04/10/2025
In the next few days, we are highlighting our ICC Composition Contest Winners for 2024.
The Institute for Choral Creativity is pleased to feature our First Place Composition Winner for 2024, Keane Southard for his work titled, 'In this short Life'. Please read on to learn a little bit more about Keane through his short bio. And, many congratulations to Keane Southard !! The William Baker Choral Foundation ensembles, Vox Venti + the William Baker Festival Singers cannot wait to perform your amazing work.
Described as “a hugely prolific musician with a wide variety of skill sets” (newmusicbuff.com), Keane Southard is a composer and pianist who believes deeply in the power of music to inspire positive change in the world. Compositions illustrating this belief include ones that advocate for nonviolence (Where Do We Go from Here?) environmental conservation (An Appalachian Trail Symphony: New England), and positive social change (Do You Hear How Many You Are?).
Proclaimed as “a terrific discovery” (Bandworld Magazine) and “highly-professional and well-orchestrated” (Portland Press Herald), his music features a wide range of styles and approaches from traditional to experimental, systematic to free, and sacred to secular.
Mr. Southard has been a recipient of many awards, most recently a residency at the Copland House and winner of the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra Third International Composer Competition (Lithuania). He has been a fellow at the INK STILL WET composer/conductor workshop at the Grafenegg Festival (Austria), the Intimacy of Creativity (Hong Kong), and the Bennington Chamber Music Conference.
As a Fulbright Scholar, Keane conducted research on music education in Brazil and has also taught at Bennington College and Nazareth College. Keane earned his Ph.D. in composition from the Eastman School of Music.
Again, many congratulations, Keane. If you want to learn more about him, please visit his website https://keanesouthard.com/ for additional information.
