Lovdahl Wins Illinois ACDA Composer Award
Bemidji State choral director Isaac Lovdahl earned the Illinois Chapter ACDA Composer Award for 2026-27, with a commissioned work to follow.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Classical
Isaac Lovdahl, director of choral activities at Bemidji State University, won the Illinois Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association Composer Award for 2026-27. The award recognizes composers working in the association's Midwestern region and includes a cash prize and a commissioned new work.
Why it matters
The honor draws attention to a Minnesota-based composer and choral educator working within a regional professional network. It also adds to a summer in which Lovdahl was named a finalist in multiple American Prize categories.
Lovdahl's application consisted of three pieces from his catalog, and the award includes a commissioned work to be performed by a professional ensemble. The amount of the cash prize was not disclosed.
The players
Isaac Lovdahl
Lovdahl is director of choral activities at Bemidji State University and a composer whose work has been recognized in regional and national competitions.
American Choral Directors Association
The American Choral Directors Association is a national professional organization for choral conductors, educators, and singers, and its Illinois Chapter administers the Composer Award.
William Ferris Chorale
The William Ferris Chorale is a professional choral ensemble based in Chicago that performs a range of repertoire, including new commissioned works.
The details
The Illinois Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association selected Lovdahl based on an application of three pieces from his catalog. The commissioned new work will be performed by the William Ferris Chorale in Chicago on March 6, 2027, in a musical setting of the N. Scott Momaday poem "Prayer for Words."
Timeline
Summer 2026: Lovdahl named a finalist in two American Prize categories.
2026-27: Lovdahl awarded the Illinois ACDA Composer Award.
Fall 2026: American Prize winners to be announced.
March 6, 2027: William Ferris Chorale performs Lovdahl's commissioned work in Chicago.
Culture Shift
The award follows Lovdahl's finalist standings in the American Prize national nonprofit competitions this summer, which included 19 finalists for the Dale Warland Award and 30 finalists in the professional composition division. Regional commissions like this one extend a composer's work beyond national competition into live performance.
Listeners in Chicago can attend the William Ferris Chorale's performance of Lovdahl's commissioned work on March 6, 2027. Choral audiences in the Midwest may also encounter Lovdahl's music through future performances by the ensemble.
The takeaway
Regional awards and commissions give emerging composers a path from application to professional performance. Readers interested in choral music can watch for premieres like the William Ferris Chorale's March 2027 concert.
What happens next
The William Ferris Chorale will perform Lovdahl's commissioned work on March 6, 2027, and the American Prize winners will be announced in the fall.
Further reading
Explore more in Classical coverage of composers and choral performances across the region.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Bemidji Pioneer.
