Opens: February 15, 2021
Deadline: April 15, 2021
The Boston New Music Initiative is pleased to announce its seventh annual Young Composer Competition. The purpose of this competition is to further the mission of The Boston New Music Initiative to generate and celebrate the creation of new music. Incorporated in 2010, BNMI aims to advance the careers of its members in the field of new music by serving as a resource for networking, professional development, commissioning, collaboration, and programming. The call is open for acoustic, electro-acoustic, and multimedia works. Any composer born on or after January 1, 1998 is eligible to submit. Composers currently or formerly on the staff of The Boston New Music Initiative as well as past competition winners are ineligible to apply. Submitted works should be an instrumental work including at least one instrument from BNMI’s core ensemble (see below).
The winner of this competition will have their work performed by The Boston New Music Initiative during the 2021-2022 concert season and is expected to attend the performance. A travel stipend of up to $250 will be made available to the winning composer. If more than one winner is chosen, the travel stipend may be split between the winners.
We strongly encourage all composers to download and review the BNMI Submission Guide ahead of submitting to this competition.
Details
- Instrumentation. BNMI’s core ensemble consists of Flute (doubling Piccolo, Alto Flute or Bass Flute), Clarinet in B-flat (doubling Clarinet in A, or Bass Clarinet in B-flat), Violin, Violoncello, Piano and Percussion. Percussion instruments for this call should be limited to smaller, more portable instruments. Works may not include marimba, timpani, tubular bells, full size bass drum, celesta or harp. Stereo electronic, electroacoustic, or multimedia works are accepted, but at least one live performer must be used (no fixed-media). Recommended additional instruments: Violin 2, Viola, Double Bass, and Soprano (voice). Works including more than one instrument outside of BNMI’s core ensemble may be asked to re-orchestrate.
- Duration. Works can be of any duration, although instrumental works which are longer than 10 minutes may be excerpted for performance.
- Multimedia. For all multimedia submissions, composers must either indicate that they have the rights to the specific multimedia element to be used (e.g. the film, tape, MAX/MSP patch, choreography, artwork, etc.) and grant BNMI permission to utilize it during performance, or else grant BNMI permission, at its discretion, to create a multimedia element. In the second case, BNMI reserves the right to incorporate or not to incorporate multimedia elements at its sole discretion.
- Electronics. Scores of works involving electronic elements must include information on the specific technical requirements for performance. Likewise, multimedia works must indicate any extramusical forces needed. Works utilizing excessive electronic equipment may not be able to be programmed.
- Number of Entries. There is no limit on the number of works a composer may submit; however, each work should be submitted as a separate entry. Multi-movement works should be submitted as single entries, even if movements are in separate files. (The submission process allows for multiple files per entry.)
- Anonymity. All submissions must be anonymous. Scores or other materials with names or other identifying marks will not be considered. Please remove all identifying marks from all materials (except the composer information page, see submission process below) before submitting. Please make sure no metadata including names or identifying marks remain in submitted files. Please do not use a pseudonym or code number, simply remove your name.
- Membership. Composers wishing to submit scores must become members of BNMI; Associate Membership is free and Full Membership is $20 a year. Information on membership benefits can be found here.
- File Formats. The only acceptable file formats are:
- For the score: .pdf
- For (optional) audio recordings: .mp3 or .m4a
- For video: .mov or .m4v
- All other materials: .doc, .docx, .txt, .rtf, .odt, or .pdf
- Delivery of Music. Selected composers are required to provide electronic copies of the full score and parts within four (4) weeks of their notification of selection. If electronics or multimedia are involved, all files required for performance and rehearsal must be submitted within the same time frame.
- Permission for Use. By submitting to this call, the composer gives permission to record audio and video of any and all concerts and events hosted by or associated with BNMI in which the submitted piece is included. BNMI shall possess ownership of recorded audio and video and maintains the right to publicly distribute audio and video for promotional purposes. BNMI shall not publicly distribute the recording of any performance for financial gain.
- Verification of Age. Confirmation of the winning composer’s date of birth will be required. Failure to prove date of birth will result in forfeiture of the prize and the next highest-rated application will be awarded the prize.
- Questions? Please address any questions to info@bostonnewmusic.org. Note: Please do NOT send submission materials to this email address as the materials cannot be submitted using this method. When submitting inquiries, please be as generic as possible, and do not include the title of your piece in the query in order to preserve anonymity.
Submission Process
Composers are asked to use our submission portal to upload the following materials (each as separate documents). If this is your first time submitting, please review our submission guide prior to starting the submission process.
- An anonymous PDF file of the score.
- A recording of the work (not required but encouraged)
- For works using electronics, a detailed description of technical requirements and processes needed (i.e. a “tech rider”).
- An entry fee for each submission. The entry fee for this competition is $5 for Associate Members, and no fee for Full Members. Membership information can be found here.
- An information sheet containing the following:
- Composer’s contact information (name, phone number, physical mailing address, email address, and website URL, if any)
- Title, instrumentation, and duration of the work
- Work’s date of completion and complete performance history
- Performing rights organization (ASCAP, BMI, etc.) associated with the work and/or composer, if any
- Composer’s year of birth (for age verification and program information)
- Composer biography and program notes for the work (maximum 300 words each), to be used if the work is selected. BNMI reserves the right to truncate the program notes or composer biography if either exceeds the word limit.
To Apply:
Please go to our submission page.
We strongly encourage all composers to download and review the BNMI Submission Guide ahead of submitting to this competition.
Helpful Hints:
- Please note that new memberships may take up to 24 hours to be approved (although usually much less). Composers signing up as new members who wish to submit to this competition should be sure to allot enough time for the approval process to complete in order to meet the April 15 deadline.
- The submission portal is not available without login credentials. Composers who are not existing BNMI members should not attempt to go to the submission portal without submitting a membership application first: www.bostonnewmusic.org in order to create login credentials.
- Once your files have been added for each work, be sure to complete your payment in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen. Full members must have dues paid in full in order to receive full membership benefits, including discounts on Calls for Scores and commissioning competitions. For those composers submitting more than one entry, payment should be made only after ALL entries have been completed.
- More questions? Please see our submission guide.
Deadline 15 April 2021
Website bostonnewmusic.org
