Celebrating 10 Years

From its inception in 2010, the George Shirley Competition has welcomed hundreds of vocal competitors from high school, college, and pre-professional tracks, as well as young composers to highlight the rich history of the African American Diasporic repertoire.

Our competitors have been educated and inspired to help carry the torch of this music and to ensure its perseverance for generations to come. With your help, we have grown from one high school division awarding $5,000 in prizes in our first year to now four vocal divisions and one composer’s division that collectively award over $30,000 in prizes each year. We have had the pleasure of partnering with an impressive list of judges and clinicians over the years to help us increase access to this repertoire of music.

Thank you to all who have supported, donated, participated and collaborated to help this competition grow to what it is today.

Please visit our gallery page to see all of the wonderful moments that are highlighted through pictures over 10 years.