The Music Council of Australia maintains a useful collection of current composition competitions and other opportunities at http://www.mca.org.au/bulletin_commissions.php#1

A good one to bookmark and check back with periodically..

The Choral Project is currently holding its 3rd annual choral composition contest. High school students (grades nine through twelve [Years 10 - 13]) and undergraduate college [university] students are eligible to submit their works for consideration. First place prize is $1000, a live performance of the work, a live recording of the work, and possible publication with Santa Barbara Music Publishing.

The deadline for this contest is June 30, 2010.

Applications can be found at: http://www.choralproject.org/outreach.html

ORGANZ holds an bi-annual composition competition to provide opportunities for composers and to add to the repertoire of the organ.

Entries are now open for the 2010-2011 Composition Competition. The winning piece(s) will be presented at the Jubilee Congress in Auckland, June 2011.

Criteria and Entry Form can be found here.

The 2008-2009 Competition was jointly won by Graham Parsons and Michael Bell.

The Sixteenth Edition of the “2 Agosto” International Composing Competition is announced.

The Competition will award three prizes:

First Prize: € 5.000,00
Second Prize: € 2.500,00
Third Prize: € 1.500,00

The Competition will also award the “Mozart” Special Prize of 1.500 Euros Offered by the Festival Internazionale Mozart of Rovereto, and a Scholarship of 500 Euros Offered by the “Alcide Cervi”Institute.

The Festival Internazionale Mozart of Rovereto will include among its program some winning scores from previous editions of the Competition and/or it will reserve to commission to previous or current winners a piece to be included in its future programs.

Visit http://www.concorso2agosto.it/ for details.

The Wagner Society in Queensland Inc invites composers who are permanent residents of Australia or New Zealand to create an instrumental chamber work to celebrate the 2013 bicentenary of the birth of Richard Wagner (1813-1883).

Submitted works must have been composed specifically for the 2013 Wagner Bicentenary Composition Competition, must not previously have had a public performance or have been commercially recorded. They must not have received an award from another competition for composition.

The applicant will be required to declare that the music is the applicant’s own original work.

Eligibility: The Wagner Bicentenary Composition Competition is open to living composers of any age permanently resident in either Australia or New Zealand at the time of entry into the competition.

Website: www.wagnersociety.com

Deadline for entries: 30 June 2012

For the upcoming International Summer Course for New Music Darmstadt (July 17th to 31st, 2010) young composers are requested to submit ensemble pieces (preferably composed within the last two years) for the project ENSEMBLE 2010.

The works selected by a jury of four will be rehearsed by young ensembles par-ticipating in the project, together with the composers and renowned coaches like the conductor Lucas Vis, and will be presented in concerts. The composers selected will receive a partial scholarship to attend the Summer Course.

Applications must be send by April 15th, 2010 (as determined by the post-mark). Age limit at the time of the submission deadline is 35 years.

Detailed participation and instrumentation requirements can be found from January 2010 on www.imd.darmstadt.de.

Are you a composer, born after September 6, 1979? Submit an application to the Gaudeamus Music Week and compete for the Gaudeamus Prize 2010: a commission worth €4550.

Deadline for submissions for the Gaudeamus Music Week is 31st of January 2010.

There are 5 categories: orchestra, chamber music, Javanese gamelan ensemble, electronic music and organ (Only works can be entered which suit the disposition of one of the 4 organs at www.orgelpark.nl and compete also for en extra prize)

Read more at www.musicweek.nl

Website: www.vocedellarte.it

ART. 1 We announce the third edition – 2010 – of Fedora Award for Chamber Operas composition.

ART. 2 The competition is open to composers of any nationality without age limit . To be eligible for the competition, compositions must be unpublished, unperformed, even partially, and never awarded in other competitions.

ART.3 The librettos can be written in one or more official languages of the European Community. For languages other than, Italian English, French, German and Spanish, unabridged translation in English language with the original text on the opposite page is required. In Any case, in addition, participants shall provide a short synopsis of the libretto typewritten in Italian and English.

ART. 4 The scores must conform to the following specifications:
- No more than 5 solo voices; one or more soloists can be substituted by acted or danced roles, not exceeding anyway the total of five characters.
- Possible presence of a chamber choir (of up to 12 singers);
- Instrumental ensemble of no more than 15 performers. Amplified and electro-acoustic instruments are permitted;
- Duration of no less than 45 minutes and no more than 60 minutes;
- Only one scene setting.
Should works include the use of non-conventional typefaces or symbols: explanatory tables of signs are required for proper interpretation of them.

ART. 5 The Competition is organized as follows:
During first step, participants should forward an opera plan by 20/03/2010 including:
- extract of the score lasting at least 15 minutes ( five,5, copies).
- unabridged libretto and its possible translation, as specified in Art.3 ( five,5, copies).
- summary (synopsis) in Italian language ( five,5, copies).
- summary (synopsis) in English language ( five,5, copies).

The Jury will meet to evaluate the projects and choose as maximum three opera plans that will be admitted to the second step.
The composers of the three selected opera plans will have to forward, by 15/10/2010:
- completed full score.
- one copy of the vocal score.
- note of possible differences between libretto sent for the first step and definitive text of final full score.
For any deadline, postmarks will bear witness.
The Panel will meet again to valuate completed full scores and deliver the definitive judgement.

ART. 6 The Panel will be able to decide not to proclaim any winning opera, to proclaim two ex-aequo winners or to point out one or more winning operas (even ex-aequo). Only the winning opera will be able to take advantage of the title of “Winning Opera of Fedora Award 2010”

ART. 7 Composers of winning opera commit themselves to forward to the Artistic Direction or to other characters pointed out, all performing materials in between 15 days starting from the official announcement of the final result, bearing all delivery expenses. Composers also commit to forward to the Artistic Direction and to all the performers all information needed for the performance.

ART. 8 The world premiere of the winning opera/operas will take place in Verbania in stage performance with costumes and settings during 2011. The Artistic Direction will also consider to perform the opera/operas in other theatres or festival whenever the artistic level of co-operating Companies should be considered suitable. In the period between the date of advancement to the second step of the selected operas and the date of the performance, scores cannot be totally or even partially performed, cannot be filmed and recorded on audio-video supports, cannot be broadcasted by radio or television or any digital advice, cannot be the subject of any contract regarding the exclusive right of edition and/or performance, of filming and/or recording.

ART.9 The Panel is composed as follows:
- Louis Andriessen, Netherlands;
- Giovanni Bietti, Italia;
- Lyell Cresswell, New Zealand;
- Enzo Restagno, Italia.

ART. 10 For the first step of the competition, the abstract of the score, libretto in unabridged version, its possible translation (see ART. 3) and synopsis must be sent with a distinguishing alphanumeric of 10 typefaces code on. The same code has to be written on another closed envelope containing:
- Name, surname, place and date of birth, citizenship, address, telephone number and e-mail address.
- CV containing information about artistic career and studies.
- Two pictures of the composers.
- A personal declaration of the composer in which he testifies under his own responsability, that the composition is unpublished, never previously awarded or performed.
- Declaration of agreement for free shooting and recording of the opera for its promotion and filing.
- Authorization to handle his personal information supplied for his/her participation to the competition to the limited extent of the competition management, according to the provisions of Italian law N. 675/96.
- Receipt of transfer of €60 (sixty/00) registration fee after bank taxes and currency change expenses on the following bank account:
IBAN CODE IT 71X 050 1022 40000000000 1283 –
SWIFT CODE: PIEMITTT
registered in the name of Atelier La Voce dell’Arte.
What indicated above must be sent in a single packet to:
“Atelier la Voce dell’Arte”, Via della Repubblica, 7 – 28193 – Verbania (VB), Italia.

ART. 11 Registration fee will be refunded only in case competition should not take place for force majeure reasons or for any other reasons not depending on Artistic Direction’s will.
ART. 12 Composers of operas to be performed will be hosted in Verbania on the date of performing.
ART. 13 The opera plans scores and librettos may be sent back at applicants’ contribution of €25 for delivery expenses coverage on explicit request after the completion of the competition. However, in any case, one copy will be retained to be part of the score archive of the Fedora Award.
ART.14 The decisions of the Jury are unquestionable and not subject to appeal.
ART.15 The request to participate and the submission of the operas to the Competition implies the acceptance of all the rules contained in this announcement by the participant.
The non-observance of the rules of this announcement will cause the decadence of any right deriving from the result of the Competition. In case of dispute, the original Italian
version of this advertisement will be considered valid.

ART.16 Any controversy concerning this advertisement will be solved according to Court of Piemonte Rules ( Regolamento della Camera Arbitrale del Piemonte) and in case of legal controversy, it will be submitted for settlement to the Court of Piemonte (Camera Arbitrale del Piemonte) according the Court Rules.

A reminder that applications for the NZSO NYO Composer-in-Residence Award 2010 are due by Friday 18 December at 5pm.

Now in it sixth year, the NZSO NYO Composer-in-Residence Award has provided a unique platform for some of the most exciting young musical voices in New Zealand to be heard. Previous winners have included Robin Toan, Claire Cowan, Karlo Margetic, Tabea Squire and last year’s winner Natalie Hunt.

The winning composer will join the NZSO NYO residency and will have their work performed in Wellington and Auckland. It will be recorded for broadcast by Radio New Zealand Concert and will be released on a souvenir CD of the NZSO National Youth Orchestra performances. The composer will be mentored by one of New Zealand’s eminent established composers and will also receive the most recent version of Sibelius music writing software with free training from MusiTech Ltd (NZ), a free subscription to CANZ and a 12 months membership to the SOUNZ library.

Qualifications for entry are

* Entrants must be a New Zealand resident or citizen.
* Composers must be 25 years of age or younger on 31 December 2010.
* Maximum 5 minutes duration.
* All entries must be submitted in computer generated format on unbound single-sided A4 paper. A complete instrumentation listing must be provided at the beginning of the score as well as the duration.
* One entry per person
* The entry must be for full symphony orchestra without soloists in a concert opener, overture/fanfare style.
* Maximum instrumentation is as follows:
3333 – 4431 – sax - Tmp+5 - Hp - Pf – strings (including piccolo, English horn, Eb clarinet, bass clarinet and contrabassoon)
* The entry must be a fully original work, not previously offered to any other organisation. It must not have been performed in rehearsal, concert or workshopped.

The NZSO NYO reserves the right to disqualify any entry that does not adhere to these requirements.

Important dates:

18 December 2009: Applications forms to be received
5 March 2010: Orchestral score to be received
3 May 2010: Parts and score to be delivered by selected composer.
19 August to 28 August 2010: NYO residency period

Divertimento Ensemble and its artistic director Sandro Gorli are pleased to announce the second edition of the ‘Franco Donatoni’ International Meeting for Young Composers, which will be held in Monza and in Milan in the first two weeks of June 2011.

Applications to take part in the Meeting can be submitted by composers born after 1 January 1975; nationals of any country can apply by sending one or more scores for an ensemble of between 5 and 12 musicians, to be received by 20 January 2010. By 15 February 2010 an international jury of five composers will select three compositions to be performed in Milan during the Rondò 2010 season.

The three composers will be then commissioned to create a chamber composition (of up to three singers and twelve musicians) of between 20 and 30 minutes in length. The three original works will be performed during the second edition of the ‘Franco Donatoni’ International Meeting for Young Composers, as part of the Rondò 2011 season.

The selected composers will be hosted in Monza for the entire period of the rehearsals and will work in close contact with the musicians of the Divertimento Ensemble.

DEADLINE: 20 JANUARY 2010

Further information at http://www.divertimentoensemble.org/de-en.html