Composer, Associate Professor of Composition and Chair of the Composition Area at Michigan State University David Biedenbender has won the prestigious 2024 Sousa-ABA-Ostwald Award for his trumpet concerto River of Time. This achievement highlights not only his individual talent but also the vibrant and innovative culture within MSU’s College of Music.

River of Time was chosen from a pool of 152 entries submitted by composers from 14 different countries. Further displaying his outstanding contribution to contemporary wind ensemble music is the fact that a second Biedenbender composition, Enigma, was also one of four finalists in the competition.

A performance of the winning composition will take place at the 90th American Bandmasters Association ( Convention in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Feb. 28, 2025, in a concert by the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own.” A recording and the score of River of Time is available for listening online.