$500 First Prize
Celebrating Pride Month with new music: Affirming Love with Inclusive Language
Members of the LGBTGQIA+ community are strongly encouraged to apply
The Bellevue Chamber Chorus is calling for scores of new choral music and will award a first-prize winner $500.
The winning piece will be featured in a concert looking at “love through the ages,” which will have music that progresses through infatuation to a deeper love, and finally closing with several pieces that take a more philosophical look at universal love, community, and companionship. We seek to commission a piece that either directly or indirectly challenges heteronormativity, and/or uses inclusive language to affirm love in any relationship regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or identity.
Call for Scores: The chorus will be accepting engraved scores for SATB choir through January 1st, 2023. Pieces must be under six minutes long. One winner will be selected by January 15th, 2023, and payment will be issued in February 2023 upon receipt of the composer’s final pdf of the engraved score. Final score will include a piano reduction for a cappella music and any other editorial requests from our Artistic Director.
Eligibility: All composers are encouraged to submit scores. Members of the LGBTQIA+ community are strongly encouraged to apply. The composer may select any text that uses inclusive language and/or either directly or indirectly challenges heteronormativity. The composer must demonstrate that the text is either in the public domain or that the composer has secured the rights. The piece must be unpublished and have no previous public performances.
Premiere: The Bellevue Chamber Chorus will have premiere rights. Premiere subject to any two dates in 2023 through the end of 2024. Actual dates in 2023-2024 are subject to change: the target concert/recording date is May 2023, with an additional online June feature for Pride Month 2023. The chorus owns the rights to the recording and synchronization rights for our public posting, though a free digital copy of the recording will be given to the composer to use in their own promotion as they see fit.
Recommendations: It is suggested that the piece be anywhere between three to five minutes and be of easy to intermediate difficulty level. The Bellevue Chamber Chorus is not a professional chorus, but is a 24-voice auditioned community group with a history of a high level of musicianship. Only moderate levels of divisi are acceptable. The piece can be a cappella, though piano accompaniment is preferred. It may have up to one other instrument in addition to piano, for example, cello, oboe, violin, etc. It is strongly recommended that composers submit a midi or mp3 sound file with their score.
Questions and submissions should be directed to:
Ben Luedcke Artistic Director Bellevue Chamber Chorus director@bellevuechamberchorus.org