Youth Inspiring Youth – WomenSing’s Choral Composition Competition

With a focus on youth, opportunities and a creative process, WomenSing is providing the opportunity for young composers to create new choral music, mentored by nationally recognized composer Libby Larsen. Through a blind application/submission process judged by WomenSing’s Artistic Leadership Team, two competition winners are commissioned to write treble choral works based on the inspired children’s poetry from the River of Words project. All participants take part in a series of events, including public workshops* and discussions, culminating in the commissioned works being premiered in concert by WomenSing. Since the program’s inception in 2009, WomenSing has commissioned four pieces.

The following video features interviews with Martin Benvenuto of WomenSing, Pamela Michaels from River of Words, and Ryan Harper, one of the first composers to participate in the program. Several clips from the first workshop with Libby Larsen, the 2009 composers, and WomenSing provide an interesting look at the collaborative process. “With this program, the chorus is developing an avid thirst for being a part of the creative process,” Benvenuto says. “They are fascinated with trying things out at the workshop and seeing how these composers are thinking.”

The following photos provide a glimpse of the 2009/2010 season with Youth Inspiring Youth composers Elizabeth Lim and Joshua Fishbein.

Libby Larsen, Joshua Fishbein, Elizabeth Lim, and Martín Benvenuto at a reception for the 2010 YIY composers at River of Words.

Libby Larsen looks on as Martín Benvenuto conducts WomenSing at the YIY workshop in May of 2010.

Martín Benvenuto, Libby Larsen, and Joshua Fishbein discuss the score of Unseen Secrets at the workshop.

Elizabeth Lim and Libby Larsen follow their scores during a workshop where WomenSing performs Sisyphean.

Joshua Fishbein, Elizabeth Lim, Martín Benvenuto, Quinn Whitlow, and Pamela Michaels at a pre-concert talk before the premieres of Unseen Secrets and Sisyphean.

*WomenSing gratefully acknowledges that the Youth Inspiring Youth Composers Public Workshop and Reception are funded in part through Meet The Composer’s MetLife Creative Connections program.