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Third-Annual John Kuzma Young Composers Award

 Third-Annual John Kuzma Young Composers Award
Summary:Choral Competition
Deadline: 14 September 2018
Date Posted: 24 May 2018
Details: Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church, Denver, Colorado USA, is pleased to announce the Third-Annual John Kuzma Young Composers Award, for Excellence in Choral Composition.

The competition is open to any composer aged thirty or younger (born after December 2, 1987). The winning composer will receive a $1,000 honorarium as well as a $500 travel stipend to attend the premiere of the work at Montview Church in Denver, CO on December 2, 2018.

Named in honor of Montview’s Minister of Music from 1987-2015, the Kuzma Award strives to encourage and support emerging composers of sacred choral music.

The winning piece will receive an in-concert performance by the 85-voice Westminster Choir (SATB) of Montview Church. The winning composer is also encouraged - but not required - to orchestrate an accompaniment for the professional 50 piece Montview Orchestra.

Application Deadline: Friday, September 14, 2018

Submit materials to kuzmaaward@montview.org. See guidelines and instructions below.

Guidelines and Rules
• The work must not have been performed publicly in concert in the United States.
• The work must be between 3 and 5 minutes in length.
• Only one score can be submitted for consideration.
• The work must be suitable for SATB Choir.
• The work may be a cappella or with piano/organ accompaniment. The winning composer will be invited - at his/her discretion - to orchestrate the accompaniment, if so desired.
• A sacred text setting for the work, appropriate to Advent and/or Christmas, is preferred.

Submission Instructions
There is no application fee. Applicants must submit the following materials via email to kuzmaaward@montview.org.
• Score, in PDF format
• A brief biography of the composer
• Any applicable program notes
• Date of birth

All materials must be received by 11:59 PM Mountain Standard Time on Friday, September 14, 2018.

Award
Four finalists will be chosen, with a winner named by a judging committee, comprised of several Denver-based choral composers and conductors, chaired by Minister of Music Adam Waite. All applicants will receive notification by October 12, 2018. The winning composer will receive a $1,000 (USD) honorarium, as well as a $500 (USD) travel stipend to attend the concert premiere of the selected work at Montview Church on Sunday, December 2, 2018. The winning composer will also receive a professional live concert recording of the piece.

About Montview Church
Through its more than 100 year history, the first church in Denver's historic Park Hill neighborhood has built a legacy of great music, progressive theology and courageous social witness. A congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Montview’s membership numbers over fifteen hundred, fielding active education, mission and music ministries.

Montview’s broad music program has long embraced the promotion and performance of new music. This includes works written by former and current music ministers Austin Lovelace, John Kuzma, Wes Selby and Adam Waite. The church’s Westminster Choir has collaborated on numerous occasions with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and the Denver Brass. Recent major works performed include: Holst, The Cloud Messenger (Colorado Premiere); Galbraith, Missa Mysteriorum(Colorado Premiere); Paulus, Heritage Songs; Poulenc, Gloria; Hindemith, When Lilacs last in the Dooryard Bloom;Vaughan-Williams, Dona Nobis Pacem; Thompson, Frostiana; Kuzma/Whitcomb, Redemption Cantata.

For more information, please write the committee at kuzmaquestions@montview.org.

Web Site:www.montview.org
Email:kuzmaquestions@montview.org