This year we awarded the St. Cecilia Scholarship for the first time. The recipient is Jacob Viola, a college composer asking the same question we are. When he received the award, he did not talk about the money. He said this.

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“I knew that the Lord was confirming yet again the work He has entrusted to me, that of composing music for the Church.”
Jacob Viola  —  2026 St. Cecilia Scholarship Recipient

This is exactly who the scholarship was created for.

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Jacob is composing a new setting of Lead, Kindly Light — Cardinal Newman’s great hymn of trust in divine providence — which he will share with Angelico Sacred Music. He put into words something we have long believed.

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“How often do parishes find a lack of music they can identify with, particularly in their own language? Providing the Church with a new setting of Lead, Kindly Light and sharing it with Angelico is a tremendous blessing and opportunity.” - Jacob Viola

 

Jacob will also look to pursue further degrees in music, deepening the craft he is already giving to the Church. The St. Cecilia Scholarship exists to tell composers like Jacob that their calling is worth investing in — that the Church is behind them.

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To future applicants: the scholarship will not consider you if you do not submit. We hope this award becomes a bridge that connects college composers whose work might otherwise go unheard.