“A Choral Work for Peace”
NOTIFICATION AND REGULATIONS
- The International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM), in cooperation with Europa Cantat and Jeunesses Musicales International, announces the First International Competition for Choral Composition “A Choral Work for Peace” with the aim of promoting the creation and the wide distribution of a new choral repertoire and, above all, of promoting peace among the people of this world with the help of music. The Competition will be held every two years in conjunction with an important event organized by one of the three partners.
- Participation is open to composers from any country, and any nationality, who are under 35 years old on 31 December 2010.
- The Competition calls for “a cappella” choral compositions (SATB or divided into as many as eight parts, SSAATTBB) with a maximum duration of 6 minutes. The text of the composition, sacred or secular, in any language (English translation is required), written for the occasion or pre-existing, must treat the theme of the peace. If the texts are not in the public domain, written permission to use them must be obtained from the author or copyright holder of the texts and shall be enclosed with the entry form.
- A maximum of two works per composer may be submitted. Entries shall arrive by e-mail no later than 31 December, 2010.
- There is no entry fee for participating in the Competition.
- Entries must be submitted in the form of scores (either typeset in pdf format or as scans of neat handwritten music scores). In addition, relevant MIDI files may be submitted but are not essential. Do not submit tapes or CDs. The composer’s name should not appear anywhere on the scores. The IFCM Competition Office will receive the entries and forward them to the members of the jury. The composer’s identity will be released by the IFCM only after judging has taken place. All participants must include a document (.doc or .rtf) with their full address, contact details and the title of the composition. This document shall also contain a statement by the composer declaring that each and every score submitted is unpublished, so far unperformed and has never been awarded a prize in any previous contest. Entries should be sent by e-mail to: competition@ifcm.net
- The competition will be judged by a five-member jury consisting of international choral conductors and composers. The judges’ decision is final.
- Strong consideration will be given to a work’s potential for performance and repeated performance by the majority of choirs possessing the appropriate voicing requirements. The winning work will demonstrate excellence of writing, “sing-ability” (given reasonable rehearsal time) and choral (idiomatic) effectiveness.
- The winning work will be premièred by the World Youth Choir in its first concert after the announcement of the result. The three organisations who support this competition, IFCM, Europa Cantat and Jeunesses Musicales International, may award further prizes to the winning work.
- The winning work will be published by a prestigious publishing house (the name of which will be announced later). Meanwhile the “Composers’ Corner” column of the April 2011 issue of the International Choral Bulletin (ICB) will publish an interview with the winning composer and some excerpts of the winning score as a measure to promote the composer and his works. Europa Cantat and Jeunesses Musicales International will also promote the winning composer and his work through their publications.
- Participation in the competition implies full knowledge and acceptance of these regulations.
For more information
Andrea Angelini, ICB Managing Editor, IFCM
Tel.: +39 347 2573878
E-mail: aangelini@ifcm.net
