The Brandon University Student Music Educators Association (BUSMEA), in partnership with the Westman Band Directors Association (WMBDA), are excited to announce winners of the Beginning Band Composition Competition.
The competition was launched to celebrate the 40th anniversary of BUSMEA and the 20th annual Da Capo Conference, and the committee was ecstatic to study 33 submissions from across Canada. Winners are:
First Place: Twilight on the Prairies, Brent Violini Pierce (Okotoks, Alta.)
Second Place: Heartwood, Lee Whitehorne (York, Ont.)
Third Place: Attack of the Drones, Ryan Meeboer (Burlington, Ont.)
Honorable Mention: Baby Bobcat Boops, Chris Byman (Brandon University B. Mus/M. Mus grad - Winnipeg); Saint Hilda and the Snakes, Andrei Gueco (Abbotsford, B.C.)
Compositions will be performed this Saturday, January 17th in the Queen Elizabeth II Music Building (Room 1-20) during the 1:50 3 pm session of the 2026 Da Capo Conference. Works will be conducted by Competition Committee members, and conference attendees are invited to bring their instruments to participate in these exciting performances. Additional competition details are available at https://www.brandonu.ca/busmea/compositioncompetition/.
