Performance: One work to be performed Oct. 12th and 13th, 2019
Venue: Aquinas Hall, 340 NE Clackamas St., Portland, OR 97232
Submission Deadline: 11:59 PM PDT, Monday, July 29th, 2019
Eligibility: All Cascadia members in good standing (make sure your dues are paid up for 2019, thank you).
Instrumentation: The all-women a cappella (usually) group In Mulieribus. Works may be for soprano or alto solo, duet, trio, or up to SSSSAA, a cappella or with cello accompaniment.
Concert theme: Works must in some way reference the life and/or work of Baroque composer Barbara Strozzi, who was born 400 years ago this year. A musical motive, a favorite text of hers, an episode from her life … use your imagination! (You’ll be required to submit a short description of the connection along with your score.)
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 selected. Priority will be given to works between 3 minutes and 6 minutes long.
Submit the following through the submission form on the NewMusicEngine.org website:
- Score in PDF format. Make sure nothing on the score identifies the composer. Include any performance notes. Program notes are entirely optional. Duration is no longer required on the score; enter it directly into the form in the format requested.
- Recording if available (MIDI is OK if none is) in MP3 format. A link may be submitted instead, if more convenient or if your MP3 does not upload for some reason. Make sure nothing in an MP3 player window or the link identifies the composer.
- Text file in PDF format, with a short explanation of the connection to Barbara Strozzi. Or, submit in the form’s “Additional comments” box. Don’t include anything that can identify you.
- Text files in PDF format with your program notes, bio, or any other information pertaining to the piece which may be of interest to an audience. New with this call: Please submit separate files for your notes and your bio. These won’t be accessible to the selection committee. If there’s some aspect of your submission you feel needs an additional explanatory note, briefly and anonymously comment in the submission form’s “Additional comments” box. Please do not submit complete program notes in the “Additional comments” box.
- Lyrics permission – If there are lyrics which are not in the public domain, include a text file in PDF format showing you have permission to use them. Be sure to enter the author in the separate text input box, even if the lyrics are in the public domain.
Selection process: A committee of Cascadia members, exclusive of any member who has submitted a work for this competition, will select works by five finalists to send to In Mulieribus director Anna Song for her consideration. She will then pick the winning work, to be announced August 20th, 2019.
Final score (and cello part if needed) for the winning work must be available by September 3rd, 2019.
Questions? Please contact Jeff Winslow at jeffw@rdrop.com.