The 2018 Composition Contest is Now Closed
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Mark your calendars for our 2020 Composition Contest, with an open submission period from March 1st - June 30th.
Composer applicants can now submit a work in each category.
Please read the Eligibility, Awards, Guidelines, and About and Selection Process below for complete information. No entry fee refunds will be granted to compositions/composers that do not fit our criteria.
Sign up to our mailing list to be sure to receive up to date information and progress on this program and other programs in Abundant Silence.
Composer applicants can now submit a work in each category.
Please read the Eligibility, Awards, Guidelines, and About and Selection Process below for complete information. No entry fee refunds will be granted to compositions/composers that do not fit our criteria.
Sign up to our mailing list to be sure to receive up to date information and progress on this program and other programs in Abundant Silence.
Guidelines
Eligibility
- Composers must be age 18+ (composers from all levels of professional experience are encouraged to apply, must 18 years old on or before July 31st, 2018)
- Composers cannot be a previous winner of this contest, currently in the Abundant Silence roster, or directly related to a composer currently on the Abundant Silence roster
- Composers of all nationalities are eligible
- Composers cannot be in an exclusive publishing contract with another publisher
awardS
(Categories: Solo Work, Chamber Ensemble, Art Song - Please Read Guidelines for each category)
(Categories: Solo Work, Chamber Ensemble, Art Song - Please Read Guidelines for each category)
- First Place winner for each category will receive $500
- Up to Three (3) Honorable Mention winners chosen from any category will receive $100
- One (1) special "Adventurous & Innovative" prize chosen from all submissions will receive $100, can include experimental elements, graphic or alternative notation, or sound art.
- One (1) special "Educational Showcase" prize chosen from all submissions will receive $100, works for Foundational or Intermediate level students and can be for up to 5 players (must still be original work as stated in the Guidelines below).
Additionally:
All winning compositions will be published through Abundant Silence and all winning composers will become a member of the Abundant Silence roster (composers keep their copyrights and are paid standard royalty rates...for questions regarding our contracts please contact Luke Rackers). The winning compositions will be performed by professional ensembles during one of our New Works Concerts in the United States in 2019. These concerts will also be recorded in case the composer is in need of a live recording of their work and will be live streamed on our Facebook page.
Guildelines
General Guidelines for All Categories
Additional Guidelines by Category
Category 1: Solo Work
Category 2: Art Song, Sponsored by the Denver Art Song Project
Category 3: Chamber Ensemble
- a complete work, no single movements of a multi-movement work will be accepted
- works should be a minimum of 3 minutes and a maximum of 20 minutes
- works must be original, no arrangements will be accepted
- we allow one submission per category (Solo Work, Chamber Ensemble (2-5 players), Art Song)
- works must have been written within the last 10 years and cannot be published or owned by another entity
- audio recordings are required (MIDI realization acceptable)
- scores should be submitted as a PDF
Additional Guidelines by Category
Category 1: Solo Work
- an original solo work
- available instrumentation: violin, viola, cello, piano, flute, clarinet, trumpet, flugelhorn, bassoon, oboe, french horn, trombone, vibraphone, marimba, prepared piano
Category 2: Art Song, Sponsored by the Denver Art Song Project
- an original solo work for Soprano, Tenor, or Baritone and piano (no prepared piano)
- text in English or/and vocalise
- text must be original, in the Public Domain, or have written licensing permission from author or trust for use in the work
Category 3: Chamber Ensemble
- an original chamber ensemble work for 2-5 players
- available instrumentation: violin, viola, cello, double bass, piano, flute, clarinet, trumpet, flugelhorn, bassoon, oboe, french horn, trombone, percussion (vibraphone, xylophone, marimba, glockenspiel, drum set, wood block, congas, bongos, triangle, cow bell, cymbals, chimes, other small hand percussion including non-traditional or found items), prepared piano, electro-acoustic elements (amplified instruments or non-interactive).
- any combination of the above instrumentation will be accepted but no more than 2 of any single instrument
About the contest and selection
This is the fourth round of our Composition Contest. Winning this Composition Contest is now the primary way to become a member of the Abundant Silence composer roster. Abundant Silence is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the work of living composers and connecting composers and their work to students and local communities. We work as an advocate for composers and design programming to encourage the creation of new work. Click here for more information about our mission.
The board members and partner ensembles in the Abundant Silence roster will vote on the final winning compositions. Winners will be announced no later than October 1st with the last three months of the year dedicated to editing the work, publishing the work, and sending the work to partner ensembles for rehearsal (ensembles are chosen based on location and commitment to performing new music).
Abundant Silence reserves the right to discontinue this contest or an individual category for any reason, in which case, all entry fees will be refunded to the composers.
Please note that we do not give feedback on works that are submitted. You will only be personally contacted by a member of the organization if your work is selected. Please sign up to our mailing list or follow us on FaceBook to receive up to date information on the progress of the 2018 contest.
The board members and partner ensembles in the Abundant Silence roster will vote on the final winning compositions. Winners will be announced no later than October 1st with the last three months of the year dedicated to editing the work, publishing the work, and sending the work to partner ensembles for rehearsal (ensembles are chosen based on location and commitment to performing new music).
Abundant Silence reserves the right to discontinue this contest or an individual category for any reason, in which case, all entry fees will be refunded to the composers.
Please note that we do not give feedback on works that are submitted. You will only be personally contacted by a member of the organization if your work is selected. Please sign up to our mailing list or follow us on FaceBook to receive up to date information on the progress of the 2018 contest.
Submission & Donation Request
Please be sure to have all information for the required fields below. An audio recording is required (MIDI realization is acceptable; please contact us if there is an issue meeting this requirement). Even though final judging is blind, we encourage you to submit as much information as you can to help make the process go smoothly if your work is selected.
If you would like to submit a work to each category, please submit a separate form for each work. Please note that only one composition per composer per category will be reviewed.
We are requesting a donation of $20 for each composition that you submit to help support this program. However, all submissions will be considered regardless of donation amount. If you are unable to donate due to financial hardship, your application will still be received when you click submit on the form below. After submitting the application you will be directed to a confirmation page containing links to donate.
If you would like to submit a work to each category, please submit a separate form for each work. Please note that only one composition per composer per category will be reviewed.
We are requesting a donation of $20 for each composition that you submit to help support this program. However, all submissions will be considered regardless of donation amount. If you are unable to donate due to financial hardship, your application will still be received when you click submit on the form below. After submitting the application you will be directed to a confirmation page containing links to donate.
Program Sponsors:
Congratulations to the 2017 winners!
First Place - "Zafiro" for violin and piano, by: Julián Fueyo
Second Place - "Tombstone" for flute, viola, and cello, by: Michael Close
Third Place (5) -
"summer rain variations" for solo Bb clarinet, by: Guillaume Druel
"Of shadows on the stars" for solo piano, by: Kurt M. Mehlenbacher
"Forest Rituals" for flute, cello, and piano, by: Aaron S. Hill
"Twang" for solo piano, by: Fabian Svensson
"Hypochondriasis" for solo piano, by: Nahyun Kim
First Place - "Zafiro" for violin and piano, by: Julián Fueyo
Second Place - "Tombstone" for flute, viola, and cello, by: Michael Close
Third Place (5) -
"summer rain variations" for solo Bb clarinet, by: Guillaume Druel
"Of shadows on the stars" for solo piano, by: Kurt M. Mehlenbacher
"Forest Rituals" for flute, cello, and piano, by: Aaron S. Hill
"Twang" for solo piano, by: Fabian Svensson
"Hypochondriasis" for solo piano, by: Nahyun Kim
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