BCE Commission Competition
2012 Rules
This competition aims to identify a talented composer and support her or him in the creation of a new work for unaccompanied chamber choir to be premiered by the Boston Choral Ensemble in the spring of 2012.
The premiere of the winning composer’s new work will be on Friday, June 1st, 2012 and Sunday, June 3rd, 2012 as part of the Boston Choral Ensemble’s final concert of their 2011–2012 season. The winning work will be rehearsed, prepared, and integrated into the program.
The Boston Choral Ensemble is highly-skilled, auditioned choir of volunteers. Applicants are encouraged to consult past programs and audio samples to learn more about what might be appropriate for the ensemble.
Applicants with further questions are encouraged to contact the competition coordinator at competition@BostonChoral.org.
CANDIDATE ELIGIBILITY
The Boston Choral Ensemble Commission Competition is open to composers regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or veteran status.
The following groups are ineligible to enter the competition:
- current Boston Choral Ensemble singing members;
- current Boston Choral Ensemble board members;
- current members of the Commission Competition Jury;
- spouses, partners, or family members of any of the above groups; and
- those who were members of any of the above groups within one year of entry deadline.
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ITEMS TO SUBMIT
- A completed online application form
- Three (3) work samples in PDF that demonstrate your current compositional activity
- Compositions may be for any ensemble
- It is recommended that composers include work samples that indicate skills appropriate to write for an unaccompanied choral ensemble;
- and that works demonstrate recent compositional activity
- Include date of composition on each score
- Include (within the score PDF) an English translation for any text not in English
- Recordings of the representative works (optional but strongly recommended). Although this is optional, audio may assist the initial assessment of works. This may be an acoustic recording or a MIDI rendering; the quality of performance or MIDI rendering will not be judged.
- A short proposal for the new work outlining details at the discretion of the composer including, but not limited to proposed text, compositional technique, etc. The proposal should indicate how the work would fit the concert’s theme.
- A short biography (about 250 words)
- A works list
- Application fee of US$30 submitted via PayPal
File Formats for Electronic Applications
Please name all files using the following format: LASTNAME-Title_of_Piece.filetype (for example: STRAVINSKY-Rite_of_Spring.pdf)
- Musical Scores: PDF files only. Notation files will not be accepted. Please combine ancillary materials—such as notes, texts, instructions—with a single PDF.
- Prose Documents: PDF files preferred. Microsoft Word format (DOC) is also accepted.
- Audio Files: MP3 files preferred. Shorter pieces may also be submitted as WAV or AIF files. Please don't submit MIDI files directly—MIDI 'performances' are accepted but render the MIDI into an MP3.
The following submissions will be disqualified:
- Late entries
- Incomplete entries
- Illegible copies
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DEADLINE AND PROCESS FOR SUBMISSIONS
Materials must be submitted on or before Tuesday, November 15th, 2011. Application materials (mostly PDFs and MP3s) should be sent to Competition-Materials@BostonChoral.org after the online application form is completed. Please use this e-mail only for application materials. Questions should be directed to Competition@BostonChoral.org.
Late applications will be disqualified.
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APPLICATION FEES
The $30 application fees can be paid by PayPal at this page. Application fees are non-refundable and will not be returned to those disqualified for not meeting the requirements herein.
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COMPETITION PRIZE
The winner will receive a prize of US$1,500. Payment will be in US funds only. Half of the prize will be delivered initially and half upon successful completion and delivery of the new work. Prize monies will be subject to applicable tax laws and it the responsibility of the winner to properly report the prize.
The performance in concert of the newly-composed work will be recorded on CD and/or DVD. One copy of any such recordings will be furnished to the composer for private use only and must not be published or distributed without written permission from the Boston Choral Ensemble.
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PARAMETERS OF NEW WORK
The winning composer will be engaged to create a new work for the Boston Choral Ensemble. As part of the application the Jury is interested to know what ideas a composer offers about a new work. The Boston Choral Ensemble’s artistic director will be available to consult with the composer during the composition process. The new work must meet the following criteria:
Essentials
- for mixed voices a cappella or with any combination of organ, harp and percussion (for percussion instruments see below)
- 6–10 minutes in length
- no more than 4 parts for balanced sections (SATB) with limited divisi in each part
- limited or no solo vocal material
Texts
Texts may be sacred or secular and in any language. If the intended lyrics are not in the public domain, and the composer is not the author and copyright holder of the lyrics, it is the responsibility of the composer to obtain permission from the copyright holder before the deadline for receipt (see below). Copyright permission must be included with the final manuscript.
Theme & Instrumentation
The winning work must fit the theme of the concert. The program consists of works for SATB chorus with organ, harp, and percussion. Other works on the program include Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Canticles by William Walton and Bryan Kelley, and William Albright’s Chichester Mass. All the works in the program were commissioned by Walter Hussey, sometime Dean of Chichester Cathedral.
The Ensemble recognizes the importance and popularity of Bernstein’s piece and hope that the winning work will be complimentary to this work and of broad appeal, so that it might be taken up by other choirs who perform the Chichester Psalms.
The winning work may be for a cappella choir or may utilize any or all of the instruments used in the chamber version of Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms: organ, harp, and percussion.
Percussion instruments available to composers are limited to the following (one player):
- bass drum
- bongos (3)
- cymbal
- side drum
- suspended cymbal
- triangle
Deadline
The new work must be completed and delivered no later than March 1st, 2012. Failure to meet the deadline voids the contract with BCE and any prize monies must be repaid in full within 30 days.
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RETURN OF MATERIALS
No materials submitted for this competition will be returned.
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ACCOMMODATION AND TRAVEL
The winner is encouraged to attend the final concert as well as any rehearsals for this event. Unfortunately, travel and accommodation expenses for the winner will not be covered by the Boston Choral Ensemble.
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JUDGING
The applications will be examined by a four-member Jury chosen by the Boston Choral Ensemble and will include the artistic director, the assistant to the conductor, a member of the current membership, and a professional composer or choral director not otherwise affiliated with the Boston Choral Ensemble. Members of the Jury and their spouses, partners, or family members may not enter the competition.
The Jury’s decision is final and may not be appealed. The Boston Choral Ensemble, at the advice of the Jury, reserves the right not to award the prize.
Procedure
- Upon receipt: all applications are reviewed by the competition coordinator for completeness.
- Round 1: As applications are completed, a preliminary and internal review of applicants' work samples is conducted. In past years approximately 80% of applicants were advanced.
- Round 2: Shortly after the competition deadline, the complete Jury independently rates applicants' work samples and new work proposals. In past years approximately 20% of applicants were advanced.
- Round 3: In late November or early December, the Jury convenes and reviews all remaining applicants’ complete applications (work samples, proposal, bio, works list). From this set, the Jury selects a winner and identifies any applicants deserving of “honorable mention.”
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PUBLIC DISCLOSURE
The Boston Choral Ensemble will publically announce the names of the competition winner and “honorable mentions,” if applicable, during late autumn 2011 but no later than December 15, 2011. The names of non-winners will not be made public and will be held in strict confidence. Composers whose works do not win the prize will be informed no later than January 2012.
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RIGHTS TO EACH PARTY
The following rights will be given to the Boston Choral Ensemble before disbursement of prize monies:
- The Boston Choral Ensemble will have exclusive performance rights through July 1, 2012.
- The Boston Choral Ensemble reserves the right to perform the work in perpetuity without payment of any fee.
- The Boston Choral Ensemble will have exclusive recording rights through July 1, 2013.
- The Boston Choral Ensemble reserves the right to record the work in perpetuity without payment of any fee.
- The following dedication must appear just above or below the title of the work in all manuscript and published editions: Commissioned by The Boston Choral Ensemble, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Premiered June 1st and 3rd, 2012, Andrew Shenton, Artistic Director.
- The Boston Choral Ensemble will have the right to make copies for distribution to the choir without payment of any fee.
- The winning composer will be asked to provide biographical information and a photograph for publicity purposes. The Boston Choral Ensemble will have the right to use the composer’s photo, name, and composition title in future Boston Choral Ensemble communications without fees.
The following rights are retained by the winning composer:
- Copyright ownership
- Publication rights
[The composition may not be published prior to July 1, 2012.]
In the event that a sponsor is found for the Competition, and consequently the name of the prize is changed, the composer agrees to use the new name, as above.
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LIABILITY
Although every effort will be made to protect and safeguard all manuscripts and recordings, neither the Boston Choral Ensemble nor anyone connected with this contest will assume responsibility for loss, damage, or disclosure. It is strongly recommended that contestants keep the original copies of their scores and recordings.
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