2019 American Composers Forum NextNotes High School Composition Awards

Transcription

1 2019 American Composers Forum NextNotes High School Composition Awards The American Composers Forum (ACF) is pleased to announce the fifth anniversary season of the American Composers Forum NextNotes High School Composition Awards. Whether you write for voices, electronics or instruments, are a singer/songwriter or improviser, hip-hop artist or sound designer if you create original, creative music and are in high school, we want you to apply! PROGRAM DETAILS and SCHEDULE: Entries must be submitted electronically via SlideRoom by 11:59pm CST, Monday, January 7, o o Apply here: Entries submitted by mail or means other than the official electronic process will not be eligible for consideration. Entries will be judged by a panel of professional composers with diverse musical backgrounds. Finalists will be notified of their status by April 15, 2019, at which time they will be sent and required to submit the following documents: o NextNotes Release for Use of Photo, Audio and Video o NextNotes Code of Conduct o NextNotes Emergency Contact/Medical Information o NextNotes Release from Liability If ACF staff is unable to reach a Finalist within 24 hours or the abovementioned documents are not received by ACF staff within 48 hours of notification, the entrant will be disqualified and an alternate awardee will be selected. The names of the NextNotes Composers will be announced by the end of the day on April 22, Each NextNotes Composer will have the opportunity to work with a composer mentor (over the phone or internet) to refine their piece in May The six NextNotes Composers will be flown to Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota for a two-day workshop that will take place on Friday and Saturday, June 21-22, 2019 (with flights on June 20 and 23). The awards ceremony and culminating concert will take place on the evening of June 22, NOTE: Participation in the workshop/concert is mandatory for the six NextNotes Composers. AWARDS: In addition to the mentorship, workshop and concert, each NextNotes Composer will: Receive a scholarship of $1,000 to be used for formal composition studies to be applied towards one formal composition study program such as a summer composition program or

2 a semester of individual instruction. These funds will be made payable directly to the educator or institution and must be used within 18 months of notification of the award. Receive an archival recording of the culminating concert. Receive Finale notation software for continued writing. Be eligible to nominate an influential music educator to receive a one-year SmartMusic Educator Subscription for classroom use. Be eligible to receive up to $500 in bring it home funds to share their accomplishment with their hometown. These funds may be used to present the winning composition (i.e. hire musicians or sound technicians for a public concert), duplicate CDs of awardees music, etc. NextNotes Composers may request funds, use of which must be approved by ACF. Funds will not be made payable directly to NextNotes Composers, but rather to the performers, venues, sound technicians, CD duplication company, etc., who are hired to present the music of the NextNotes Composers. Bring it home funds must be used within 12 months of notification of the award. Up to 30 of the entrants will be selected as Honorable Mention and will receive written feedback from the judges. All entrants who submit all required materials and are deemed eligible applicants will receive a free one-year American Composers Forum student membership and a free one-year subscription to Noteflight Premium. The American Composers Forum encourages applicants from the full range of musical styles, and is committed to supporting a diverse pool of artists whose work demonstrates strong artistic merit. Accordingly, awards for our programs will represent, as far as possible, artists and projects that are diverse in genre, gender, race, ethnicity and geography. PROGRAM GUIDELINES: Who May Enter: Applicants who are at least 14 years old OR enrolled in 9 th grade, and not older than 18 years old OR in 12 th grade (or home-school grade equivalents) by September 30, 2018, are eligible. (A 14-year-old 8 th grader, a 13-year-old 9 th grader, a 17-year-old college student, and a 19-year-old 12 th grader are all eligible to apply.) Applicants must be living in the 50 United States at the time of the workshop and concert. Applicants must be available to attend events in Minneapolis-St. Paul on June 21-22, Awardee travel expenses to and from, and food/accommodations in Minneapolis-St. Paul will be covered by ACF, as will the costs of the workshop, concert, mentors and supervisory counselors. Applicants do not have to be formally studying composition and/or music to be eligible NextNotes Winners are not eligible to apply. Employees and board members of the American Composers Forum, and the immediate families thereof, may not apply to this program. You do not have to be a member of the American Composers Forum to apply. Entry Details: Vocal, instrumental, electronic or any combination thereof will be considered. Works must be written for 0-8 performers and no more than 10 minutes in length. Acceptable entries

3 may include (but are not limited to) works for: voice and guitar, recorded electronics, string quartet, solo piano, brass quintet, live electronic performance, instrumental ensemble with electronic backing track, percussion ensemble, etc. Applications must be submitted electronically via the following link: Each applicant may submit only one composition for consideration in the program. If more than one composition is submitted, only the first entry will be considered. Compositions co-written by two people will be considered if both composers are eligible entrants. If the composition is co-written by two composers, their composition must be the sole creation of their collaboration and the two composers will be treated as a single applicant (e.g., if John Smith and Jane Doe write a piece together, they together are considered a single applicant, and neither may apply with any other entry.) Compositions written by more than two individuals, groups, etc., are not eligible. If the composer applicant partnered with a lyricist to write the piece, but wrote the music on his/her own, only the person who wrote the music is eligible to apply. Compositions must be original and the sole creation of the applicant or pair of applicants. Entries must not be plagiarized or violate copyright laws. If the entry includes a produced backing track of beats or other music, it must be the original creation of the applicant or pair of applicants. If text is utilized, proof of public domain or author s written permission for use of text is required. (Note: Most modern translations of the Bible are protected by copyright.) There is no fee to apply. Entry Materials: In addition to the written information requested online, each applicant will be asked to submit: An audio recording (up to 30 MB) or video (up to 60 MB) of entry, no more than 10 minutes in duration. Recording does not have to be professional quality, MIDI realizations are accepted, but they must be converted to another audio format. Entries will not be judged on the quality of the recording. Acceptable audio formats are:.mp3,.wma,.ogg,.flac OPTIONAL: If applicable, a PDF (up to 10 MB) score of entry. Scores may be graphic notation (i.e., representation of music through the use of visual symbols) or standard notation. Handwritten scores are accepted, provided they have been scanned and submitted in PDF form. If applicable, proof of public domain or author s/publishers written permission for use of text. Application Deadline, Award, and General Information: Applications must be submitted electronically on or before 11:59pm CST, January 7, Late applications will not be considered. All performance, copyright, and royalty rights of the winning pieces remain with the composers.

4 The decision of the NextNotes jury will be final. The finalists will be announced by April 22, 2019 and posted on the American Composers Forum website. Scholarship monies must be utilized for one educational composition program within 18 months of the notification of receipt of the award. If not utilized within 18 months, award monies will be forfeited. These funds will be made payable directly to the selected educator or institution. In the case of individual instruction, ACF reserves the right to require proof that the educator selected is a qualified instructor and may, in its discretion, determine if that individual instructor may or may not receive payment of NextNotes scholarship funds. Bring it home funds must be utilized for one event/project within twelve months of the notification of the award. No form of cheating or, in the case of NextNotes Composers, violation of the Code of Conduct, will be tolerated. Any persons found cheating or otherwise violating the rules, as determined in the sole discretion of ACF, will be immediately disqualified from the program. NextNotes Composers who are found to have violated the Code of Conduct during their time in Minneapolis/St. Paul will immediately be sent home and any expenses incurred by doing so will be the responsibility of the NextNotes Composer or their parent/guardian. For additional information about NextNotes, read the NextNotes FAQ at ACF reserves the right to modify or update the Guidelines and FAQ at any time and will have no obligation to announce or publicize such additions or clarifications. For more information and inquires contact: Laura Krider Director of Education and Community Partnerships American Composers Forum lkrider@composersforum.org The NextNotes High School Composition Awards are generously supported by The Augustine Foundation, the Rosemary and David Good Family Foundation, The Thelma Hunter Fund, the Dr. Fred Noah Gordon Charitable Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation, and other generous individuals. In-kind support is provided by program Partners MakeMusic, Inc and Noteflight.

5 The American Composers Forum is committed to supporting composers and developing new markets for their music. Through granting, commissioning, and performance programs, the Forum provides composers at all stages of their careers with valuable resources for professional and artistic development. By linking communities with composers and performers, the Forum fosters a demand for new music, enriches communities, and helps develop the next generation of composers, musicians, and music patrons. Founded in 1973 as the Minnesota Composers Forum, the organization has grown from an innovative regional initiative into one of the nation's premier composer service organizations. Forum programming reaches composers and communities in all 50 states. The Forum supports composers' artistic and professional growth through a rich variety of programs and services, including commissions, performances, readings and fellowships. The Forum helps composers engage communities with music as a source of inspiration, selfreflection and delight. This engagement takes the form of groundbreaking composer residencies, designed to engage communities in the creative process and broaden the contexts in which new music is written, performed and heard. It means innovative approaches to teaching music while nurturing the next generation of composers, performers and audiences. The Forum's 1,900 members include composers and performers, presenters and organizations that share the Forum's goals, and individuals and institutions with an interest in supporting new music. Forum members come from both urban and rural areas; they work in virtually every musical genre, including orchestral and chamber music, "world" music, opera and music theater, jazz and improvisational music, electronic and electro-acoustic music, and sound art. In addition to the tangible benefits of membership (including newsletters, invitations to chapter events, and eligibility for grant, fellowship, and residency programs), members are part of a national community of artists who share common concerns, aspirations, and goals.