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Persistence, passion, and the power of music

CMU alumnus David Biedenbender wins prestigious Barlow Prize

| Author: Jason Fielder

The Barlow Endowment for Music Composition at Brigham Young University has announced Central Michigan University alumnus David Biedenbender, ’07, as the recipient of the 2025 Barlow Prize, one of the most respected honors in the field of composition.

This year’s competition drew 526 submissions from 46 countries, reflecting the global scope and prestige of the award. After rigorous review, the judging panel selected Biedenbender, awarding him a $25,000 commission to compose a major new work for wind symphony. That piece will be premiered by a consortium of elite ensembles, including the BYU Wind Symphony, Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, United States Navy Band, and University of Michigan Symphony Band.

For Biedenbender, who is an Associate Professor and Chair of Composition at Michigan State University, the recognition represents both the culmination of years of persistence and a new chapter in his career.

“I checked my records, and it looks like I have been applying every year since 2009,” Biedenbender said, adding, “persistence pays off.”

The Barlow Prize has a reputation for spotlighting some of the most significant voices in contemporary composition. Previous recipients include Pulitzer Prize winners, Guggenheim Fellows, and even Biedenbender’s own CMU composition teacher, Professor Emeritus David Gillingham.

Upon earning the award, Biedenbender said what struck him most was the wave of well-wishes and congratulations from the music community.

“The music world is a tight-knit and supportive community, even across continents,” he said. “It was heart-warming to receive messages from so many colleagues and friends after the announcement.”

A man standing on a stage with a microphone.
David Biedenbender speaks before a CMU Wind Ensemble performance in 2024.

Robert Lindahl, Director of the CMU School of Music, beams with pride over Biedenbender’s remarkable achievement.

“David’s work ethic and quality of work during his undergraduate program were impressive, and we have tracked similar successes through his graduate work and teaching career,” Lindahl said. “Many of his compositions have become standards in the repertoire of the wind band, orchestra and chamber music world. David is a great role model for students and a composer of the highest order. We are thrilled that he was honored with this prestigious Barstow Prize."

Biedenbender’s compositions—praised by Fanfare Magazine as “active, compelling…shot through with energy…wonderfully imagined”—reflect a wide range of influences, from rock and jazz to Indian Carnatic music, and even collaborations with live brain data.

And yet, when Biedenbender reflects on how his journey began, he traces it back to Central Michigan University. Growing up in Mount Pleasant, he was surrounded by CMU alumni who taught music in local schools. By high school, he was attending concerts at CMU’s School of Music, studying euphonium, and taking composition lessons with faculty members.

“I really don’t think I would have become a composer if it wasn’t for those early contacts and experiences at CMU,” he said. “The commitment to excellence, passion, and creativity of the faculty, combined with the inspiring peers I met there, became a springboard for everything that came after graduation.”

Mentors such as Gillingham, Jose-Luis Maurtua, John Williamson, Mark Cox, and Jim Batcheller all played formative roles in shaping his path. Beyond faculty, Biedenbender says his peers—many of whom remain close friends and professional collaborators—helped create the supportive culture that propelled him forward.

A man is holding a trumpet while standing next to a man who stands behind a piano.
Biedenbender (right) working with CMU Professor of Trumpet Neil Mueller on a trumpet concerto.

Today, as a composer whose works are performed across the globe, Biedenbender remains deeply grateful for the foundation laid at CMU.

“There were so many folks at CMU who were lights along my musical journey, and I am so grateful for them all,” he said.

With the 2025 Barlow Prize, Biedenbender joins an impressive lineage of composers shaping the future of music—proof that persistence, passion, and a strong community of support can lead to extraordinary achievements.

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