Competition for Student Composers

Award-winning Work to be Premiered in Summer of 2010

The Bowdoin International Music Festival is pleased to announce a competition for student composers based in the USA who are under the age of 35. A prize of $500.00 will be awarded to the winning composer.
The selected work will be premiered at the Bowdoin International Music Festival’s 2010 Gamper Festival of Contemporary Music.

The 2010 competition is for works for solo harp or harp with a second instrument selected from among the following list: guitar, violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute, clarinet, percussion, harp, piano.
No electronics of any sort will be accepted.

Competition guidelines:

* Only student composers living in the USA who will NOT have reached their 35th birthday by April 1, 2009 are eligible.
* Compositions must be of 5 to 8 minutes duration.
* Submissions must not have been published previously or performed in a public concert.
* Parts must be written for harp or harp with a second instrument without any electronic components.
* Composers may submit multiple works.

Applications must contain the following:

* 3 copies of the score labeled with the title only (scores and parts must be anonymous – they may not be labelled with any information identifying the composer).
* 1 CD recording of the entry with the title only (MIDI is acceptable).
* 1 cover letter including: Name, full street address, telephone number, email address, title(s) of submitted work(s) and approximate playing time.
* $25 Entry Fee for each submitted work (make checks or money orders payable to Bowdoin International Music Festival).
* Proof of eligibility as a student composer (for example, letter from teacher, or proof of enrollment in an academic program in
composition.)

All materials must be enclosed in one package. Bowdoin International Music Festival is not responsible for lost or damaged materials.
Submissions, including scores, will not be returned. Submission of an application to participate in the competition confirms that the contestants unconditionally accept all the rules as established in this announcement.

Applications must be postmarked by April 1, 2010, and be addressed to:

2010 Student Composition Competition
Bowdoin International Music Festival
6300 College Station
Brunswick ME 04011-8463

Applications for this competition must be packaged separately from application materials for admission to the Bowdoin International Music Festival. Application for admission is NOT a requirement for application to this competition and will not be taken into consideration in the judging of the entries.

The Jury:

Entries will be judged anonymously by three Bowdoin International Music Festival faculty members & composers. Criteria include compositional integrity, playability, and practicality of performance.

The Award

Prize: $500.00

The prize will not be divided. The jury reserves the right not to award the prize if, in its judgement, no suitable works are received.
The decision of the jury will be final.

Notification

The winner will be announced by e-mail to all contestants by May 31, 2010.

Premiere

The winning entry will be premiered at one of the concerts of the Bowdoin International Music Festival’s annual Charles E. Gamper Festival of Contemporary Music (July 29, 31 and August 1, 2010).

The composer of the winning composition should plan to be present at the Gamper Festival of Contemporary Music and will receive the prize following the premiere of the work.

For more information, Contact Peter Simmons at peter@bowdoinfestival.org.