The USA International Harp Competition was founded in 1989 by world-renowned harpist and teacher Susann McDonald. The triennial Competition is hosted by the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana. It is considered to be one of the most prestigious competitions in the world.
As part of its mission to promote harp and harp music, the USA International Harp Competition sponsors a Composition Contest that occurs every three years, prior to the performance Competition. Composers are invited to submit new works for solo harp. A distinguished panel of harpists plus one composer select the winning composition.
A $2,000 USD prize is awarded to the winner and the new work becomes part of the 3rd Stage required repertoire for the upcoming performance competition. The work is also performed by the Competition’s First Prize winner on their debut concerts. It is published by Lyon & Healy and made available for purchase on their website, www.harp.com.
Solo harp composition contestants have included composers from Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cyprus, Denmark, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, USA and Wales.
6th Composition Contest – Rules & Procedures
1. The work for solo harp must be unpublished, un-awarded and not have been recorded for commercial distribution.
2. Though the composition is for solo harp, other instruments may be included if played by the harpist.
3. The work must be between six and eight minutes in duration.
4. The contest is open to composers of all nationalities.
5. Previous winners are not eligible.
6. A distinguished panel of harpists including one composer, chaired by Dr. Ruth K. Inglefield, will select the winning composition. The decisions of the jury are final.
Important Deadlines:
October 15, 2018:
– Online application form
– One PDF of anonymous 8.5” x 11” score sent as an attachment to an email addressed to USAHARPCC@gmail.com. Please include the TITLE ONLY on the attachment; however, include both the title and the composer’s name in the body of the email message. The score should not show the name of the composer anywhere. Please note that the jury will refer to scores by title only. Program notes are acceptable, as long as they do not include clues to the identity of the composer and are included in the same PDF as the score, not sent separately. The PDF should be “camera-ready” – meaning publishable quality. Immediately after the announcement of the winning composition, the winner will be asked to send an identical PDF with the composer’s name added. This PDF will be used for printing by the publisher.
November 15, 2018:
– MP3 recording of submitted work played by a harpist sent as an attachment to an email to USAHARPCC@gmail.com Please include the TITLE ONLY on the attachment; however, include the title, the composer’s name, and the name of the recorded harpist in the body of the email message. The MP3 file should not show the name of the composer or harpist anywhere. Digital or Midi recordings will NOT be accepted. Scores submitted without a recording will NOT be considered.
December 15, 2018:
Winning composition announced on www.usaihc.org.
For more information visit https://usaihc.org/2018-application