Hosted annually by the UC Santa Barbara Department of Music, the Dorothy and Sherrill C. Corwin Awards recognize excellence in Music Composition and are open to all UC Santa Barbara undergraduate and graduate student music majors in the Department of Music, the College of Creative Studies, and the Media Arts and Technology Program. 

Every year, three external judges are nominated by the Corwin Chair of Composition, João Pedro Oliveira, to evaluate student scores and recordings and award prizes linked to monetary rewards, concert performances, and studio recordings. 

2025 Corwin Awards in Music Composition Have Been Announced

The UCSB Department of Music is proud to announce the winners of the 2025 Corwin Awards in Music Composition. This year’s competition drew 35 original submissions from students in the Department of Music, the College of Creative Studies (CCS), and the Media Arts and Technology (MAT) program.

Graduate Division
Category ANo award given
Category BRaphael Radna, Fantasy for flute and electronics
Category CRaphael Radna, Saturns hår: I. Terra Mater and II. Transluna

Undergraduate Division
Category ALeah Graalfs, Lost and Found for chamber orchestra
Category BLeah Graalfs, Submerged for violin, cello, and piano
Category CNo award given

This year’s distinguished jury included internationally recognized composers and scholars:

  • Annette Vande Gorne – Institute Musiques & Recherches (Belgium)

  • Marc Battier – University of Paris – Sorbonne

  • Mikel Kuehn – Eastman School of Music

Congratulations to our awardees for their outstanding creative work, and sincere thanks to all participants for sharing their compositions.

 

The Dorothy and Sherrill C. Corwin Awards are generously supported by the Corwin Family Foundation.