A new generation of concert music has its spotlight. The ASCAP Foundation, led by President Paul Williams, has named the recipients of the 2026 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, the program that encourages talented young creators of concert music between the ages of 13 and 30.
Williams called it a joy to recognize the honorees, pointing to the artistry and dedication that signal a bright future for the form. Executive Director Patricia Leonard framed the support of emerging composers as central to the Foundation’s mission, thanking the judges and funders who help champion these talents at a pivotal moment in their careers.
The pedigree of the award speaks for itself. Past recipients have gone on to major honors, including 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Music winner Gabriela Lena Frank, and former Pulitzer winners Michael Abels, Jennifer Higdon, David Lang, Melinda Wagner, and Julia Wolfe.
The 2026 winners are Zixuan Chen of Baltimore, Sophia Kunxu Dou of New York, Bobby Ge of Princeton, Jacob Harrison of Los Angeles, Oswald Huỳnh of Rome, Maya Miro Johnson of New Haven, Kai Kubota-Enright of Brooklyn, Jacky Jiaqi Liu of New York, Daniel Lubin of New York, Matthew Huang Mailman of Evanston, Aaron Nichols of New York, Paul Novak of Chicago, Luca Pasquini of New York, Sofía Rocha of Providence, Cyrano Jett Rosentrater of New York, Dylan Tyree of Los Angeles, and Vincent Zhang of New York.
Honorable Mentions went to Benjamin Coble, Oliver Dubon, Henry Golden, Cem Güven, Patrick Holcomb, Isaiah Saranow, and Jason Zhang. Oswald Huỳnh earned an additional distinction, the 2026 Leo Kaplan Award, created in memory of the attorney who served as ASCAP Special Distribution Advisor and funded by the Kaplan Family. This year’s judging panel featured composers David Biedenbender, Anthony Cheung, Loren Loiacono, Brian Raphael Nabors, Nina Shekhar, and Ileana Perez Velázquez.
The program carries a storied history. It was established in 1979 with funding from The ASCAP Foundation Jack and Amy Norworth Fund, named for the writer of standards like “Shine On Harvest Moon” and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Additional support comes from the Irving Caesar Fund (Caesar wrote “Tea for Two” and “Swanee”) and the Joseph and Rosalie Meyer Fund (Meyer composed “If You Knew Susie” and several Broadway shows).
The awards took on their current name after the 1996 death of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Morton Gould, honoring his lifelong commitment to young creators. A child prodigy who had his first composition published by G. Schirmer at age 6, Gould served as President of both ASCAP and The ASCAP Foundation from 1986 to 1994.

