CONWAY, Ark. (November 9,
2017) – Composer and choral conductor Janet Wheeler of Saffron Walden, England,
has been selected as the winner of this year’s Hendrix College Candlelight
Carol Competition. Her submitted work, Behold,
I Come, was selected from more than 65 entries, and will premiere in the
2017 Hendrix Candlelight Carol Service.
This year, submissions were
required to be a cappella and compatible for programming following the reading
of the second lesson in the service (Genesis 22: 1-3, 9-13, 15-18). Wheeler, a
University of Cambridge graduate, professional choral conductor and composer,
set to music a text by renowned hymn writer Isaac Watts (1674-1748).
Wheeler currently conducts
five choirs in the Saffron Walden and Cambridge area, working with singers of
all ages. A growing number of choirs and other groups are performing her works,
including Gloucester Cathedral Choir, I Fagiolini, the National Youth Choirs of
Great Britain, the Eton Choral Course, National Youth Choir of Wales,
University of London Chamber Choir, Imperial College Choir, Harlow Symphony
Orchestra, Colchester New Music, and the Leith Hill Music Festival.
Wheeler will receive a $1,000
award, plus up to $300 in travel reimbursement to attend a performance.
Now in its third year, the
competition welcomes composers of any age or nationality to submit works for
consideration. Information regarding next year’s competition will be posted in
February.
Finalists were reviewed by a
committee including guest judges Dr. Deanna Joseph of Georgia State University and
Dr. Ryan Board of Pepperdine University; Hendrix College music major Danielle
Rosson ’18; and Hendrix music faculty Dr. Karen Griebling and Dr. Andrew
Morgan.
Past winners of the
competition, which began in 2015, include Gentle
Mary Laid Her Child by Alan MacMillan and A Christmas Lullaby by Edmund Jolliffe. Competition judges in
previous years have included Dr. Stephen Caldwell of the University of
Arkansas, Dr. Dominick DiOrio of Indiana University, and Dr. Matthew Mehaffey
of the University of Minnesota.
The 2017 Candlelight Carol
Service performances are set for November 30-December 3 on campus, and December
14-15 on tour in Dallas and Little Rock. All Candlelight Carol Services are
free and open to the public, though reservations are required for the on-campus
services. Reservations may be made online beginning November 20.
About
Hendrix College
A private liberal arts
college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix College consistently earns recognition as
one of the country’s leading liberal arts institutions, and is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That
Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. Its academic quality and
rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix as a fixture in numerous
college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876, Hendrix has been
affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To learn more, visit www.hendrix.edu.