Masterworks Chorale Emerging Composers Contest 2026

Masterworks Chorale announces an Emerging Composers Contest. Our hope is to support young composers of choral music with a dual award of $500 and a concert performance. We also hope that this contest promotes the creation of more music with which the Chorale may pursue its mission of connecting lives through choral music.

 

    • Cash prize of $500

    • Live performance of the composition

    • Promotion of winning composition on social media and webiste

    • January 1, 2027: Deadline for final score submission

    • March 1, 2027: Winner notification

    • June 12, 2027: Masterworks Chorale concert for live performance of winning work

    • In general, the level of difficulty should be such that an advanced high school choir, a capable college choir, or an auditioned community chorus could provide a successful performance.

    • Accompaniment: Compositions may include piano accompaniment or no accompaniment. If the piece is unaccompanied, the composer must include a piano reduction in the score.

    • Texture: The texture of the composition may range from unison to eight-parts (SSAATTBB) and may vary throughout the piece.

    • Vocal ranges: The Bass part should have no pitches lower than F2, and the Soprano part should have no pitches higher than B-flat5. No prescriptions are applied to Alto and Tenor parts. In general, the composer should make choices regarding range and tessitura that foster a successful performance.

    • Lyrics: The text of the composition may be about any subject matter, may be sacred or secular, and should be in English. Texts may be either original (by the composer), in the public domain, or copyrighted. If the text is copyrighted, a letter of permission from the copyright owner must be included with the contest application.

    • Duration: The composition should have a duration of three to six minutes.

    • Last details: The composition must have been composed between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2026. The composition must not have been published by a major publisher. The score must be anonymous - the composer’s name and any identifying information must not appear anywhere on the score.

    If no composition meets the requirements of the contest or no composition merits the prizes, Masterworks Chorale reserves the right to not award a prize. The Artistic Director’s decision in these matters is final.

    Questions? Email us at masterworkstoledo@gmail.com. Please enter Composers Contest in the subject line.

Click here to use the Google form to enter the contest!