Winners of the Valley Winds International Composition Competition

The Winners of the Valley Winds International Composition Competition are:

FIRST PRIZE: THE POOR POET by CHRISTIAAN JANSSEN, Netherlands $4,000 SECOND PRIZE: BRANCALEONE by JAYME VIGNOLI, Brazil $1,000

Finalists are:

Clackermonkey – Kent Darnielle, USA
Fantasy Suite – Jeremy Makkonen, USA
Mazurkas of Water and Fire – Roman Czura, POLAND Millennial Sketches Part I – Neal Endicott, USA
Pillars of Creation – Joshua Reed, UNITED KINGDOM Recondito – Israel Ruiz Ayala, MEXICO
Sinfonia Breve – Joseph Hallman, USA
Tha-raack! – David Heuser, USA

They received 386 compositions from 50 countries. All identifying information about the composers and their home countries were redacted throughout the entire adjudication process until after the winners had been selected.

Special appreciation to their Jury Members:
Tony Brackett, President of the Valley Winds and Composition Competition Coordinator Dr. Brian Messier, Artistic Director Valley Winds
Janice Murphy, Principal Clarinet Valley Winds
Justin Eliason, Trumpet Valley Winds
Michelle Rakers, retired Trumpet and Conductor United States Marine Band, DENMARK
Ingrid Martin, Artistic Director & Conductor of the Crosswinds Ensemble, AUSTRALIA
Sarah Watts, Clarinet/Bass Clarinet Professor Royal Northern College of Music, UNITED KINGDOM Kristin Davidson, retired French horn United States Marine Band, USA
David Zerkel, Professor of Tuba and Euphonium University of Michigan, USA