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The First Five College Composition Contest & Festival of New Music

January 1, 2009 By cnp 2 Comments

The University of Massachusetts Department of Music and Dance announces:

The First Five College Composition Contest & Festival of New Music (September 11 to September 13 2009)

Call for Scores:

– Composers under the age of thirty-five are invited to submit compositions for consideration to the First Five College Composition Contest. Instrumentation should consist of any of Flute (alto and piccolo), Clarinet (Bass Clarinet), Violin, Violoncello, Piano and Percussion. Works that employ live performance with electronics and works that involve projected visual media are acceptable.

– Works composed before September 1, 2006 will not be considered.

– The due date for scores is March 29, 2009. Only one score per applicant is allowed.

– At the time of the application composers should submit one score and a set of performance materials. Compact disc recordings, if available may also be submitted are not required. A cover sheet with your name, address, telephone and email address and the title of your composition is required.

– Please include a self-addressed envelope with proper postage if you wish your material to be returned.

– Only one winner will be chosen.

– A $35 check made payable to the Department of Music and Dance, UMass Amherst must accompany all applications.

– Address all submissions to:
Prof. Salvatore Macchia
Five College New Music Festival
Department of Music and Dance
The University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst MA, 01002

The winner will receive a cash award of $1000 (one thousand) and his or her piece will be presented as part of an “Emerging Composers Concert” that will be held on Saturday September 12, 2009.

Website: www.5cnmf.com

Filed Under: Classical / Modern, Electronic Music Tagged With: contest, festival, new music

Elliott Carter celebrates 100th birthday

December 11, 2008 By cnp Leave a Comment

NEW YORK (AFP) — US composer Elliott Carter, one of the USA’s greatest living artists, celebrated his 100th birthday Thursday.

Major concerts were planned to mark the centenary in New York, London and Paris, according to the website www.carter100.com.

Described by 20th century classical music giant Aaron Copland as “one of America’s most distinguished creative artists in any field,” Carter has been a major force for five decades.

In 1960 he won the first of two Pulitzer prizes with his groundbreaking String Quartet Number Two.

His 1961 Double Concerto for harpsichord, piano and two chamber orchestras and his 1967 Piano Concerto were described by Russian genius Igor Stravinsky as “masterpieces.”

But Carter, who has been awarded Germany’s Ernst von Siemens Music Prize and France’s Commandeur dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres,” never rested on his laurels.

He composed no fewer than nine pieces in 2007 and is scheduled to have written another seven by the end of this year.

Filed Under: Classical / Modern Tagged With: elliott carter, new music

The 2009 Salvatore Martirano Memorial Composition Award

November 25, 2008 By cnp 3 Comments

The University of Illinois School of Music presents:

The 2009 Salvatore Martirano Memorial Composition Award

Eligibility: Any composer, regardless of age or nationality.

Awards: First Prize cash award of $1000 and second prize cash award of $500 plus performances by the University of Illinois New Music Ensemble in the fall of 2009 at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Additional awards and performances may be given at the discretion of the judges.

Judges: A panel of judges consisting of University of Illinois music composition faculty members will select the winning compositions. The winning composers are expected to attend the award concert/reception and will be responsible for their transportation costs (the competition will provide a stipend for lodging). The winning composers will assume full responsibility for providing adequate performance materials upon request.

Guidelines:
1. Medium: Full scores of any style or aesthetic direction for one to fifteen performers (including vocalists) may be submitted. Works for tape, electronics and/or mixed media with or without instruments/voices are eligible.
2. Duration: 20 minutes maximum
3. Limit: One entry per composer
4. Entry fee: A non-refundable entry fee of fifteen U.S. dollars ($15.00) in the form of a check must be included with each submission. All checks must be payable to the University of Illinois, and must be an international money order or drawn on a U.S. bank.
5. Anonymous Submission: The composer’s name must not appear on the score itself or on any item (tape, CD, etc.) submitted in supplement to the application. A sealed envelope must accompany the score and contain the composer’s name, address, telephone number/e-mail (if applicable) and a brief biographical sketch. If a recording of the work is available, it should accompany the score and be identified only by the title of the composition.
6. Return of Materials: Scores will not be returned unless a self-addressed, stamped envelope of the proper size is enclosed.
7. Previous winners and faculty and currently-enrolled students at the University of Illinois are ineligible for the competition.

Send submissions to:
2009 Martirano Composition Award
Attn: Zack Browning, Director, Martirano Award
2136 Music Building
University of Illinois
1114 West Nevada
Urbana, IL 61801 USA
zbrownin@illinois.edu
http://camil.music.uiuc.edu/CompTheory/Awards/Martirano.html

All submissions must be postmarked by February 27, 2009.

Filed Under: Classical / Modern Tagged With: award, competition, martirano

New Music Needs Your Voice

April 10, 2008 By cnp Leave a Comment

The American Music Center (AMC) and American Composers Forum (ACF) have teamed up with Columbia University’s Research Center for Arts and Culture to conduct the first major study of living composers. The study aims to gather important data to guide our efforts in better serving and advocating for composers of all styles and backgrounds.

If you are a composer, you can be a part of this important research. We invite you to contribute to the study by filling out the online survey at the link below. The survey is estimated to take 20 minutes of your time. Your participation will broaden the study’s reach and give us a better understanding of current trends in the field. Thank you for helping us to help composers.

This survey is over…

Filed Under: Classical / Modern

Fifth House Ensemble – Young Composer Competition

February 19, 2008 By cnp Leave a Comment

The Fifth House Ensemble announces its first annual Young Composer Competition:

Deadline: Postmarked by May 1, 2008
Application Fee: $40

Prize: The grand prize winner will have his/her piece programmed and performed on our 2008-2009 subscription series in downtown Chicago, and will receive a professional recording of the live performance. A special prize will be awarded to an outstanding local applicant (from IL, WI, or IN), and his/her piece will be programmed and performed on a non-series Fifth House concert in the Chicago area.

Requirements: Submissions must be under 10 minutes long, and can be written for a minimum of four players from the Fifth House roster (string quartet, wind quintet, bass, piano). Auxiliary instruments such as piccolo, alto flute, English horn, E-flat and bass clarinet are also available. The piece may have been previously performed but must not be published. Special consideration will be given to pieces with mixed wind and string instrumentation.

Please submit a completed application form with full score and a set of parts by mail or email in PDF format. Please note that materials will not be returned without a self-addressed envelope with full postage. In addition to score and parts, please submit a brief paragraph linking the work to Fifth House’s 2008-2009 season theme, Commedia dell’Arte. Winners will be notified by e-mail on or before June 15, 2008. Application forms and more information are available at www.fifth-house.com/ycc.html.

(We would like to thank Melissa Snoza for informing us about this competition)

Filed Under: Classical / Modern

The 2008 Salvatore Martirano Memorial Composition Award

December 21, 2007 By cnp 1 Comment

(We would like to thank Mr. Zack Browning for letting us know about this)

“The Salvatore Martirano Memorial Composition Award is an international composers’ competition held annually in memory of Mr. Martirano who was a faculty member at the University of Illinois from 1963 to 1995. Since its inception in 1996, the competition has attracted over 1,000 entries from over 30 countries. The first place prize consists of $1000.00 and a performance of the winning composition by the University of Illinois New Music Ensemble at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Zack Browning who is an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Illinois directs the competition.” You can read more about Salvatore Martirano here.

The University of Illinois School of Music presents.
The 2008 Salvatore Martirano Memorial Composition Award.

Eligibility: Any composer, regardless of age or nationality.

Awards: First Prize cash award of $1000 and second prize cash award of $500 plus performances by the University of Illinois New Music Ensemble in the fall of 2008 at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Additional awards and performances may be given at the discretion of the judges.

Judges: A panel of judges consisting of University of Illinois music composition faculty members will select the winning compositions. The winning composers are expected to attend the award concert/reception and will be responsible for their transportation costs (the competition will provide a stipend for lodging). The winning composers will assume full responsibility for providing adequate performance materials upon request.

Guidelines:
1. Medium: Full scores of any style or aesthetic direction for one to fifteen performers (including vocalists) may be submitted. Works for tape, electronics and/or mixed media with or without instruments/voices are eligible.
2. Duration: 20 minutes maximum
3. Limit: One entry per composer
4. Entry fee: A non-refundable entry fee of fifteen U.S. dollars ($15.00) in the form of a check must be included with each submission. All checks must be payable to the University of Illinois, and must be an international money order or drawn on a U.S. bank.
5. Anonymous Submission: The composer’s name must not appear on the score itself or on any item (tape, CD, etc.) submitted in supplement to the application. A sealed envelope must accompany the score and contain the composer’s name, address, telephone number/e-mail (if applicable) and a brief biographical sketch. If a recording of the work is available, it should accompany the score and be identified only by the title of the composition.
6. Return of Materials: Scores will not be returned unless a self-addressed, stamped envelope of the proper size is enclosed.

Send submissions to:
2008 Martirano Composition Award
Attn: Zack Browning, Director, Martirano Award
2136 Music Building
University of Illinois
1114 West Nevada
Urbana, IL 61801 USA
zbrownin@uiuc.edu
http://www-camil.music.uiuc.edu:16080/comptheory/Awards/Martirano.html
All submissions must be postmarked by February 29, 2008.

Filed Under: Classical / Modern, Electronic Music

Karlheinz Stockhausen dies at 79

December 7, 2007 By cnp Leave a Comment

An icon of contemporary classical music, Karlheinz Stockhausen passed away on December 5th 2007 at his home in Kuerten-Kettenberg. Stockhausen and his music have been both controversial and influential. He composed a total 362 works, including the world’s longest opera, Licht, a sequence of seven pieces – one for every day of the week. The whole piece lasts 29 hours and composed over a 25 years period, beginning in 1977. Licht is due to be performed in full for the first time next year at The European Centre for the Arts Hellerau in Dresden, Germany. His early pieces remain significant and influential steps in the development of of postwar music. Stockhausen was also a crucial figure in the history of electronic music and remains one of its most accomplished exponents. The works which were composed until 1969 are published by Universal Edition in Vienna, and all works since then are published by the Stockhausen-Verlag. Numerous texts by Stockhausen and about his works have been published by the Stockhausen Foundation for Music. He was 79 years old.

Filed Under: Classical / Modern

The Orchestra: An Online User’s Manual

July 27, 2007 By cnp Leave a Comment

One of the many positive aspects of the internet, is having so much information readily available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and reachable from any part of the world. If you are always on the look for orchestration or instrumentation information, you are definitely going to like the following website. “The Orchestra: A User’s Manual“, is a powerful online resource for composers, orchestrators, students, useful to anyone with an interest in orchestras and orchestral music or anyone learning to play an instrument. It was conceived and written by Andrew Hugill in 2002-3 and the project was commissioned by the Philharmonia Orchestra.

On the site, players from the Philharmonia Orchestra explain the nature and technical limitations of their instruments with the intention to represent a realistic picture of the orchestra. The great thing about the site, is the use of video clips for explanations. The manual includes information about instrument construction, ranges, techniques, effects, and extended player’s tips and tricks, as well as resources, historical information and pointing to other helpful links.

The following paragraph is a description taken from the site:

“The aim of the user’s manual is to provide information about the orchestra, orchestration, composition and instruments, for the benefit of anybody with an interest in the subject. Unlike conventional text-based orchestration manuals, this features movies of players explaining relevant aspects of their instruments and technique, audio clips and samples of the instruments, and illustrative music from the repertoire drawn from the Philharmonia’s postwar recorded archive. The Philharmonia is the most recorded orchestra in history and from its birth in 1945 has been associated with new technologies. This use of the internet to convey information is entirely consistent with its desire to open up access to all areas of orchestral life and music-making.”

The Orchestra: A User’s Manual is one element of ‘The Sound Exchange‘, a site that provides opportunities for people to learn about the orchestra, about music and exploit the internet to help widen access to the orchestra.

Filed Under: Classical / Modern, Film Scoring, Jazz / Arranging

Music Composition Directory

June 21, 2007 By cnp 1 Comment

We are very excited to introduce Composersnewpencil’s music composition link directory. If you are a composer, songwriter, etc., please feel free to submit your site(s) or your favorite music composition related website(s). Our intention is to build a targeted and quality content directory. All links will be personally reviewed for consideration. The main categories include: classical composition, electronic art music, film scoring, jazz composition & arranging, songwriting, experimental pop & rock, music technology and finally stores & products. Subcategories include: composer and artist sites, resources, communities and organizations among others. New categories can also be suggested.

The directory is brand new, so some categories do not contain links yet. All feedback is welcome.

Filed Under: Classical / Modern, Electronic Music, Film Scoring, Jazz / Arranging, Rock / Experimental, Software/Technology, Songwriting

John Tusa Interview with Elliott Carter

June 9, 2007 By cnp 1 Comment

“Elliott Carter is America’s leading composer, though as he insists, he is a composer who happens to be American. Born in 1908 Carter has been increasingly recognised as a master of closely worked, disciplined, often passionate, sometimes violent music which he is now composing with a growing facility. As a figure who spans the century he has known all the great leaders of contemporary music, from Stravinsky to Charles Ives, Edgar Varese and Aaron Copland and many, many others.”

This is the introduction to John Tusa’s interview with Elliott Carter aired in 2000 by BBC’s Radio 3, where Carter shares his view on various topics such as Charles Ives, Minimalism, John Cage, contemporary music, being a composer, music composition today, among other things.

Elliott Carter is now 98 years old and still composing. Even if you don’t like his music, it’s worth listening to the interview just to hear him talk about important historical events and some of the great figures of the 20th-century.

Listen to the 44 minute interview with Elliott Carter here (you’ll need Real Player) or read the transcript available on the BBC website.

Filed Under: Classical / Modern

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