About
- Sempre Musick’s goal is to provide young musicians with new music to learn and perform, created by their contemporaries.
- This Composition Competition encourages the creation of original music composed for early intermediate – advanced performers.
Eligibility
- Composition may be in any style and approximately 5 minutes in duration or less.
- Works previously created, performed and / or published in 2018 or later are accepted.
- Multiple submissions are allowed.
- International applicants are eligible.
- Applicants are eligible to apply to multiple Sempre Musick events.
Composition Categories
Compositions should fit in one of the following categories:
- An original solo work for any instrument.
- An original solo work for any instrument (including voice), with accompaniment, including piano, small string or wind ensemble of up to 5 players.
- A chamber work for 2 to 5 players.
Age Categories
Applicants will be divided by age as of January 1:
- Elementary (10 and younger)
- Junior (11-14)
- Senior (15-18)
- Collegiate (19-24)
- Adult (25 and older)
Submission Format
- Standard sheet music format. (No tablature will be accepted.)
- Submissions in Sibelius or Finale are preferred, but not mandatory. A PDF printout of the composition should accompany the Sibelius or Finale files.
- PDFs of clean and legible manuscripts without digital versions will also be accepted.
- Measures of the composition must be numbered at the beginning of each system.
- Audio and/or video recordings of submitted compositions are encouraged, but optional.
Deadlines and Dates
- Application and submission deadline: October 10.
- Results will be announced on or around November 10.
Fees
- $25 per submission.
- Multiple submissions are allowed. Separate fee applies for each submission.
- All fees paid are non-refundable.
Awards and Prizes
- All contestants will receive certificates of participation and comments from our judge(s).
- Cash prize(s) of up to $300 will be awarded for outstanding compositions.
- Honorable Mentions will be awarded.
- The winner in each age category will have their work performed with the Sempre Musick Orchestra or by a Sempre Musick musician in the 2024 season. The composer will be requested to provide the score and parts in PDF format, their biography, and any program notes.
Rules
- At its discretion, Sempre Musick may request a re-submission or reject illegible manuscripts.
- No changes may be made to a composition after submission.
- Decisions of competition judges are final and may not be contested.
- Each entrant certifies that the composition is an original work, and the score was produced by the entrant.
- Winners grant Sempre Musick unremunerated one-time performance rights to their composition. Applicants retain all other rights to their work.