ending. Wonderful vocals and guitar playing. Fully orchestrated, it could be a memorable anthem.
Emily Wu - Paper Town. Evocative; lyrics are interesting and a bit elliptical - that is, there's room to place oneself within them. Well-recorded with some interesting instrumental flourishes.
Charlie Gao - Sorry. Fun song, very jaunty. Lyrics seem at odds with the jaunty tune, which gives it an enjoyable twist. A bit of a throwback melodically, which is kind of popular these days. Interesting experimentation with vocals shows a level of creativity which shines through.
Related links
Popular Music Studies degree program at Western University
