Following a long and difficult deliberation during which adjudicators examined many highly qualified pieces, we are very happy to announce that the winner of the 16th Annual John Eaton Memorial Competition is Palette for string quartet, by composer Will Stackpole. Mr. Stackpole’s work for string quartet was chosen from a field of outstanding finalist works, each worthy of recognition in their own right. However, we felt that Mr. Stackpole’s work best embodied the spirit of the competition and the New York Composers Circle.

The winning work will receive a performance on one of our concerts (soon to be announced) and Mr. Stackpole will receive a free one-year membership in the New York Composers Circle.

Because the competition garnered so many excellent works, we have also chosen two pieces as runners up. Orientalism for string quartet, by composer Sami Seif, and Struttura Assente, for string trio, by composer Kurt Nelson have been awarded honorable mentions and each composer will receive a free one-year membership in the New York Composers Circle. The great difficulty in naming these two runners up is a further reflection of the long deliberations undergone while reviewing this year’s competition entrants; there were a few other works not at all far behind the position.

Congratulations to all of the entrants in this year's competition. We look forward to next year’s edition of the John Eaton Memorial Competition, which will open on January 1, 2024.