CMS Announces Winners of 2024-2025 Young Composers Competition

The Community Music School of Webster University (CMS) proudly announces the winners of the 2024-2025 Young Composers Competition. The winners, selected across two age categories, will be celebrated during a public concert highlighting the vibrant future of classical composition.

Level One (12-16 years of age):

First Place: Aadit Shrivastava, age 16, from Short Hills, New Jersey, for The Bells Sing

Second Place: Skye Neal, age 14, from Lake Oswego, Oregon, for Season Finale

Level Two (17-21 years of age):

First Place: Emily Chen, age 17, from Irvine, California, for One and Only

Second Place: Chase Morrison, age 20, from Lantana, Texas, for Nighttime Glow

Honorable Mention: Max Heyck, age 21, from Norman, Oklahoma, for Superluminal Motion

Chosen from a pool of over 60 submissions from the United States and Canada, these young composers have demonstrated outstanding skill and innovation. The winning compositions will be featured in a public concert with Chamber Project St. Louis at 4 p.m., Saturday, March 29 in the CMS Concert Hall on the campus of Webster University. Winners are invited and guest composer Daniel Pesca will attend the concert.

As part of their prize, all winners will engage with Pesca and musicians from Chamber Project St. Louis at a private master class and dress rehearsal, which will provide invaluable insights and feedback to the winners ahead of the concert.

For additional information and full biographies of the winners, please visit webster.edu/cms-ycc.

About the Young Composers Competition

Since 2004 the Young Composers Competition, an initiative of the Community Music School (CMS) of Webster University, has been fostering creativity among budding composers aged 12 to 21. The competition culminates in the professional performance and recording of winning compositions by Chamber Project St. Louis. Notable guest composers provide individual feedback and insights in a dedicated master class, enriching the educational experience for the winners.

The Young Composers Competition is generously sponsored by Arden and Harry Fisher.