Houghton College senior Jacob Hoskins won first place in the fifth annual A.D. Oliver Choral Composition Competition, with his choir composition, “Blue as the Oceans Deep.”
In addition to receiving a small honorarium, Hoskins had the opportunity to work with sixth-graders at A.D. Oliver Middle School in Brockport, rehearsing “Blue as the Oceans Deep” with them. The choir premiered Hoskins’ piece at their Sixth Grade Band and Chorus Concert on May 15.
“It was a privilege and a pleasure to work with the kids at A.D. Oliver Middle School,” Hoskins said, “[specifically] on aspects involving general composition technique and applying it to my choral piece. I am truly blessed to have had this experience, and to have worked with such talented kids!”
Reflecting on the inspiration and meaning behind “Blue as the Oceans Deep,” Hoskins said that the piece explores the richness of life through the metaphor of the ocean. “It is so blue; it is so deep; it’s calm and yet so vast,” he said, adding that “in thinking about the ocean, there are a lot of things for us to discover and experience in this world, all of which can take place any day during our lifetime.”
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