Freshman Ailstair Coleman took home first place in the Young Composers Project competition for Maryland high school students.

“It was a pretty amazing feeling,” Coleman said. “Most of the judges for the competition were college music professors, so it was really cool being ranked the highest in the state by professionals in the music world.”

Coleman submitted his musical composition “Traveling” for the competition, a piece that was close to him.

“I wrote the piece in memory of my math teacher from 7th grade, Mr. Witzenburg, who died in June of last year after a long fight with cancer,” Coleman said. “He was a very inspiring role model, and in some senses, was a traveler because of his diverse and adventurous career path.”

Choral director Jeff Davidson introduced Coleman to the competition. Coleman decided to enter because he thought it would look good on his resume and he wanted professional feedback on his composition, he said.

“Traveling” will be performed live by a group of Whitman students at the statewide fall-in service concert in the fall, Davidson said in a Whitnet email.

Coleman’s composition is written for an a capella choir of men and women. The lyrics are from a poem by William Wordsworth, he said. The requirements for the compositions were that they had to be for a solo instrument or voice, or for an ensemble of instruments and/or voices.

“The tone of the piece is very calm but reaches points of intensity with great volume and richness in harmony,” Coleman said. “This contrast of sound throughout the piece emulates the diverse life of a Traveler.”