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Welcome Christmas Carol Contest

 Welcome Christmas Carol Contest
Summary:Carol Competition
Deadline: 01 August 2014
Date Posted: 16 April 2014
Details: The custom of singing Christmas carols brings joy to the holiday season unlike any other tradition. And every December VocalEssence and the American Composers Forum celebrate this tradition in their own unique way: championing today’s composers, exploring new works, and rediscovering lesser-known works of the past.

This year marks the seventeenth year of the Welcome Christmas Carol Contest as VocalEssence and the American Composers Forum provide composers with the opportunity to compose a modern-day carol.

Open to composers of all ages, this year’s contest requires writing a carol for SATB chorus and folk fiddle (in the Nordic tradition). Each year, the contest has produced wonderful new settings of familiar texts and carols based on existing poems and original texts, each year with a different instrument.
The two winners will each receive a prize of $1,000, and the winning carols will be premiered at the December 5, 6, 7, 13 and 14, 2014 Welcome Christmas concerts featuring the VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers with fiddler Sara Pajunen. The performances will be recorded for national broadcast in 2015 via American Public Media. The winners are invited to attend the rehearsals and performances at their own expense, and will have the opportunity for radio interviews as well as other media coverage and promotion.

2014 Contest Guidelines
World premiere: No prior performance of submitted work.
Eligibility: Composers of all ages whose permanent residence is North America.
Form: Carol (defined as a strophic song, which may or may not have refrains, that is associated with Christmas)
Voicing: SATB with folk fiddle (in the Nordic tradition).
Duration: Maximum of 3 minutes.
Text: Sacred or secular, medieval to present, appropriate for concert setting; Christmas or seasonal winter themes accepted. Proof of public domain or author’s written permission for use of text is required.

Who may apply
Composers of all ages; experience writing for voice and/or choirs is beneficial.
Applicants do not need to be members of ACF to apply. However, if selected, the composer is expected to be a member for a one-year period.
Web Site:http://composersforum.org/program/welcome-christmas-carol-contest