The Young New Yorkers’ Chorus Renames Acclaimed Young Composer Competition in Memory of Former Board President Daniel Thompson

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The Young New Yorkers’ Chorus Renames Acclaimed Young Composer Competition in Memory of Former Board President Daniel Thompson

New York, NY– April 22, 2025 — The Young New Yorkers’ Chorus (YNYC), esteemed choral nonprofit and leading advocate for new choral music, has renamed its long-running annual competition for emerging composers as The Daniel Thompson Memorial Competition for Young Composers. This renaming honors YNYC’s late Board President Daniel Thompson and is made possible by a generous $50,000 endowment from the Thompson family. The competition’s new name represents not only an investment in the competition’s future, but also honors Thompson’s own championing of new music and contribution to the organization during his tenure as a leader and member.

“Daniel was an essential part of the YNYC community,” said YNYC General & Artistic Director Alex Canovas. “The Competition for Young Composers has been a defining part of YNYC for almost our entire history, and this astoundingly generous gift from the Thompson family in Daniel's memory will allow us to continue to commission and premiere new music by the most unique and compelling emerging voices in our field—work that was very near and dear to Daniel's heart. It gives me great joy to pay tribute to him through naming the competition in his memory and honor.”

Established in 2004, the highly respected YNYC Competition for Young Composers has commissioned and premiered 57 original works from composers under 35. In its 20 iterations, it has left an indelible impact on the contemporary choral world, giving an early-career platform to accomplished composers including Jake Runestad, Dale Trumbore, Ola Gjeilo, Sydney Guillaume, Jocelyn Hagen, and Matthew Lyon Hazzard, among others. 

The 2025 finalists for the Daniel Thompson Memorial Competition for Young Composers will have their works premiered at the YNYC Treble Ensemble’s spring concert, To the East, Saturday, May 10, at 7:30 p.m. at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Manhattan. The winner will be announced at the concert’s conclusion. 

About the Young New Yorkers’ Chorus

Founded in 2001, The Young New Yorkers’ Chorus (YNYC) fosters a vibrant choral community through singing, performance, and collaboration with emerging composers. Comprising both a Mixed and a Treble Ensemble and led by General & Artistic Director Alex Canovas, YNYC works to ensure that New Yorkers have a haven that brings music to those who need it and amplifies the voices of those who wish to make it.

In recent years, the Treble Ensemble appeared at the Ensemble Showcase for the Connecticut American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Fall Conference, and the Mixed Ensemble performed at the ACDA Eastern Region Conference in February/March 2024. In recognition of its work, YNYC was named the winner of The American Prize in Choral Performance - Community Division in 2023 and won second place in The American Prize Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music - Community Division in 2024. Learn more at ynyc.org.  

For media inquiries, please contact Lucy Mayer at lucy@ynyc.org.