American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) has named Saunder Choi’s “Lakbay ng Agila (Eagle’s Flight)” as the winner in the 2024 Raymond W. Brock Prize for Professional Composers.
Saunder Choi is a Los Angeles-based Filipino composer and choral artist whose works have been performed internationally by various groups including Conspirare, the Philippine Madrigal Singers, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Pacific Chorale, World Youth Choir, Asia Pacific Youth Choir, Brightwork New Music, People Inside Electronics, and many others. As an arranger and orchestrator, Saunder has written for Tony-Award winner Lea Salonga, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, Orquestra Filarmónica Portuguesa, Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, etc.
As a choral artist, he sings with Pacific Chorale, L.A. Choral Lab, HEX Vocal Ensemble, as well as in film scores such as the soundtrack of Disney’s The Lion King (2019), Mulan (2020), Turning Red (2022), Nope (2022), Avatar: The Way of the Water (2022), etc. Saunder believes in music as advocacy, using the media as a platform for diversity, equity, inclusion, justice. His compositions are focused on narratives and conversations surrounding immigration, racial justice, LGBTQ+ advocacy, climate justice, and representations of his identity as a Filipino-Chinese. He is currently Director of Music at Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica and a teaching artist with the Los Angeles Master Chorale. www.saunderchoi.com
Dr. Brandon Boyd served as chair of the Brock selection committee and shares, “On behalf of the Composition Initiatives National Standing Committee, I want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who submitted your work for this year’s ACDA Brock Prize for Professional Composers. Our amazing Brock Professional Prize Jury spent countless hours carefully reviewing all 112 eligible submissions, and I am pleased to share that they were deeply impressed by the exceptional quality and creativity displayed in this year’s entries. Several committee members expressed how incredibly difficult it was to select a winner, given the outstanding pool of submissions. Thank you once again for sharing your talents with us. We encourage everyone to consider submitting your work in future competitions and wish you continued success in all of your endeavors.”
This work will be performed at the 2025 ACDA National Conference in Dallas, Texas.
About the Brock Prize for Professional Composers
The ACDA Brock Prize for Professional Composers emerges as a natural extension of the American Choral Directors Association’s esteemed Raymond Brock Commission, established to honor the legacy of Raymond W. Brock, who served as ACDA’s administrative assistant from 1987 until his passing in 1991. The objectives of this competition for professional composers are threefold:
- To recognize and commend exceptional composers at various stages of their careers.
- To foster the creation of choral compositions of the highest artistic merit.
- To actively promote composer involvement and participation at ACDA conferences.
The recipient of this prestigious award will receive a $5,000 cash prize, complimentary registration for the conference, a complimentary table at the conference’s composers’ fair, and the distinguished opportunity to have their winning composition performed on the main stage by a choral ensemble selected by the conference committee.
The prize is awarded in even numbered years to coincide with the performance at the upcoming National Conference. The next cycle will open in 2026. The first prize was awarded in 2018.
Click here to learn more about the Brock Prize for Professional Composers
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