CMW 2021 Student Composer Competition Winners

CATEGORY "PREPARATORY" CLASS 1:  Mila Pitz

Biography - I am 8 years old and I am in grade 3 at St. John’s Ravenscourt School in Winnipeg. I started playing piano when I was 6 years old and my piano teacher is Leanne Hiebert. I love dandelion puffballs because one of my favorite things to do in the summer is blow and make wishes on dandelion puffballs!

CATEGORY "A" CLASS 1: Thalia Zacharias

Thalia Lauren Zacharias is an 11-year-old, Grade 5 homeschool student from East St. Paul, Manitoba. She loves animals and music and her hobbies include reading, playing music, doing dance, gymnastics and aerial silks, horseback-riding, travelling, and much more! Serenade of the Gondolier is Thalia’s first official composition and she looks forward to the day when she can travel to see the Venice waterways and enjoy them in person! Thalia hopes to write many more pieces now that she has experienced the joy of composing.

CATEGORY "A" CLASS 2: Sarah Khalimov

My name is Sarah Khalimov. I am 9 years and ¾ old and in grade 4. I have 6 people in my family including my parents, 3 older siblings and myself. I love all of my family members very much. My favorite book series is Harry Potter. I just finished reading the 5th book, “Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix”. I love to play basketball with my friends at school, particularly boys against girls so we can show the boys how tough we are. I am very competitive. My guilty pleasure is TV and chocolates, love them but always have to watch my limits! Recently, I asked my parents for a pet, and I got a fish. I named it Albus Dumbledore after the headmaster at Hogwarts. I love Albus very much, he was my inspiration to write my very first piano piece.

CATEGORY "B" CLASS 1: Zoe Redekop

Zoe Redekop, a grade 7 French immersion student from Brandon, MB, has been playing the piano since kindergarten. She finds passion in many different performing arts. Sketching, composing, dancing, choreographing, singing- usually off key- and of course, playing piano are all included in her favourite pastimes. As well, Zoe participates in many sports, but especially enjoys volleyball. In her free time, Zoe likes to hang out with her awesome family and favourite cat, Scribbles.

Category "C":  Tairan He

16 year-old Tairan is a grade 10 student at Vincent Massey High School in Brandon, Manitoba. He started taking piano lessons at the age of 6. After several years of study with Claudette Caron and Mary Jo Carrabre, he began lessons with Everett Hopfner. In previous years, Tairan has won the Marilyn Nichols Memorial Trophy and the H.E. Phipps Trophy from the Brandon Festival of the Arts and scholarships from the Eckhardt-Gramatté Conservatory of Music. He began composing in his free time two years ago. In addition to piano, he excels in coding, mathematics, and videogames.

Category "D":  Sierra Brooks

"I'm Sierra, I'm 22 years old and have been playing the piano for five years. I'm a singer/ songwriter who loves to produce music and perform at open mic nights.