Ellen Gilson Voth, Winner of the 2022 ACDA Pearl Prize

From the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Composition Initiatives Standing Committee:

Ellen Gilson Voth has been named winner of the 2022 ACDA Pearl Prize.

The ACDA Pearl Prize, named for the beauty yet simplicity of a pearl, seeks to foster new works for volunteer choirs (community or church choirs, as well as school choirs) that are eloquent yet simple, and create maximum impact with minimal difficulty. This focus plays an important role in the ACDA Composition Initiatives Committee’s broader mission to promote “the creation of quality new music for choruses of all sizes, ages, and abilities” and to serve the entire spectrum of ACDA member choruses.

The contest drew 133 applications from the U. S. and abroad. After several rounds of deliberation, our judges (Dr. Brandon Boyd, Susan LaBarr, Dr. Jamie Hillman, and Dr. Dan Forrest) are pleased to award the 2022 Pearl Prize ($3,000) to Dr. Ellen Gilson Voth for her work, Standing Tall.

Dr. Voth is in high demand as a conductor of college/university, professional and community choirs. An award-winning composer, her works are widely published and frequently commissioned and performed by choirs across the U.S. Voth credits her years of teaching experience and her performing experience as a keyboard artist and singer as important influences on her writing for the voice. Standing Tall is a four-minute work for 2-part treble choir and piano, commissioned by Dr. Jennifer Kane in memory of a recently deceased young friend of her family. Its text was written by Dr. Voth, mixed with affirming statements written by singers from Dr. Kane’s Handel and Haydn Society Youth Choruses. Regarding this collaboration, Dr. Voth says “it was our hope that Standing Tall would prompt vital conversation about the fresh start each day offers, and the inherent worth of every person. The need for eloquent, powerful, and accessible choral music that speaks to singers’ emotional well-being has never been greater. I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Kane and her singers, to the Pearl Prize judges, to the ACDA Composition Initiatives Committee, and to our shared village of conductors and composers who are all persevering and meeting this moment with tenacity and grace.”

ACDA wishes to thank the choral industry publishers and partners who helped sponsor the Pearl Prize even during a time of economic downturn in the industry: Alfred Music, Beckenhorst Press, Finale, The John Ness Beck Foundation, Lorenz Publishing, and Santa Barbara Music Publishing. More details about the sponsors and the Pearl Prize can be found at https://acda.org/pearl-prize. The ACDA Composition Committee looks forward to additional expanded initiatives in the near future which will promote creation of quality new music for a variety of choruses.