PRESS RELEASE
Evan Williams announced as The 2026 Christmas Carol Commission Competition Winner
BOSTON, MA: November 6, 2026 —
The Back Bay Chorale is pleased to announce that composer Evan Williams has been selected as the winner of the organization’s 2nd annual Christmas Carol Commission Competition.
The initiative, launched in the summer of 2025, invited composers from across the country to submit original works for mixed chorus that reflect the spirit of the holiday season. The winning composer receives a $2,500 commission and the opportunity for their new work to be premiered at the Chorale’s annual A Boston Christmas concerts.
About Evan Williams
Evan Williams is an award-winning composer and conductor whose music explores the space between beauty and disquieting, drawing inspiration from Medieval chant to contemporary pop. Currently residing in Boston, MA, he serves as Associate Professor of Composition at Berklee College of Music.
Williams has previously served as the Steven R. Gerber Composer-in-Residence for the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and as the Detroit Symphony’s inaugural African-American Classical Roots Composer-in-Residence. He holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and his works have been performed by major ensembles including the Cincinnati, Seattle, and Detroit Symphony Orchestras, as well as the London Philharmonic Orchestra. MORE...
About the Competition
Submissions were evaluated by an esteemed panel of choral leaders and composers, including Back Bay Chorale Music Director Steve Spinelli, Donald Nally (The Crossing), Michael Gilbertson (Pulitzer Prize finalist, Boston Conservatory at Berklee), and GRAMMY-winning soprano Rebecca Myers (Variant 6).
Williams’s commissioned carol will receive its world premiere performance at the Back Bay Chorale’s A Boston Christmas concert on December 18 and 19, 2026, at Old South Church in Boston.
“We're thrilled that Boston's own Evan Williams was chosen from a worldwide pool of applicants to compose this year's new carol for our Boston Christmas performances,” said Stephen Spinelli, Music Director of the Back Bay Chorale. “His work stood out to the judging panel for its creativity. He has a clear sense of what a carol can be in 2026, especially for audiences who come to our performances from all walks of life.” MORE...
About the Back Bay Chorale
The Back Bay Chorale is a 120-voice auditioned volunteer chorus that recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. The Chorale maintains an ambitious concert calendar, highlighted by a recent landmark production of Carmina Burana at Symphony Hall in May 2026. MORE...