■2022 2nd Prize Jakub Szafrański (Poland)
PSALM 66

Q1.How did you feel when you heard the announcement of the result and the performance on YouTube?
I was very pleased when I heard about the award on YouTube. But what I was most excited about was the Metropolitan Chorus of Tokyo performance. Waiting for the first performance and premiere is an unique time in a composer's life.

Q2.Why did you apply for this competition? (What motivated you to apply?)
I applied for the competition because I highly value the skills of The Metropolitan Chorus of Tokyo and conductor Ko Matsushita. I like the competition idea of a short piece, intermediate complexity for a four-voice mixed choir. It generates a lot applications (there were 135 of them in this edition). Such number of applications forces the composer to create a unique piece. Short time and accessibility to both professional and amateur choirs create a greater chance of popularisation of the score. Winning scores also could be published what is again great opportunity to share the music to many other choirs.

Q3.Please send your message to applicants from next year.
If you write choral music and know how to use voice in an interesting way, this is a competition for you. The short form of the work allows even less experienced composers to achieve success. It is worth applying to hear your music in an extraordinary performance conducted by Ko Matsushita.