I, too, am America | Sousa-ABA-Ostwald Composition Contest Finalist

𝙄, 𝙩𝙤𝙤, 𝙖𝙢 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖 for mezzo-soprano and wind ensemble was a finalist (out of 150 entries) for the Sousa-ABA-Ostwald Composition Contest Award hosted by the American Bandmasters Association and the John Philip Sousa Foundation. Zhou Tian’s 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘭𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘢𝘹𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦 won the 2026 award. Additional finalists included Jake Runestad and Patrick Harlin.

𝙄, 𝙩𝙤𝙤, 𝙖𝙢 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖 is a 26-minute song cycle that uses words from Langston Hughes' first book, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴, which was largely inspired by Hughes' experiences living in Harlem in the early-to-mid 1920s. It is the product of a collaboration with Lisa Williamson, her husband, Captain Adam Williams (ret.), and the United States Coast Guard Band, who performed a partial premiere of the work at the 2024 The Midwest Clinic in Chicago with Lisa as soloist. The full premiere was given by Courtney Snyder Ng, Maitri White - soprano, and the University of Michigan Concert Band in February 2025.