ManiFeste Grand Orchestre Workshops 2018

The ManiFeste academy continues its partnership with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, partner since the academy’s inception in 2012. Every year, the selected composers are able to take advantage of personalized advice from the teacher/composer, Franck Bedrossian, and the conductor Peter Rundel before—and during—work sessions with the musicians. In addition, the young composers selected to participate in this workshop will be able to hear their sketches for full orchestra performed during a concert open to the public.

Reading Sessions for Full Orchestra

Monday, June 18 — Saturday, June 23, 2018
Public concert: Saturday, June 23, 2018
IRCAM & CENTQUATRE-Paris

Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. Ensemble ULYSSES
Conductor: Peter Rundel
Pedagogical Advisor: Franck Bedrossian, composer

8 young composers are invited to write a short sketch for orchestra using non-traditional orchestral writing, seeking new concepts of orchestration. After a work session with the composer Franck Bedrossian, these sketches will be read for 50 minutes each by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the young musicians from the ULYSSES Ensemble.

Applicants must be born after January 1, 1986

Composers cannot take part in the composition workshops more than two consecutive years. They can, however, take part in all the academy’s activities as auditors.

Online Applications: ULYSSES Platform
Applications accepted from Monday, October 9 – Monday, November 6, 2017

For more info see https://www.ircam.fr/transmission/lacademie/manifeste-2018/grand-orchestre/

Composing in the Wilderness 2018

Explore the Alaska’s inspiring backcountry, compose music about it, and have it premiered by top performers.

Now in its seventh year, this one-of-a-kind creative adventure for composers is offered by the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival in collaboration with Alaska Geographic and the National Park Service of the USA.

This year we’ll be offering two field courses, both of which feature an immersive back-country experience in Alaska’s national parks, and a premiere of a new chamber piece you write.

Our long-standing program in Denali National Park and Yukon-Charly Rivers National Preserve will be offered once again; but we’re also adding a second, more immersive field course that will take participants above the arctic circle on a week-long river trip through the second-largest national park in the USA and culminate with a premiere performance in New York City! This high-end option is ideal for more experienced composers, faculty members, and professionals.

Since Composing in the Wilderness filled up last year in 48 hours, we’re instituting an easy new application process. To be considered, composers must submit their materials before November 1.

See the following website for further details: http://www.composinginthewilderness.com

Torre Della Quarda – 2018

The composition competition “Torre della Quarda” is an international event; it will be a key element of Festival Internazionale di Musica di Savona and it will contribute to enrich an artistic proposal which has reached in 2018 its sixth edition.

The principal objective of the competition is to give support to the composition of new musical pieces and to promote the creativity in the musical field. Our hope is to bring the best emerging talent of composition from all over the world to Savona.

The participation will be open to competitors from all countries, without limits of age, aesthetic trends and compositional styles. Our aim is to stimulate a dynamic relationship between an active audience and authors sensitive to creative innovation. The winners will receive their awards in a special ceremony during the Festival and their compositions will be played as concerts, parts of the Festival itself.

A further aim of the competition is to act as a significant occasion of cross interaction, overcoming generational and geographical divides. Different generations of composers will have the opportunity to meet and compare their various perspectives. The same will happen between musical schools of different origins, born from different cultures but sharing the universal language of sound.

The candidates for the participation in the competition must pay a fee, under title of a donation, as a reimbursement of expenses (not refundable) of:
Euros 15 for section 1 (chamber music)
Euros 35 for section 2 (orchestra)

Scores must be received no later than 15th April 2018

For instrumentation and further information see http://www.ensemblenuovemusiche.eu/en/composition-competition-2018/

2018 NZ Composer Sessions

in association with NZSO, RNZ Concert and SOUNZ

SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music is proud to announce the selection for the 2018 NZ Composer Sessions. Eight New Zealand composers’ works will be rehearsed and performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and recorded by RNZ Concert in January next year:

Chris Adams: Otira Gorge
Reuben Jelleyman: Hue Saturation and Brightness
Louisa Nicklin: One
Philip Norman: Two Fanfares
Andrew Perkins: Three Spanish Songs
Anthony Ritchie: Albatross in Flight
Patrick Shepherd: Lithosphere (3rd mvt)
Alex van den Broek: Barbour St. Late Evening

“NZ Composer Sessions is a quintessential SOUNZ project, bringing together our composers with the national orchestra to create high quality recordings of contemporary NZ music”, says SOUNZ Executive Director Diana Marsh. “Once again we are grateful for the support of our partners NZSO and RNZ Concert in helping to bring New Zealand composers’ music to a wider audience. The sessions also provide a valuable opportunity for other arts organisations to hear works by a range of New Zealand composers.”

A panel made up of representatives of the NZSO, RNZ Concert and the Composers Association of New Zealand (CANZ) selected the latest eight works to be recorded.

First-time participant Louisa Nicklin said, “I am so grateful to be selected for this amazing opportunity working with such talented musicians. This is my first year out of university and I couldn’t be happier with this outcome as it enables me to continue to develop as a composer.”

The 2018 recordings will take place in January at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington, including a concert for invited guests to promote the works to a range of orchestras and broadcasters.

The selected composers welcome the opportunity to work with the national orchestra. Andrew Perkins, who is taking part in the recordings for the third time, said, “The award provides me the welcome opportunity to work again with the NZSO, a world-class orchestra. I am also grateful of the acknowledgement of my work as a New Zealand composer.”

The project, previously known as NZSO-SOUNZ Readings (1998-2011) and NZSO-RNZ Concert-SOUNZ Recordings (2010-2016), was re-launched as NZ Composer Sessions this year. The collaboration offers composers an opportunity to have their orchestral compositions workshopped and performed by a professional orchestra, to be recorded in a professional setting and promoted to presenters. Throughout the years, over 130 works by 65 New Zealand composers have been recorded.

See the SOUNZ website for more information about the composers and the works.

Risingholme Orchestra Composition Competition

The Risingholme Orchestra is pleased to announce the Janet and John Emeleus Composition Prize for “Meaningful Musical Miniatures”.

Open to all Cantabrians, the competition encourages composers of all ages to hear their work performed in a concert scheduled for 1 July 2018 in The Piano: centre for music and the arts.

Cash prizes to a total value of $1,000 are available.

Finalist works will be given a performance in a concert by the Risingholme Orchestra.

For more information please see: https://www.risingholmeorchestra.co.nz/

2018 Barlow Prize – $12,000 Commission

New Work for Reed Quintet

The winning composer will receive a $12,000 commission from the Barlow Endowment to compose a major new work for Reed Quintet.  The winning composer’s work will be premiered in 2019 by a consortium of three quintets:  Akropolis (Michigan), BYU (Utah) and the Calefax (Netherlands).

The 15-20 minute work is expected to meet the highest artistic requirements for the medium.  Additional specifications for the work will be negotiated among the Barlow Endowment, the composer, and the performing consortium.

Applications and all materials must be RECEIVED before close of business on June 1st of each calendar year. 

For further info see http://barlow.byu.edu/prize-applications-guidelines/

[‘tactus] Young Composers’ Forum 2017

The seventh edition of [‘tactus] Young Composers’ Forum will take place in Brussels and Mons, Belgium from September 25th to 29th, 2017, under the presence of maestri Ann McKay, Jean-Paul Dessy, Kimmo Hakola, Claude Ledoux, and others to be confirmed.

The first session, held in Brussels, Belgium from September 25th to 27th and with the collaboration of the Brussels Philharmonic, will feature writing for orchestra. Candidates are asked to submit a piece or part of a piece (movement) for symphony orchestra approximately 10 minutes in duration.

Orchestral accompaniment cannot exceed the following instrumentation:

Woodwinds in groups of 3: 3 flutes [including piccolo] – 3 oboes [including English horn] – 3 clarinets [including bass clarinet or soprano clarinet] – 3 bassoons [including contrabassoon]

Brass: 4 horns – 3 trumpets – 3 trombones – 1 tuba

Percussion: 3 players [1 timpanist and 2 percussionists]

Harp: 1 player

Strings: 14 – 12 – 9 – 8 – 6

Piano

The second session, held in Mons, Belgium from September 27th to 29th, 2017 and with the collaboration of the ensemble Musiques Nouvelles, will feature writing for chamber ensemble. Candidates are asked to submit a piece for chamber ensemble approximately 10 minutes in duration. Applicants are encouraged to submit a work with particular emphasis on either the piano and / or marimba part/s.

Instrumentation for the chamber ensemble work should not exceed the following (9 musicians):

1 flute (including piccolo, alto flute and bass flute) – 1 clarinet (including bass clarinet and contrabass clarinet) – 1 trombone – 1 guitar (including electric guitar) – percussion* – 1 piano – 1 violin – 1 viola – 1 cello.

* Accepted percussion instruments:
• 1 * timpani 20 inches
• 1 * timpani 26 inches
• 1 * timpani 29 inches
• 1 * timpani 32 inches
• 1 * concert bass drum
• 1 * tubular bells
• 1 * concert tam tam
• 1 * gong tuned . C .
• 1 * gong tuned . B .
• 1 * marimba
• 1 * vibraphone
• 3 * conga
• 3 * bongo paired 7 inches . and 8 inches 5/8
• 1 * complete drum set with 2 snares
• 1 * glockenspiel
• 1 * octave of crotales C6 – C7
• 1 * xylophone
• 2 * bar chimes
• 5 * cow bell
• a set of suspended cymbals

Composers 35 years and younger are invited to apply for one or both sessions submitting work/s as indicated in the application requirements. Candidates interested in both sessions need to submit two works (one for each session).

Launched in 2003, this biannual event offers the opportunity for young composers to increase their understanding of what is involved in writing for a symphony orchestra and chamber ensemble. A maximum of six composers, to be selected on the basis of an online submission, will be given the privilege of workshopping a work or part of a work (a movement) of about 10 minutes in length with the Brussels Philharmonic and the ensemble Musiques Nouvelles.

The working sessions will be followed by discussions in the presence of internationally renowned composers. Lectures will also be given on various aspects of composing as well as other topics related to composers’ careers, etc.

At the end of the sessions an international reading panel will select one or more works that may be programmed by a professional orchestras. In the past these have included the Orchestre National de Lille, the National Orchestra of Belgium, the Flemish Radio Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Brussels Philharmonic.

The forum will end with a closing concert given by the ensemble Musiques Nouvelles in Mons, Belgium on September 29th, 2017.

Applications can be submitted exclusively online via the Ulysses platform: http://ulysses-network.eu/web/competitions/.

The deadline for submission is June 1st, 2017.

For more information see www.tactus.be

2017 Valencia International Performance Academy & Festival

The 2017 Valencia International Performance Academy & Festival is happy to announce our International Call for Applications. The VIPA Festival takes place June 28-July 8 within the state-of-the-art facilities of the Conservatorio Superior de Música Joaguín Rodrigo in the beautiful city of Valencia, Spain.

Our 2017 composition faculty includes Jorge Villavicencio Grossmann, Melinda Wagner, and Stefano Gervasoni, with guest composer José María Sánchez-Verdú and lectures on special topics by Gregorio Jiménez and Jason Thorpe Buchanan.

VIPA‘s 2017 Soloists and Ensembles-in-Residence include the critically-acclaimed Mivos Quartet, Ensemble Interface, Smash Ensemble, B3:Brouwer Trio, and flutist Erik Drescher.

Visit our website for more information, and apply by the early deadline of Jan. 15 for a lower application fee.  www.vipafestival.org 

International Composers Festival – University of Missouri

The Mizzou New Music Initiative is excited to announce the Eighth Annual Mizzou International Composers Festival, July 24 – 29, 2017 on the campus of the University of Missouri. July 21 and July 30 are travel days with events starting at 5PM on July 21, 2016 for selected resident composers.

Application Deadline: 5 PM Central November 18, 2016

Festival Application Submission Guidelines

Complete the online application process here: https://app.getacceptd.com/mizzou
Under the Program Groups tab, select 2017 Mizzou International Composers Festival
Under the Program tab, select Online Application

Follow the Online Application Guidelines

Pay the $22.00 application fee.

Upload three scores of original works with contrasting instrumentation.

One score must be written for chamber orchestra or large ensemble. If you have a piece scored for Alarm Will Sound’s instrumentation, listed on the webpage, please include that work as one of the three submitted scores.

Label all scores with your name and contact information.

Upload recordings of the same works. Live recordings preferred but MIDI recordings are accepted.

Upload a Resume (two page maximum)

Further information: https://music.missouri.edu/mnmi/international-composers-festival?q=mnmi%2Finternational-composers-festival-application

Tesla Quartet Call for Scores 2016

The Tesla Quartet is pleased to announce its inaugural Call for Scores. Composers are encouraged to submit completed works for string quartet for consideration, with the winning quartet receiving two performances in the spring of 2017. Any composer is eligible regardless of age, nationality, sex, color, creed, sexual orientation, marital status, disability or veteran status. The composition must be written for string quartet (2 violins, viola, cello) and must have a duration between 5 and 20 minutes.

The selection will be made using a blind evaluation process. All submissions will go to a dedicated email address, teslacallforscores@gmail.com, which will be monitored by an assistant who will transfer all the anonymous scores to the members of Tesla Quartet for review. An anonymous call prevents against any bias while selecting the work. Our decision will be made purely on quality of the music and not personal connections we may have with composers.

The winning work will receive two performances in the spring of 2017:

April 1, 2017
Mount Allison University
Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada

April 8, 2017
Western Piedmont Symphony Chamber Classics
Hickory, NC

The composer of the winning work is strongly encouraged to travel to the performance and Tesla Quartet will gladly provide a travel stipend of $400 towards his/her travel expenses.

Application Deadline: All submissions must be sent and fees paid by 11:59 pm EST on December 1, 2016. Entries received after this date will not be considered.

For application process and guidelines visit: http://www.teslaquartet.com/call-for-scores-2016