Wachtmeister Award

The Wachtmeister Award is endowed by VCCA Fellow and Board member Linda Wachtmeister and administered by the VCCA Fellows Council. It is presented every two years in rotation to a prominent writer, visual artist, or composer whose significant achievement in the arts is widely recognized. A list of previous award recipients is provided below.

This award acknowledges the vital role of the arts in our world, the importance of artists who exemplify excellence in their field, and the necessity of time and space for the creative phase of all artistic work.

2025 Wachtmeister Award – Music Composition

The 2025 Wachtmeister Award is open to established composers and/or sound artists using acoustic sources who have not previously been in residence at VCCA. Eligible applicants will have worked professionally as a composer for at least the past 15 years with substantial national or international achievement in their field, including publications, grants, awards, and other signs of achievement.

The award winner will receive a fully-funded VCCA residency of up to 30 days, to be scheduled between May 1, 2025, and August 31, 2026; a $1,000 honorarium; and a travel stipend of $750. The VCCA residency at Mt. San Angelo includes an individual studio, a private bedroom with private en-suite bath, and three prepared meals each day in a community of more than 20 writers, visual artists, and composers in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.

Applications will be accepted February 1 – May 15, 2024.

There is no application fee.