National Sawdust, the Brooklyn performance venue, has announced the winners of its inaugural Hildegard Competition for Female and Non-Binary Composers: Kayla Cashetta, X. Lee, and Emma O’Halloran. According to The New York Times, the winners were chosen from 140 submissions from all over the world. They will each receive $7,000, professional mentorship, and the opportunity to showcase their work at National Sawdust.

The contest was designed to “reward composers at the start of their careers, prioritizing artists who had never received a large commission, released a commercial recording, or composed for a professional ensemble.”

Cashetta is based in the Bay Area and is a doctoral student at UC Berkeley. She has performed with Eco Ensemble, Splinter Reeds, and Soo Yeon Lyuh, among other artists. X. Lee works in LA and will continue their studies at Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique in the fall. They have previously worked as a techno DJ and producer. O’Halloran is from Ireland and has collaborated with Crash Ensemble, PRISM Quartet, and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. She has composed for concerts, film, and theater.

Composers Paola Prestini, Du Yun, and Angélica Negrón judged the Hildegard Competition and will serve as the winners’ mentors. Under their tutelage, Cashetta, X. Lee, and O’Halloran will compose their own works, which will be performed by the Refugee Orchestra and recorded on June 12 at National Sawdust. The event will also feature pieces from the competition’s runners-up.

“I am deeply moved by the volume of responses to the Hildegard Competition,” Prestini commented. “The future of composition is bright and the need for opportunity, vast.”

To find out more about the Hildegard Competition, as well as its winners and judges, go to National Sawdust’s website.