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Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra

 Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra
Summary:Youth Orchestra Composition Competition
Deadline: 08 December 2018
Date Posted: 05 September 2018
Details: The Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Evan Feldman, is happy to announce its 2018 Young Composers Contest, open to students across North Carolina.

Eligibility:
Any pre-college student residing in North Carolina, aged 18 or younger, is eligible to enter the contest.
Only one submission per student will be accepted.
Participation and entry are free.
All submissions must be original; arrangements of existing music will not be considered.
Works that have previously been performed/recorded are permitted.

Deadlines:
Application submission deadline: December 8.
Winner announced via email: January 1.
Hard copies of score and parts required from the winning composer: February 1 (See details below).

Guidelines:
Composers must submit a full score and a first violin part for the work.
Other than the title of the work, the score must not contain any identifying information such as names, locations, or dedications. Performance notes should be limited to those pertaining to the technical requirements of the work.
The work should meet the following criteria:
Accessible for an advanced high school orchestra
Does not exceed 6 minutes in length
The score should meet the following criteria:
Transposed (rather than concert) score
PDF format
Legibly handwritten scores are permitted
The winning composer will provide materials for performance including a hard copy of a full score and a set of parts with rehearsal letters and measure numbers.
Composers may submit a live recording, MIDI realization, or piano reduction of the piece, but it is not required.

Instrumentation can include any combination of the following instruments:
Full strings (up to 2 divisi, no double bass divisi); solos by principal players are permitted
Double winds; flute may double on piccolo, but no other instrument doublings
Double brass; score for Bb rather than C trumpet
Percussion can include timpani +2; standard orchestral percussion is encouraged
Harp is optional; piano is not permitted
Works that feature a primary soloist with orchestra will not be considered.
Electronics are permitted under the following circumstances:
The electronic element is fundamental to the essence of the piece (not “tacked on”)
Any sampled material is original or can be proven to be in the public domain
The composer must provide any hardware necessary for interactive electronics and must commit to being present for (at a minimum) the dress rehearsal and final performance.

Evaluation:
The judging panel will include Evan Feldman, the Music Director of the GSYO, and Dr. Alejandro Rutty, Associate Professor of Composition at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.
Entries will be judged anonymously.
Entries will be evaluated based on artistic quality, skill in orchestration, and suitable difficulty level.
Select compositions will receive constructive feedback.
The judging panel reserves the right not to award a winner.

The winning piece will be rehearsed and performed at the winter GSYO concert on March 10, 2019. The winner will receive a quality recording of their work along with a ticket package to a future Greensboro Symphony concert. They will also be featured along with their winning composition on the Greensboro Symphony Facebook page.

Resources for young composers
Orchestration tips: http://www.youngcomposerschallenge.org/tutorials/tutlist.php
Free music notation software: https://musescore.org/en

Please contact the Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra with any questions:
education@greensborosymphony.org

Web Site:www.gsyo.org/Composition/