Anthem Competition 2027

We have a winner!

Wimbledon Choral is delighted to announce that the first winner of the new annual Merton SingFest anthem competition is Edmund Jolliffe.

SingFest is an annual event organised by Wimbledon Choral in partnership with Merton Music Foundation to highlight and celebrate our rich diversity of choirs.

Edmund was selected from a wide range of entrants for his anthem, “A Gift to Sing”, a piece which is about the extraordinary power of singing to raise our spirits and reflects the spirit of the Merton Music Festival and especially Merton SingFest, uniting singers of all generations from across the borough in a day of joyful music-making.

Wimbledon Choral launched the competition at the 2026 SingFest in May to encourage composers to write fresh songs for choirs.  Each year the winning composition will be adopted as the Festival Anthem, sung by all of the over 30 participating choirs.  As well as a prize of £250, Edmund can now look forward to his piece being performed by every choir at next year’s SingFest on 8th May at St Mark’s Church, Wimbledon.

Daniel Mahoney, the Music Director of Wimbledon Choral, selected the winning composition from entrants from across the borough of Merton and beyond. He said:

“It was difficult...but Edmund's anthem really stood out for its well-crafted treatment of a well-chosen piece of poetry.  The sense of building and development drives the whole anthem to a rewarding musical expression of positivity, embodying the ethos of SingFest.  I am very excited for him and we look forward to working together in preparing for the anthem’s première (or premières!) at SingFest.  We were really pleased to receive so much interest.  Composing works for choirs is an incredibly difficult skill, but new works are of course the future lifeblood of choirs.  Wimbledon Choral has had a long commitment to supporting new composers and commissioning new work.  This anthem competition gives us another way to deliver on our commitment.”

When we shared the decision with Edmund he was thrilled:

“..that’s wonderful news. I am so pleased you feel my piece fits the bill and look forward to hearing it being sung next year”

SingFest is a joyous occasion listening to singers across the age range and joining in with some choirs.  If you have friends who enjoy music do join us for this fun day of song on 8 May 2027 and hear the new anthem written especially for us by Edmund.