American Art Song Competition for Composers

The annual American Art Song Competition for Composers is a core program of the San Francisco Song Festival, and a principal manner in which SFSF seeks to promote the creation of new work in the genre of art song. Additionally we are proud to present the Phyllis C. Wattis Prize for Song Composition, which includes a cash prize and travel expenses to San Francisco and Boston for performances of the winning work and related events. The competition is open to all composers who are citizens or residents of the North American continent.

Song cycles are adjudicated on the basis of a variety of subjective and objective criteria, including the selection and appropriate treatment of text, substance of musical ideas, harmonic control, idiomatic and appropriate accompaniment, freshness/originality, notational clarity, and sensitive vocal writing.

NOTE ABOUT 2008 COMPETITION: Like many non-profits today, San Francisco Song Festival has been severely impacted by the economic downturn and has lost much of its funding. Additionally, no doubt also because of this terrible economy, submissions to the 2008 competition were down by almost 70% from previous years. Regrettably we have had no choice but to cancel the competition this year. If you submitted a work, you will get your application materials and fees returned sometime in February. We thank you all for participation and support, and hope to be able to offer a scaled-down competition either in 2009 or 2010.

News About Composer's Corner Calendar Sponsors Contact

	COMPOSER'S CORNER THE AMERICAN ART SONG COMPETITION FOR COMPOSERS The annual American Art Song Competition for Composers is a core program of the San Francisco Song Festival, and a principal manner in which SFSF seeks to promote the creation of new work in the genre of art song. Additionally we are proud to present the Phyllis C. Wattis Prize for Song Composition, which includes a cash prize and travel expenses to San Francisco and Boston for performances of the winning work and related events. The competition is open to all composers who are citizens or residents of the North American continent. Song cycles are adjudicated on the basis of a variety of subjective and objective criteria, including the selection and appropriate treatment of text, substance of musical ideas, harmonic control, idiomatic and appropriate accompaniment, freshness/originality, notational clarity, and sensitive vocal writing. NOTE ABOUT 2008 COMPETITION: Like many non-profits today, San Francisco Song Festival has been severely impacted by the economic downturn and has lost much of its funding. Additionally, no doubt also because of this terrible economy, submissions to the 2008 competition were down by almost 70% from previous years. Regrettably we have had no choice but to cancel the competition this year. If you submitted a work, you will get your application materials and fees returned sometime in February. We thank you all for participation and support, and hope to be able to offer a scaled-down competition either in 2009 or 2010.
		2007 WINNERS: ESTABLISHED PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY Category Winner, and recipient of the 2007 Phyllis C. Wattis Prize for Song Composition: In Eleanor's Words (Eleanor Roosevelt) , by Stacy Garrop of Evanston, IL. Finalist: Exhilaration (Emily Dickinson), by Gregg Kallor of New York, NY EMERGING ARTIST CATEGORY Winner: Three Avian Songs (texts from Old English Madrigals) by Niccolo D. Athens of San Antonio, TX
	2006 WINNERS: ESTABLISHED PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY Category Winner, and recipient of the 2006 Phyllis C. Wattis Prize for Song Composition: Drifts and Shadows, by Tom Cipullo of New York, NY. Finalist: The Sky With All Its Stars (Rabindranath Tagore), by Karim Al-Zand of Houston, TX, available here EMERGING ARTIST CATEGORY Winner: Five Lorca Songs (Federico Garcia Lorca) by Ruth Huber of San Jose, CA STUDENT COMPOSER CATEGORY Winner: And Death Shall Have No Dominion (Dylan Thomas) by Keane Southard of Northborough, MA 2005 WINNERS: ESTABLISHED PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY Winner (and Sweepstakes Winner): "Four Ben Jonson Songs," by Martin Hennessy of New York, NY published by Classical Vocal Reprints. Finalist: "The Secret of Your Heart " (Rabindranath Tagore), by Karim Al-Zand of Houston, TX, available here Finalist: "Late Summer " (Heyen, Dickinson, Kunitz) by Tom Cipullo of New York, NY EMERGING ARTIST CATEGORY Winner: "Songs of the Sea" (Longfellow, Melville, Sandburg) by Garrett Byrnes of Bloomington, IN Finalist: "Violi Songs" (Paul Violi) by Scott Gendel of Madison, WI STUDENT COMPOSER CATEGORY Winner: "Songs of Fields and Prairies" (various) by Jocelyn Hagen of Minneapolis, MN Finalist: "Three Songs" (Elliot, cummings) by Ryan Charles Ramer of Cleveland, OH 2004 WINNERS: ESTABLISHED PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY Best Song Cycle: "Life is Fine," (Langston Hughes) by composer Edward Knight of Oklahoma City, OK, published by Subito Music Finalist: "Four Dickinson Songs" by Lori Laitman of Potomac, MD, published by Classical Vocal Reprints Best Song: "Men With Small Heads," (Thomas Lux), by Lori Laitman of Potomac, MD, published by Classical Vocal Reprints Finalist: "That Shadow My Likeness" by Kari Jousela of DeLand, FL EMERGING ARTIST CATEGORY Best Song Cycle: "Six Nocturnes and an Aubade," (Sara Teasdale) by Mark Buntag of Bloomington, IN Finalist: "Five Lorca Songs" by Ruth Huber of San Jose, CA Best Song: "Mis ojos sin tus ojos," (Miguel Hernandez) by Francisco Hinojosa of Morelia, Mexico Finalist: "The Marriage of the Frog and the Mouse," by Michael Rose of Brooklyn, NY STUDENT COMPOSER CATEGORY Best Song Cycle: "Two Longfellow Songs," (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) by Daniel Levin of Alexandria, VA Finalist: "Prairie Songs" by Sojourner Hodges of Climax, GA Best Song: "Willow Poem," (William Carlos Williams) by Michael Ippolito of Cincinnati, OH Finalist: "When I have fears..." by William Harvey of Bloomington, IN