COMPOSER'S SHOWCASE
We are no longer accepting entries for our 2026 Composer’s Night. Thank you to all who submitted their works! Our screening committee will evaluate the entries and finalists will be notified by September 1, 2026, at which time they will be asked to provide orchestra parts for the final screening. A list of finalists will also be posted to this site.
Composers, students, and community members were invited to submit original compositions written for a full symphonic Pops orchestra. The winner will receive a small honorarium and an opportunity to have their work performed live in the 2026-27 season.
Email any questions to: composers@renopops.org
2021
First Place: “Quest” by Brandon Walker
Second Place: “Scenes from the Andes” by Gabriel Iwasaki
Third Place: “Cinderella” by Gabriele Cardinali
2020
Non-Holiday Division
Grand Prize Winner: “Antony & Cleopatra” by David Coyner
SecondPlace: “Twelfth Night Overture” by Benjamin Emory Larson
Third Place: “Meteora” by Mark E. Wilson
Honorable Mention:: “The Burning Wisdom of Finn McCool” by Victor Zupanc and “Lindy Suite” by Brandon Walker
Holiday Division
First Place: “Christmas Memories” by Pasquale Tassone
Second Place: “The Ultimate Snowball Fight” by Trevor Jensen
Honorable Mention: “A Christmas Celebration” by Timothy Miller
2019
Grand Prize Winner:”Three Sisters” by Ben Larson
Second Place: “Fanfare for the Distant Horizon” by David Nelson
Third Place: “Super Flight” by Matthew Sargent
Fourth Place (Tie): “Dorothy’s Theme” by John Probst and “Lindy Flies a Kite” by Brandon Walker
Honorable Mention: “Dawn” by Stephanie Simon and “Western Portrait” by David LaGrande
Holiday Music Winner: “Snowfall” by Lynn John
2018
First place: Watercolors of Ireland by Alejandro Roman
Second Place: Pioneer by Luke Flynn
Third Place: It’s Incredible by Peter Micahel von der Nahmer
Honorable Mention(s):
-Running on Rooftops by Kevin Wilt
-Steamliner by Daniel Godsil
2017
First place: The Dream of Sitting Bull by David Wendell Nelson
Second Place: Stealing from Thieves by Brandon Dodge
Third Place: Friday Nights and Yearbook by David Davies