(formerly the New York Art Ensemble)
2013 Young Composer Competition
Guidelines
Note: The next deadline is January 11, 2013.
(Make sure you include the Competition Cover Sheet with your entry.)
“Dedicated to broadening public appreciation of new American music” —NY Daily News
Tribeca New Music announces its 12th Annual Young Composer Competition. Its two-fold purpose is to encourage outstanding young composers in America and to provide a prominent forum for their recognition.
Award and Performance
The winning composer will receive a $1,000 cash award and a New York City performance of the winning score during the 2012 concert season, along with a CD recording of the performance. This award is presented at the sole discretion of the TNM board of directors.
Eligibility
All composers, who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, born after December 31, 1990 are eligible.
Note: Former winners of the Young Composer Competition are not eligible.
Submission Guidelines
Works may be written for solo, duo, trio, quartet, or quintet (from one to five performers).
Instruments may include the following: flute (piccolo, alto flute), clarinet (bass clarinet), oboe (English horn), bassoon, saxophone (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone), French horn, trumpet, trombone (bass trombone), tuba, percussion, piano, harp, violin, viola, cello, bass.
Acoustic works that utilize electronic/computer accompaniment are also acceptable.
All music must be no more than fifteen minutes in duration.
Interested composers should submit:
• a legible, bound, full score
• a recording of the piece on a CD
• a biography, with current address, e-mail address, and phone number
• a stamped, self-addressed envelope, if they wish their music returned
• a copy of the Competition Cover Sheet (click this link)
Entry Fee and Deadline
The entry fee is $25.00 per work entered. Make checks or money orders payable to
Tribeca New Music, Inc.
All entries must be postmarked no later than Friday, January 11, 2013.
Tribeca New Music is not responsible for lost or damaged material.
The winning composition will be announced on this website Friday, February 22, 2013.
Send entries or written inquires to:
Young Composer Competition
Tribeca New Music, Inc.
640 West 139 Street, Suite 60
New York, NY 10031
Websit: www.TribecaNewMusic.org
A number of young composers have asked for a critique of their music. It's not practical to answer everyone individually, but we will offer some general suggestions, both technical and musical.
• Score: You are the score. When you enter a score that looks bad (hard to read, stapled together, notation on only one side of the page, original pencil manuscript, not spiral bound, etc.), it sends a negative message. It says that you don't care about your music. And, that effects the attitude of the musicians who evaluate and perform your work--i.e., “If the composer doesn't care, why should I?” So, make your scores look professional. Even if you feel unsure of yourself, make the score and parts easy to read, spiral bound, and well thought out with logical page turns. The best way to kill a rehearsal of your music is to have an illegible score and parts. Musicians will spend more time asking questions about the score (“Is this an e or an f?”) rather than playing your music.
• Music: Use strong ideas. It doesn't matter if your piece starts soft or loud, fast or slow, you should present strong ideas--music that makes a definite impression, catches one's imagination, and then does something with it.
• Harmony: Harmonic language is all over the map in the 20th and 21st century. And that's great--lots of possibilities. So when you delve into a new harmonic world, make sure you figure out what to do with it. We see music that starts out with very unusual and interesting harmony, but doesn't know where to take it. It becomes static and lost. Evaluate the harmonic language you're using. Experiment with it. Learn what it is that creates tension and resolution within that language.
• Style: Some of you ask, “What kind of style are you looking for?” We see all sorts of musical style and language. Our objective is to select good music--music that works. The best music is usually informed by a well-trained and intuitively driven musician. Use the musical language that best fits what you want to get across.
2012 Young Composer Competition Winner
Tribeca New Music Young Composer Competition
"Dedicated to broadening public appreciation of new American music” —NY Daily News
Congratulations to Emily Cooley of Mequon, Wisconsin!
Her composition Etched for string quartet has won the national Tribeca New Music 2012 Young Composer Competition.
Emily is a senior at Yale University where she studies with Kathryn Alexander and Michael Klingbeil. Past teachers include John K. Boyle, Carol Klose, and Juraj Kojs. She has received awards and recognition from the National Federation of Music Clubs, the MacDowell Club of Milwaukee, the Vancouver Chamber Choir, the New York Art Ensemble, the Music Educators National Conference, Interlochen Arts Camp, the Huntsville Youth Orchestra, and ASCAP, among others.
As the winner of the Tribeca New Music 2012 Young Composer Competition, Emily will receive a $1,000 award, and a performance and recording of Etched for string quartet. The piece will be presented this spring on the 2012 Tribeca New Music Festival in New York City at a date to be announced. Stay tuned for details.
Runners Up
Congratulations to everyone who participated in this national competition. In addition to the winning piece, Tribeca New Music wishes to acknowledge some of the other exceptional works that were entered:
• The Honorable Mention category recognizes the top tier of composers that were in contention to win.
Honorable Mention
(In alphabetical order)
Ron Amchin for his Bells of the Angelus
Phillip Golub for his Orange Windows
Zach Sheets for his Corbeaux
Gabriella Smith for her Reflections Nebulae
Kyle Tieman-Strauss for his Incessant Spirals
• The Emerging Composers category recognizes those who have shown great promise with their entries.
Emerging Composers
(in alphabetical order)
Sofia Belimova for her Rain
Yuri Boguinia for his String Quartet
Trevor Bumgarner for his LED
Ryan Dodge for his String Trio
Savannah Du for her Relapse
Chason Goldfinger for his String Quartet No. 1
Michaela Gyure for her Inspiration for Brass Quartet
Katherine Haroldson for her Journey
Tyler Andrew Hyers for his Impermanence
Sidarth Jayadev for his Autour du Monde
Liam Kaplan for his Fanfare
Anna Larsen for her Quartet No. 1
Michael Parsons for his Three Miniatures for Piano
Jules Pegram for his Suenos Vibrantes
Andrey Stolyarov for his Droplets
Ben Yee-Paulson for A Woodland Sunrise
Gabriel Zucker for his Yesterday’s Mirror