The intent of the competition is to encourage creativity and self-expression in student musicians at all levels through the art of composing. WSMTA winners may advance to Northwest Division and National competitions.
To register for the MTNA Student Composition Competition, go to the MTNA website.
2026-2027 MTNA Composition Competition
Registration deadline: September 9, 2026 (3 pm Eastern time)
Registration and complete information is available by visiting the MTNA Competitions page.
For composition competition guidelines, click here.
Contact Lillian Yang, WA State MTNA Composition Competition Chair for more information.
- YouTube links will be submitted instead of MIDI files.
- Attendance and performance at the national conference is optional for national winners and is not a condition for accepting the prize money.
- MTNA active membership dues must be paid before submission of the registration. A $200 nonmember teacher fee will be assessed if entrant’s teacher has not paid active membership dues for the 2026-2027 membership year.
- Registration deadline is Wednesday, September 9, 2026, 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. There will be no exceptions.
2026-2027 WASHINGTON STATE COMPOSITION COMPETITION RESULTS
ELEMENTARY
JUNIOR
SENIOR
YOUNG ARTIST
NORTHWEST DIVISION COMPETITION
From Washington State
NATIONAL COMPETITION RESULTS
2026 MTNA STUDENT COMPOSITION COMPETITION JUDGES
John M. Kennedy
William Dougherty
John M. Kennedy
Composer-Bassist-Educator
The music of composer and bassist John M. Kennedy has been described as “coming out of
contemporary music and the Jazz tradition from multiple eras” (James Newton). His first major
international performance was in 1989 with the European premiere of his orchestral work
“Portrait…” at the Mozarteum, Salzburg. Since then his work has been presented at festivals
worldwide including “June in Buffalo”, the “Hear Now Festival” in Los Angeles, the “Soundways”
festival in St. Petersburg, three World Saxophone Congresses, and concerts and recitals on four
continents. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, the American Academy of Arts
and Letters, the American Composers Forum, and Meet the Composer have recognized and supported
his work with grants and awards throughout his career.
Kennedy’s oeuvre spans large- and small-scale works for solo instruments, chamber ensembles,
chorus, voice, one-act opera, symphonic wind ensemble, and orchestra. In recent years, his creative
focus has turned toward works that celebrate the diversity of contemporary life in the United
States, including Sidewalks, a piece for sung and spoken voice, instruments, and media. Forthcoming
projects include a recording of his arrangement of Wayne Shorter’s “Nefertiti” with a group of
improvisers from a variety of stylistic persuasions, a new clarinet quartet, and a cantata for peace
using the texts of Whitman and Twain for winds, solo double bass, vocalists, and percussion. Recent
publications include “Solo Bass” a collection of his works for double bass available on Presto Music
and the forthcoming second edition of “Music as Cultural Expression” with his co-author Satik
Andriassian will be out in Fall 2026. His work increasingly explores the role of artificial intelligence
in musical creation, examining how emerging technologies can expand expressive possibilities and
challenge traditional boundaries between composer, performer, and audience.
As a double bassist he performs regularly in orchestral, chamber and Jazz groups in Los Angeles and as a
soloist he premiered a series of works by William Roper. In 2021 his teaching was recognized with the
President’s Distinguished Professor Award at Cal State LA where he has served as Professor of
Composition since 1994. John is a graduate of the University of Michigan, completing the MM and DMA
in composition under Leslie Bassett and William Albright, and double bass studies with Lawrence Hurst
and Stuart Sankey. For more information on his work, please go to www.johnmkennedy.net.
William Dougherty
William Dougherty is an American composer, sound artist, and educator whose music has been
performed internationally by ensembles including the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, JACK
Quartet, Yarn/Wire, Talea Ensemble, and the Sun Ra Arkestra. His work has been featured at
festivals including Tectonics Glasgow, IRCAM’s ManiFeste, and the Donaueschingen
Musiktage, and broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
A recipient of the Luciano Berio Rome Prize in Music Composition, Dougherty has also
received fellowships and awards from Harvard University’s Radcliffe Institute, Civitella Ranieri
Foundation, American Academy of Arts and Letters, and other organizations. He holds a DMA
from Columbia University and is currently Assistant Professor of Music Composition at the
University of Washington in Seattle.
Dougherty is committed to creating spaces for experimental and community-based music
making. He is the founder and director of the Seattle Open Orchestra and the Philadelphia
Community Orchestra, ensembles that bring musicians of varied backgrounds and experience
levels together to explore experimental, improvised, and alternative approaches to making music.
At UW, he is also founder of the Summer Composition Institute, a collaboration with the
Washington State Music Teachers Association that connects young composers from across the
state with UW student composers and performers.
For more information, please visit www.williamdougherty.com