2019 George Heussenstamm Composition Contest Winner

I am filled with deep gratitude as I share this news with you. My composition “Hosanna (Psalm 118)” for a cappella advanced choir was selected as the winner of the 2019 George Heussenstamm ECCO Choral Composition Contest. This piece is one of those creations that has bled from my core and is dense with my own story of mental illness and spirituality, and its inspiration comes from many friends who have walked with me through similar challenges.

The piece is a setting of Psalm 118 in biblical Hebrew. The poetry is rich in expression, and is exquisitely musical on its own. As with many of the psalms, the text is deeply relatable and personal, as if spoken from the heart in sheer honesty to a God who listens, declaring God’s goodness and beseeching God for deliverance.

The piece features a solo for low voice as the lead speaker of the psalm, who is met with a response from the people of Israel in a lush, contrapuntal, and complex choral setting. I invite you to listen to the premiere performance of “Hosanna (Psalm 118)” with Desmond Clark and Ensoma Creative!

Thank you to George Heussenstamm for sponsoring the contest, and thank you to David Montoya and to all the judges for finding some merit in this piece!