Award for female composers of male choir music
Linköpings Studentsångare, the male student choir of Linköping University, Sweden, is issuing an international award for female composers of male choir music. In the world of male choir music, there is a distinct lack of female composers. We, Linköpings Studentsångare, are now seeking to change that. The first Linköpings Studentsångare Composition Award is now being issued with the goal of increasing the diversity of our beloved art form.
The winner of the competition will receieve the first Linköpings Studentsångare Composition Award along with the grand prize of 50 000 SEK (approx. € 5 700 or US$ 5 900).
The Award
We, the male voice choir Linköpings Studentsångare, are pleased to announce the first Linköpings Studentsångare Composition Award! The goal of the award is to serve as an incentive and inspiration for modern composers to write new and innovative music for the male voice choir. Our aim is to make composers curious about and explore our beloved artform, thereby injecting new life into the distinguished tradition of male choir music. The award of 2016 will be exclusively available to female composers, as there is a distinct lack of male choir music written by women. We believe that art thrives on connectivity and diversity, and we hope that this award will favour the exchange between composers and performers of choir music.
Rules of the Competition
Competing composers must adhere to the following conditions:
The submitted piece must be composed for a capella male choir, 4 to 8 parts, along with optional solo parts.
The length of the piece must be between 3 and 5 minutes.
Any lyrics for the piece must have been written by a female author.
Lyrics must be written in either english, german, french or latin.
The competition will be judged by an internationally acclaimed jury with broad experience of choral music, comprised by composers as well as choral conductors with merits in composition and arrangement. The decision of the jury is final and cannot be appealed against. The jury will consist of:
Karin Arwén Oldgren, associate professor of choir conducting at Örebro university
Bo Ejeby, publisher at Bo Ejeby Förlag
Christina Hörnell, director musices at Linköping university
Hans Lundgren, director musices emeritus at Linköping university
Prizes
The winner of the competition will receive the award and a prize amounting to 50 000 SEK (approx. € 5 700 or $ 5 900). The winner along with runner-ups will have the chance of being published by Bo Ejeby Förlag, a publisher of sheet music here in Sweden. Furthermore it is our aim to include our top five favourite submissions in the upcoming edition of our choir’s songbook, after agreement with the composers.
The winner will be announced on March 8, 2016. On May 7, 2016 we will hold a concert here in Linköping where we perform the winning contribution along with our favourite runner-ups, and we will also take these pieces with us on tour to Reykjavik for the Fóstbræður 100 Years Anniversary Festival.
Participation and Deadline
The cost of entry to the competition is 350 SEK (€ 37 or $ 41). To confirm their participation, competitors must have paid the entry fee by November 30, 2015.
Contributions can be submitted between November 30, 2015 and January 31st, 2016.
If you are interested in participating in the competition, please fill in your name and e-mail adress in the form on the website and you will receive an e-mail explaining the rules and guidelines of the competition in greater detail, along with details on how to make a submission and pay the entry fee. If you have further questions regarding the competition and the award, contact us at compositionaward@lkss.se.