2018 CHORALE MUSIC COMPOSITION COMPETITION
A Tapestry of Music Wins
2018 Contest
Winner of the Claremont Chorale’s 2018 Composition Contest, A Tapestry of Music receives its premiere performance March 23, 2019, at Bridges Hall of Music, Pomona College in Claremont.
Composed by Sherry Blevins, the piece will be featured in the Chorale’s “Light and Love” concert together with two major works: John Rutter’s Requiem, and Brahms’ Liebeslieder Walzer, or Love Waltzes.
The Claremont Chorale’s Composition Contest, which began in 2017 during the 50th Anniversary Season, has become an annual event. Rather than commissioning a new piece, the Chorale invites composers to submit an original musical piece conforming to a theme and guidelines.
Sherry Blevins is an award-winning music educator and conductor at Appalachian State University, North Carolina, who only four years ago discovered her ability as lyricist and composer. Already receiving acclaim, several of her published works will be premiered in 2019, and she is becoming known for music that evokes powerful emotions through soaring melodies and lyrical lines. Selected recent titles include I Dream of a World; We Can Begin Again; Watch Me Fly; and Moment by Moment.
“I am truly honored to be the 2018 winner of the Claremont Chorale’s Composition Contest and am thrilled to announce that A Tapestry of Music will be published in 2020 by Hinshaw Music,” says Blevins, who plans to attend the March 23 premiere in Claremont. Get tickets and join us!
The Claremont Chorale, a volunteer, independent community chorus based in Claremont, California, is sponsoring a choral music composition competition. The winning composition will be given its world premier performance by the Chorale in a Spring 2020 concert. The Claremont Chorale expects that it will receive complimentary performance and mechanical rights for all of its performances of the winning entry.
ENTRY CRITERIA
DIFFICULTY LEVEL - The winning composition must be at a technical level that makes its performance possible by a volunteer adult choir of 60 voices.
VOICING
SATB with optional occasional divisi
Moderate vocal ranges within each voice part
Moderate harmonic language
TEXT
Text must relate to themes of love and/or light.
Text must be in the Public Domain, of the composer's own creation, or else be accompanied by documentation clearly confirming the the composer has secured permission to set it to music and to present it in public performance. Any and all costs related to securing said copyright permission is solely the responsibility of the person submitting the entry.
English is preferred, but pieces that use Latin, German, French, or Spanish will be considered. All other languages must include transliteration within the staves of the music to be considered.
ACCOMPANIMENT
A capella and/or
Piano
LENGTH (DURATION)
Minimum = 4 minutes and 30 seconds (4:30)
Maximum = 10 minutes (10:00)
Multi-movement submissions will be evaluated as a single submission and must meet all submission criteria including total length of all movements together.
SUBMISSION PROCESS
SUBMISSIONS for the 2018 Competition are closed.
Compositions need not be newly created for this competition; however, all submissions must have not been previously performed in public. The Claremont Chorale will make the world premier performance of the winning entry in Spring of 2019.
An Entry Fee of US$25.00 per entry is required for consideration. (Pay online at www.ClaremontChorale.org/donate)
Maximum of two (2) entries per composer/arranger.
Entries using copyrighted lyrics and/or music must include written permission to use the lyrics and/or arrange the music.
Submit electronically to theClaremontChorale@gmail.com with subject "2018 Composition Contest" and the score attached as a PDF file.
Scores must be in American letter-size (8.5 x 11 inches) portrait format.
Entry scores must have no composer/arranger information on it, including the name of the copyright holder. Please do include the copyright symbol and year. Judging will be conducted anonymously.
Scores must be clear and ready for duplication and performance using standard music printing notation.
A completed copy of the ENTRY FORM (below) must accompany each submission.
The names of all participants will be held in confidence. Only the winner will be announced publicly.
All costs of preparing and submitting an entry are to be borne solely by the entrant. The Claremont Chorale shall not be liable for any costs incurred in association with the preparation or submission of any entry.
EVALUATION
A panel comprised of two guest judges and the Chorale's Artistic Director will review all submissions meeting the specified criteria and will select the winning composition. This evaluation will take into account the quality of the piece and its suitability for a successful performance by the Chorale.
The winning piece and composer will be announced by December 31, 2018.
The decision of the judging panel is final.
The Claremont Chorale reserves the right to make no award.
AWARD US$750.00
Submit PDF scores as attachment to email addressed to theclaremontchorale@gmail.com with subject line "2018 Composition Contest."
FURTHER QUESTIONS
Please contact us with your questions.
or
Parker G. Emerson
theclaremontchorale@gmail.com