18th Street Singers Composition Competition

For our 10th anniversary, the 18th Street Singers are delighted to announce our inaugural Composition Competition. New, contemporary choral works are essential to our mission of invigorating a fresh generation of choral music audiences, so a celebration of our decade of song would not be complete without new music from today’s talented composers. Our 10th Anniversary Concert will be held on June 20th, 2015 at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue in Washington, D.C. and will feature the premieres of prize-winning works alongside some of our favorite music from our previous concerts.

For full competition rules, guidelines and entry form, please visit our website. Contact with any questions.

Artistic Guidelines

The submitted score should be an original work for SATB a cappella choir with divisi of any or all parts as desired. While the work may be as musically challenging as the composer wishes, we ask that the work be no more than six minutes in length.  Submissions will be evaluated anonymously for their innovation, quality of composition, ability to be performed live, and receptiveness to an audience at a musical performance.

Prizes

One Grand Prize: $1,500 USD, travel to our June 20th, 2015 concert from within the continental U.S. and two nights’ accommodation at the historic Willard Hotel.  Merit Prizes of $500 USD may be awarded for notable works.

Only one grand prize will be awarded. Merit prizes will be awarded at the discretion of the selection committee. Entrants may indicate on their application form that they only wish to be considered for the grand prize. All prize winners are bound by the following terms:

·         The 18th Street Singers retain the right to premiere the submitted work at their June 20th, 2015 concert.

·         The 18th Street Singers retain the right to record the work, and may use the recording for any purpose. A copy of the recording will be provided to each winner, but may not be distributed without the express consent of the 18th Street Singers.

·         The 18th Street Singers are granted a worldwide non-exclusive perpetual license to perform the winning scores.

·         The 18th Street Singers may reproduce the score for their own performance only.

Submission Guidelines

All submissions should be emailed to  by 11:59 PM EST March 31, 2015.  We regret that we cannot consider late submissions.  All submissions must include:

·         A completed and signed application form, found on the last page of this document

·         An anonymized final score as a PDF, .sib file or .mus file. Please keep the title of the piece on the score, but remove any identifying information.

·         Proof of permission from copyright holder of any copyrighted element used in work if applicable.

Entrants are also highly encouraged, but not required, to send a recording of the work, even if only a .midi file. Submissions will not be judged on the basis of recording quality.

Eligibility

The Composition Competition is open to all composers, including individual professionals, firms, teams, and students (“Participants”).  Each participating individual must be legal residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia and at least eighteen years of age at time of registration and submission.  This Composition Competition is void where prohibited by law.  Current and former members of the 18th Street Singers, and any members of their respective immediate families (parents, spouse, children, siblings) or individuals residing in their household (whether or not related) are not eligible to participate in the Composition Competition.

Participants may only submit one work per entry, and only one entry. Works must not have been published or publicly premiered, or have a planned public premiere before June 20th, 2015.