The Columbia Civic Orchestra (CCO) and Premiere Vocal Artists, conducted by Jeremy Wagner, will perform the winning works from the 2025 Missouri Composers Project (MOCOP) competition in a concert at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 13 at Broadway Christian Church, 2601 W Broadway in Columbia. Admission to the concert is free and open to the public.

Now in its 13th year, MOCOP is a collaborative effort involving the Mizzou New Music Initiative, the Columbia Civic Orchestra, Premiere Vocal Artists, and the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation. Composers from all over Missouri are invited each year to submit orchestral and choral works for potential performance, with winners selected by blind judging in two age categories: “open” and “high school.” In addition to the performance and a live recording of their work, all four winners of the competition receive a $500 honorarium from the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation.

Here are the 2025 MOCOP competition winners and the compositions that will be performed at the 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 13 concert:

Choral High School

Winner: Dies Irae by Ethan Shepherd, (Kansas City, MO, Lincoln College Preparatory Academy)

Honorable Mention: Rule of Cronus by Noah Blaine (Seymour, MO, Fordland High School)

Choral Open Age

Winner: Rest by Faith Zimmer (Springfield, MO)

Honorable Mention: Sleep by Violet Burney (Chesterfield, MO)

Orchestral High School

Winner: Winter Wind by Adrian Sterk, (Lees Summit, MO, Lees Summit North High School)

Orchestral Open Age

Winner: The Dear King by Stephen Casey (Cape Girardeau, MO, Southeast Missouri State University)

Honorable Mention: Onus by Elijah Darden (University City, MO)

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