Performance: Late February TBD, 2024 @ 7:30PM
Venue: Alberta House (formerly Cerimon House), 5131 NE 23rd Ave. Portland, OR
Submission Deadline: Monday, September 18th, 2023 @ 11:59PM PDT
Eligibility: All Cascadia members in good standing for 2023. You must become a Cascadia member or renew your membership before the score deadline, or your submission will not be considered.
Concert theme: BLACKOUT: Concert will be in total darkness except for occasional theatrical lighting effects. There won’t even be stand lights for musicians. (Lights will come up during intermission, and musicians may use tablets.) Performing groups may be located in various parts of the performance space; suggestions from composers about this and other aspects of their work are welcome, for example in the submission form’s “Additional comments” text box.
(There’s no truth to the rumor that program notes and bios will be heavily redacted.)
Instrumentation: Works may include any instrument(s) that can be reasonably transported by the performer, plus one volunteer if needed, but composers must provide and pay for their own performers. (Cascadia can assist in finding performers on request.) There will be no piano or organ, but electronic keyboards may be included. Electronic, electroacoustic and media-only works are encouraged.
Submission procedure: Anonymous submission. Remove or blank out anything on the score or other submitted media which identifies the composer. Check authorship, copyright notices, logos, program notes, performance notes, and so forth.
Composers may submit up to two works, but at most one can be performed. Priority will be given to works 12 minutes or under.
Submit the following through the submission form on the NewMusicEngine.org website, along with required info such as instrumentation, duration, and contact info:
- Score if the work has one, in PDF format, including any performance notes. Make sure nothing on the score identifies the composer. Even if there is no score, be sure to submit any special directions for presenting the work here. (PDF files are limited to 5MB by NewMusicEngine.)
- Recording if available (MIDI is OK if none is), MP3 format preferred (WAV format OK). A link may be submitted instead, if it’s more convenient or if your file does not upload for some reason. Make sure nothing in a media player window, the link or its landing page identifies the composer.
- Bio and Program notes, 200 words each or less, in the text boxes provided. These won’t be accessible to the selection committee. If there’s some aspect of your submission you feel needs an additional explanation, anonymously tell the organizers in the submission form’s “Additional comments” text box.
- If there are lyrics, you may submit them as part of the program notes, or as a text file without the author in PDF format. If they’re not in English, include a translation. Be sure to enter the author in the separate text box, even if the lyrics are in the public domain. Use “Traditional”, “Anonymous”, etc. if needed.
- Lyrics permission – If there are lyrics that are not in the public domain, include a text file in PDF format showing you have permission to use them.
Selection process: Works will be selected by the independent curators Daniel Brugh and Nicholas Yandell.
Selections will be announced by October 16. Final scores for selected works, and parts if required, are due one week later.
Questions about concert details? Please contact Daniel Brugh: danielbrugh5@gmail.com
Questions about the form? Please contact Jeff Winslow: jeffw@rdrop.com
Thank you and good luck!
Jeff Winslow for Cascadia Composers (chapter of NACUSA)
Cascadia Composers uphold and embrace principles of inclusivity and equity in all our programming, for all our members and the community, in terms of gender, race, age, location, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, socio-economic status and artistic practice.