Deadline: Friday, March 1, 2013

Performances: November 17 – 23, 2013

The competition is open to any Canadian resident. Submissions must be new, unpublished pieces, not previously recorded in any form. One submission per composer per category. An honorarium will be awarded to each successful composer.

Categories are:

Grade 3-4 Piano Solo
Grade 5-6 Piano Solo
Junior Choir (unison treble chorus with piano)

For more information, please visit the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Associations website.

Deadline: Monday, February 18, 2013

The purpose of the NewWorks competition is to foster new and engaging choral works by Canadian composers. The DaCapo Chamber Choir, under the direction of Leonard Enns, is continually looking for new pieces to perform which will challenge musically and emotionally.

The 2013 winning entry will receive a $1,500 cash award plus travel expenses to Kitchener to attend the premiere of his/her composition in the choir’s 2013/2014 season. Composers aged 25 and younger and also encouraged to submit works for consideration in the Young Composers Reading Sessions.

For more information, please visit the DaCapo Chamber Choir website.

For more information, please visit the Open Space website.

Entry Deadline: October 31st, 2012

The spirit and intention of this competition is that the entries should be suitable for playing by musician members of a “Banda Sinfónica”, (as understood in Spain). Works which do not strictly meet this criteria may be disqualified.

Further information

Contest website

Facebook page

Email contact: Pedro Hernandez

Deadline: Friday, December 7

Composer in Residence: Paul Steenhuisen

Ensemble in Residence: Turning Point Ensemble

Conductor: Owen Underhill 

Guest Artist: Adrian Verdejo, Guitar

Please click here to download the complete Call For Scores.

Deadline: Friday, November 2

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and VSO Music Director Bramwell Tovey are pleased to present the Jean Coulthard Readings during the 2012/13 Season. Named in honour of one of BC’s most beloved composers, the Jean Coulthard Readings give emerging BC composers an invaluable opportunity to have their work read by a professional orchestra. Approximately six orchestral works will be selected, depending on duration and level of difficulty. Participating composers will receive a part preparation seminar and follow-up masterclass with the Vancouver Symphony’s Composer-in-Residence Edward Top.

Eligibility: Composers must be enrolled in a music program in a post-secondary institution (university, college or conservatory) in British Columbia, or be BC-based composers in the early stages of their professional careers (approximately five years), and/or who have no professional experience in orchestra composition.

For full details, please visit the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra website.

Deadline: Thursday, November 1, 4:00 PM

vsNEW is an innovative program in which local young composers write new works for a small ensemble of dedicated Victoria Symphony musicians. 2012/13 is the 7th season vsNEW has been a part of the VS Education programs.

This year, the program will be once again taught by Composer In Residence Michael Oesterle. In each of the four workshops, the composers bring their pieces in various stages of completion, and they are read through by the musicians. From the most basic to the most complex many musical issues arise – it’s a great learning experience for everyone! At the end of the program, composers participate in a live performance and recording of their piece.

Each year, the composers have the option to enter their pieces into the Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival, composition section. This is a fantastic opportunity for the composers to get an outside view on their piece.

A highlight of the program is the performance of the new pieces before a Victoria Symphony main stage performance as a pre-concert event. Each composer is asked to speak to the audience about the ideas and inspirations behind their piece.

The Victoria Symphony is proud of this program’s success and many composers have won local, provincial and even national awards through it.

Please click here for further information and to download the application form.

Deadline: Extended to November 15, 2012

The Via Choralis Performance Society invites young composers from Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands aged 16-29 to submit a piece for SAB or SATB choir (no divisi) with piano and, if desired, one other instrument. The piece should be between 3 and 5 minutes in length and of easy to moderate difficulty. One or more selected works may be performed at the choir’s winter concert at 3:00 PM on 3 February 2013 at St. Elizabeth’s Church, Sidney. Prospective composers should be available to attend the concert. Up to two prizes may be awarded – a first prize of $300 and a second prize of $100.

Entries must be legible, and preferably printed using computerized music-writing software. Entries should be emailed in PDF format to viachoralis@shaw.ca and received by midnight on October 31, 2012.

Submissions should include the composer’s age, full contact information, and a brief biography.

Via Choralis is an auditioned community choir of approximately 30-40 voices based on the Saanich Peninsula. The group performs three or more public concerts a year. The artistic director is Nicholas Fairbank.

For more information, please visit the choir’s website or contact them by email at viachoralis@shaw.ca.

Deadline: Monday, October 8

Workshops: October 14; November 17 & 18

This workshop series is intended to help composers write effectively for mixed string, woodwind and brass ensembles, exemplified by the Turning Point Ensemble, led by Owen Underhill. Following the first two workshops, composers are strongly urged to submit a complete work for consideration for performance at the 2013 Sonic Boom Festival.

Please click here to download the complete application package.

Summer Workshop Number 1: Silk Road

The music of the Silk Road from the Mediterranean to China, with a focus on plucked stringed instruments and percussion.

August 4 & 5, 2012, Vancouver, BC
Deadline: Monday July 23, 2012 (results announced July 27)

The Big World Band invites the community to apply to participate in their first intensive workshop presented by the musicians of the band, lead by artistic directors Farshid Samandari and John Oliver. If you are a composer, songwriter, or musician interested to learn more about the musical instruments of our band and their analogous music, and how to write for the Big World Band, this workshop is for you.

This two-day intensive workshop features four 90-minute sessions on the plucked instruments of China, the Middle East, India, and the West, as well as one session on Persian hand drums and Indian tabla. Four additional 90-minute sessions develop the participants’ skills in modal composition and writing/orchestrating for the band. By the time participants have completed the course, they should have enough knowledge to write for the Big World Band.

Featured instruments

• China: pipa, zhongruan, daruan, liuqin
• Middle East: oud, barbat, saz, santoor
• India: sitar and tabla
• Western: guitar and bass guitar
• Persian percussion: tombak, daf

Featured modal composition study

• Chinese modes
• Persian radif
• Arab maqam
• Western modes

Application Procedure

Composers of all levels are encouraged to apply, though preference will be given to professional composers, composers at the beginning of their careers and music students who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate music program and are entering their final year. Independent musicians with an equivalent musical background are also welcome to apply. Basic musical skills are a prerequisite for this course, and music theory knowledge is an asset.

20 participants will be selected from among the applicants.

Please send the following documents as email attachments to: bigworldband@gmail.com

Resume of your studies and/or career in music three example recordings in (MP3 or AAC format) of your music with musical scores (if applicable) in PDF format.

Deadline: Monday July 23, 2012 (results announced July 27)

Cost: $150 per participant

More info:

• email: bigworldband@gmail.com
• phone: (604) 527 – 2358
• web: bigworldband.org