Elliott Carter celebrates 100th birthday
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.
The 2009 Salvatore Martirano Memorial Composition Award
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.
New Music Needs Your Voice
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…
Fifth House Ensemble - Young Composer Competition
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)