With support from New Music USA, MPLS (imPulse) is pleased to announce a contest for original music. Three compositions will be selected for performance in upcoming concert cycles; chosen composers will each receive a $1000 award.
About the ensemble:
-Fully-paid, professional ensemble. 24 voices equally distributed among SATB
-Singers are flexible and versatile
Score and Eligibility Requirements:
Our vision as an ensemble seeks to redefine the typical choral experience in a changing world. We encourage composers to embrace this vision and use the competition as an opportunity to challenge his/her compositional voice.
-Composers must currently live or have lived in Minnesota
-Scores must be approximately 3 – 5 minutes in length
-SATB (opt. div), a cappella (opt percussion and/or obbligato instrument, if desired)
-Submissions must evoke the subject matter of the chosen concert cycle (see options and deadlines in the Concert Cycles section)
-Any text used must be public domain or, in the case of copyright, come with proof of permission for use.
-Composers may submit scores for one or more concert cycle.
Scores must be delivered via email in PDF format to with the subject line “Call for Scores.” MIDI recordings in MP3 format are welcome, but not required. Submissions will be received by an MPLS (imPulse) board member who will assign the score a number and remove composer identification for anonymous review by our Artistic Director. All questions regarding the contest are welcome.
Concert Cycles
imPulse Happy Hour: Tales from the Deep
Submission due – November 28, 2016
Award Date – December 6, 2016
Performance dates – February 3 & 4, 2017
This is the third iteration of our annual imPulse Happy Hour, where we perform in a brewery, distillery, or drinking establishment. Audiences attend this performance because it is fun, energizing, and completely out of the ordinary. This season’s performance will take place at Lake Monster Brewing in St. Paul, MN. The narrative will focus on folk tales and myths, particularly those associated with the water. As is our custom, music related to alcohol will also play a role in the performance. Composers should submit selections that fit either/both themes.
Important note: submitted compositions should consider the physical space for the performance. Noise from patrons can make pieces with extended sections of thin texture and/or soft dynamic difficult for the audience to hear.
The Neighborhood of Make Believe
Submission due – May 22, 2017
Award Date – May 30, 2017
Performance date – July 28, 2017
The Neighborhood of Make Believe is our first project performance with a direct community engagement focus in our home-base of Minneapolis. In The Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre is our collaborator for this project. Based in the Phillips Neighborhood in Minneapolis, it is a fixture in the community, known widely for its annual May Day parade. Artist Bart Buch has collected video interviews of members and helpers in the community. We are seeking new compositions drawn from the texts in these interviews.
All compositions must draw a connection to Bart Buch’s interviews. Should the composer choose to set a text, it would ideally be drawn from the following list, which has been extracted from the interviews* Permission to use these texts are already granted.
*Text List will be available by February 1, 2017
Gardens are Prolific
Submission due – August 21, 2017
Award Date – August 29, 2017
Performance date – October 21, 2017
MPLS (imPulse) will kick-off the beginning of its fourth season with a performance at the Stone’s Throw Urban Farm, a CSA based in the Twin Cities. Its greenhouse presents a variety of textual themes: the joy of gardening, growth, sustainability, fostering local community, health, bounty and harvest, greenery, the seasons, etc… Let your imagination run wild (or well cultivated, as the case may be).
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