The Walbrook Singers (choir in north-west London UK) announces a composition competition for choral pieces on the theme of “New Year” – unaccompanied or with piano/organ, any language, open to all composers – no entry fee, and GBP500 in prize-money for the winning work(s) – deadline 1 October 2008
for full rules and guidelines, see below – or
download the rules as a Word document
download the rules as a PDF document
to receive the rules by post, please send a pre-paid, self-addressed envelope to
Walbrook Singers composition competition
44 Melrose Place
Watford
Hertfordshire WD17 4LX
England
any enquiries by email to walbrook.singers@yahoo.co.uk
WALBROOK SINGERS COMPOSITION COMPETITION
for choral pieces on the theme of “New Year”
BACKGROUND
Paul Ayres, conductor of the Walbrook Singers, writes:
We are planning a choral concert in January 2009, and I would love to include some new pieces on a New Year theme. Our choir is made up of boys and girls singing the treble (soprano) line, male altos (counter-tenors), with fairly strong tenor and bass sections. So we are happy to perform SATTBB, but SSAATB would be beyond our resources. Although the Walbrook Singers is a non-auditioned “community” choir, we achieve a high musical standard, and we’ve often featured new pieces in our programmes. Please do consider sending in a piece to our competition. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me (email walbrook.singers@yahoo.co.uk or call (+44) (0) 20 8632 1854), but please read all the rules and guidelines first. Sixty-one of these may seem a lot, but we’ve tried to think of everything!
RULES AND GUIDELINES
TIMEFRAME
1. All pieces must be received by 12 noon (Greenwich Mean Time) on Wednesday 1 October 2008.
2. Results will be communicated to all entrants by 1 December 2008.
3. The winning piece(s) will be performed in concert by the Walbrook Singers on 31 January 2009, at St Peter’s Church, Mill End (near Watford), Hertfordshire, England.
MUSICAL STYLE
4. Your piece can be in any musical style, but must be performable by a reasonably good amateur choir.
5. Quotation of pre-existing musical material is acceptable, but please note that we are looking for new compositions rather than arrangements or harmonisations.
6. If you quote some music that is itself under copyright, you must have written permission to use it, just as you would for a copyrighted text (see rule 21, below).
VOCAL SCORING
7. The Walbrook Singers is a SATB choir.
Please bear in mind that the S (soprano) part is sung by trebles, that is, by boys and girls aged 7-15, and should have no divisi.
Please bear in mind that the A (alto) line is sung by countertenors (male altos), and should have no divisi.
The T (tenor) line may be divided (first tenor and second tenor).
The B (bass) line may be divided (first bass and second bass).
Some voice parts may be omitted, and there should not be solo vocal parts.
8. Thus a piece for four-part mixed choir (SATB),
or for unison trebles (S),
or for four-part men’s voices (TTBB),
or for six-part mixed choir (SATTBB) would be acceptable.
9. But a piece for six-part mixed choir (SSAATB),
or for double-choir (SATBSATB),
or for 3-part upper voices (SSA) would not be acceptable.
INSTRUMENTATION
10. The piece may be unaccompanied, or accompanied by piano, or accompanied by organ.
11. No other instruments are available.
12. The Walbrook Singers perform acoustically, that’s to say, not amplified.
13. No electronic manipulation of the voices, or performance with tape/CD track, is possible.
TEXT
14. The subject-matter of the text should be connected with the theme of the “New Year”.
15. The New Year theme can be interpreted in any way, from any tradition.
16. Please note we are not looking for Christmas-themed pieces.
17. The text can be in any language, or in more than one language.
18. The text must be written down using the Western alphabet (so, for example, the text could be in Russian, but this should be transliterated, and not be written down in Cyrillic).
19. If the language is not English, please include an English translation of the text.
20. If the language is other than English, French, German, Latin or Italian, please include a pronunciation guide to help English singers.
21. You must have permission to use the text. If the text is in the public domain, or is traditional, or anonymous, or if you have written the words yourself, that’s fine. But otherwise, please obtain written permission from the poet/author/translator/publisher/copyright holder, and send this in with your entry. Please be aware that in Europe, including the UK, texts do not enter the public domain until 70 years after the end of the year in which the author/poet/translator died. And don’t forget that this applies to translations too, so even an ancient text could be still under copyright if you’re using a 20th-century translation. Permission to set the text is the composer’s responsibility, not the Walbrook Singers’.
SPECIAL NOTATION
22. If your piece uses non-standard (Western) musical notation, please explain clearly, in English, what your notational signs mean.
23. The Walbrook Singers are happy to use extended vocal techniques, but, again, please explain clearly what sounds you require, and remember that we have children’s voices singing treble, not adult sopranos!
SCORE LAYOUT
24. Music may be handwritten or computer-typeset, but in either case must be clear, legible, and free of misprints.
25. The score should be printed in portrait (not landscape) format, no larger than “A4” (210x297mm) or “letter” (8.5x11inches), so that it can be easily read by the singers.
26. Ensure that all pages are numbered.
27. Include bar (measure) numbers and/or rehearsal letters in your score.
28. Entry to the competition is not anonymous: please write your name clearly on the first page of your piece, and include the name(s) of the author, poet or text source.
29. You may send your piece either by post or by email as a PDF file (see below).
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR PIECE BY POST
30. Send one copy of your piece by mail to Walbrook Singers Composition Competition, 44 Melrose Place, Watford, Hertfordshire WD17 4LX, England.
31. Ensure the score is bound (fastened) – no loose sheets of paper, please.
32. Print the music in black ink/print on white paper, maximum size “A4” (210x297mm) or “letter” (8.5x11inches), portrait format.
33. Include your name, phone number(s), mailing address and email address (if applicable).
34. Include written permission to use the text (if under copyright).
35. Scores will not be returned.
36. The Walbrook Singers are not responsible for entries lost in the post.
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR PIECE BY EMAIL
37. If the text you are setting is under copyright, then please submit your score by post, because you will need to include written permission.
38. Otherwise, you may email your piece as a PDF file to walbrook.singers@yahoo.co.uk
39. Ensure that the music can be printed out legibly in “A4” (210x297mm) or “letter” (8.5x11inches) size, portrait format.
40. Mark your email clearly as “entry for Walbrook Singers composing competition”
41. Include your name, phone number(s), mailing address and email address.
42. The Walbrook Singers are not responsible for email or computer file errors.
HOW NOT TO SUBMIT YOUR PIECE
43. Do not send your piece as a Finale, Sibelius, jpeg or any other computer file.
44. Do not fax your piece.
45. Do not post your original manuscript copy!
46. Do not send recordings or sound files.
47. Do not include any additional material in your submission (brochures, catalogues, biographies, photographs, other pieces for consideration, CDs, etc)
LIMITATIONS
48. The submitted piece should have a maximum duration of 7 (seven) minutes.
49. There is no minimum duration set.
50. There is no limitation on piece’s history (that’s to say, whether or not it has been performed, published or recorded, or when it was composed).
51. There is no limitation for the composer (in terms of age, gender, geographical location, professional qualifications, or anything else).
52. Composers are limited to submitting only one piece each to this competition.
FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS
53. There is no entry fee.
54. There is a total of GBP500 (five hundred pounds sterling, British currency) available in prize money for the winning work(s).
55. The total prize money may be divided in any way that the Walbrook Singers decide. For example, there could be one outright winner, receiving GBP500; or there could be a joint first prize, so winning composers receive GBP250 each; or there could be first, second and third prizes of GBP250, GBP150 and GBP100.
56. The Walbrook Singers will photocopy and retain a set of the winning piece(s) for use in performance, and no additional fee for copies (over and above the prize-money) will be paid to the composer/publisher/copyright holder.
57. Prize money will be given in the form of a cheque in British currency.
OTHER
58. The competition will be judged by the conductor, assistant conductor and committee of the Walbrook Singers.
59. No correspondence will be entered into regarding the competition result.
60. Copyright of the music will remain with the composer, and the Walbrook Singers will not copy, perform or record any piece without the composer’s permission.
61. The Walbrook Singers reserve the right not to award a prize.
WWW: www.paulayres.co.uk
The Classical Music Art 
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