Music Gifts by Becky
2025 Entries (Ages 15 & 16)
Please support this competition with music gift purchases from this website.
Presenting Results for our 12th Annual Youth Composition Competition
Judges are Andrew Sigler and Giavanni Piacentini
2025 Compositions by Ages 15 and 16 Entries
1st Place, Matthew Hodge; 2nd Place, Tyler Cummins; 3rd Place Tie, Yifan Quiu and Lillian Liang;
Honorable Mention, Michael Battle
Find compositions from ages 17 and 18 HERE, and from ages 10 to 14 HERE.
Ages 15 and 16 Compositions - listed below by composer in alphabetical order.
<<== This is a link to just a few of my music gift creations. Please support my work with a purchase. WITH MY ART, I MAKE music books, note cards, shirts, posters, music stickers, music purses and so much more. Posters are great for music dorm rooms. You can even request a subject for me to paint, with a specific or a vague idea.
How can I stress to please support this competition with website purchases??!! My books are written to encourage practice and include practice stories from musicians worldwide. It is filled with sensible ways to solve problems in the practice room and fun reminders, like be generous with your pencil to mark music. Mark keys, dynamics and other notes, make a practice journal, write questions for your teacher, or mark areas to practice extra…
When I was young, I was embarrassed to mark my music, thinking that people would think I couldn’t remember a key signature. Now I know, it makes practice more efficient.
I even check my book myself once in a while to get my practicing moving again. One of the Moms of a competition student told me her child loves to compose and hates to practice! Get encouragement here.
Michael Battle, “Astralis”, Honorable Mention
Michael Battle is a junior from New Jersey with a deep passion for both music and storytelling. A dedicated member of his high school’s wind ensemble and the North Jersey Area Band, he performs on bassoon, clarinet, and saxophone. Outside of performing, Michael volunteers each summer to help teach beginning musicians, sharing his love for music with the next generation.
Inspired by the worlds of fantasy and film, he draws creative influence from composers like Joe Hisaishi and Maurice Ravel. Alongside his musical pursuits, Michael is also a varsity baseball player, balancing the intensity of sports with the nuance of composition. He hopes to one day write music for film, video games, or other immersive media, and plans to study composition in college to bring that dream to life.
Brayden Bogden, “Genesis”
Brayden Bogdon is an American-born compose that specializes in scoring for digital media. Bogdon is proudly the first Marywood student to have a focus in music composition, and one of the first to also have a focus in accordion. They create a wide variety of music, but particularly have a passion for creating fixed media. Their goal is to help spread the joys of music across the world, as music is their life.
Tyler Cummins, “Reflections on Green Lake”, Second Place
Tyler Cummins loves composing, as well as playing and performing piano and clarinet. He is inspired by the emotional content of music, as well as the many rhythms and harmonies of different musical styles. Tyler has studied composition, piano, and clarinet at Interlochen Arts Camp and New England Conservatory Prep. His compositions have resulted in local and international awards and performances. Tyler also enjoys math, running, and time with family and friends.
Matthew Hodge, “Morpheus”, First Place
Matthew Hodge is a classical composer, pianist, and violist in Roseland, Virginia. He is a Junior in High School and has been home schooled for all his education. He has won numerous international, national, state, and local awards for his composition from organizations including the Classic Pure Vienna International Music Competition, Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), Virginia Music Teachers Association (VMTA), and Wednesday Music Club (WMC) among others. As a pianist, he has also won various state and local competitions. His music was first published when he was fourteen years old, and since then he has been commissioned by various notable musicians and had his music performed in prestigious venues including the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. Additionally, he was given the opportunity to have his music published by Universal Edition when he turns eighteen years old.
Matthew studies composition with Sheridan Seyfried and occasionally Richard Danielpour, piano with Jeanne Jackson, and viola with Johanna Beaver. In addition to being a composer, he is an avid chamber musician on piano, playing in the Sundry Trio along with others, and plays viola in his local youth orchestra, with whom he was awarded an honorable mention in their concerto competition. His music has been noted for its “beautiful builds and decays,” and “beautiful atmosphere.” His goal is to write music that, while academically interesting, remains accessible to the average listener.
Lillian Liang, “Tears of a Withering Flower”, Third Place Tie
Lillian's passion for music started when she first learned the piano at 8 years old. She used the skills she'd gained through years of performing to discover a new hobby: music composition. As a composer whose been doing music composition for two years, Lillian discovered many composing styles, some of which include Dorian, Classical, Ragtime, and much more, all of which contributed to her likes of composing music. Outside of music, Lillian also partakes in activities such as public forum debate and art. Despite this, Lillian often spends her free time composing music and experimenting with new ideas.
Yifan Qiu, “Golden Waves”, Third Place Tie
I'm Yifan Qiu, currently a Sophomore at Lake Oswego High School in Oregon. My musical journey started at the age of 4 when I started playing the piano. I developed a passion for music composition when I was 10, when I first started to learn music composition. Prior to doing music composition, I played the piano since I was 4 and the clarinet since I was 9. Besides doing music composition, I also competitively swim. In my free time, I enjoy playing chess and listening to music.
Gunes Sunar, “Fameless”
15-year-old Gunes Sunar is a 10th-grade student at Ward Melville High School in Setauket, New York. He began piano lessons at age five and developed a passion for composing his own music. Gunes studied with Christina Sidaras, followed by Peg Stockton at the Piano Preparatory School (Ohio), and Rosanne Brown through private lessons. He is currently a student of Daniel Fogel. At age seven, Gunes won his first composition award in the Ohio Music Teachers Association Western District Composition Contest (2017). As a composer, he received recognition in the International Piano Composition Contest sponsored by the American College of Musicians (2018), the Ohio Federation of Music Clubs Composition Contest (OFMC, 2019), the Ohio MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) Composition Competition (2021), and the International Youth Music Composition Competition (2024). As a performer, Gunes has participated in OFMC festivals and recitals at Wright State University, hosted by the Piano Preparatory School. He played piano in a jazz band and percussion in a wind ensemble as part of his school activities. Recently, he earned a score of 98 on the NYSSMA (New York State School Music Association) Festival level 5 piano solo. At school, he actively contributes to various clubs, including Music Production and Composition club. Beyond music, he enjoys exploring creative projects with Scratch and playing chess.
