The ASCAP Foundation Commissioning Project
Program Administered by ASCAP's Concert Music Department
The ASCAP Foundation Commissioning Project honors distinguished ASCAP Members past and present by commissioning young composers to write music for performances in venues suitable for each honoree.
Prior honorees have been Duke Ellington; Aaron Copland; Leonard Bernstein; John Cage; Morton Gould; Jacob Druckman; In celebration of the Chicago Symphony Centenary, and in honor of their Resident Composers John Corigliano and Shulamit Ran; and for ASCAP's 75th Anniversary, in appreciation of the Founders of ASCAP.
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The ASCAP Foundation Rudolf Nissim Prize
Program Administered by ASCAP's Concert Music Department
A $5000 cash prize is presented annually to an ASCAP concert composer for a work requiring a conductor that has not been performed professionally. A jury of conductors selects the winning score. Previous winners are ineligible.
Rudolf Nissim, former head of ASCAP's Foreign Department, left a substantial bequest to The ASCAP Foundation for an annual prize for the best score, requiring a conductor, submitted by a writer member of ASCAP.
Dr. Nissim joined the ASCAP staff immediately after he settled in the United States in 1940. He had been Managing Director of AKM, the Austrian Performing Rights Society. His first accomplishment at ASCAP was the establishment of a Serious Music Department for licensing the performances of works by the Society's concert composers. For nearly four decades thereafter, his dedication to contemporary music and its creators was an inspiration to his colleagues. The ASCAP Foundation/Rudolf Nissim Prize is a fitting memorial to this devoted friend of composers.
How to apply: Each applicant must submit the score of one published or unpublished concert work requiring a conductor scored for full orchestra, chamber orchestra, or large wind/brass ensemble (with or without soloists and/or chorus) not previously premiered or scheduled for professional premiere at any future date. A work with a performance history will be eligible only if earlier performances were, in the judgment of the Committee, clearly non-professional. For this exception to be granted, information regarding previous performances (including programs and announcements) must be submitted with the score, in a separate envelope.
Works which set a text protected by copyright must include permission of the author or the author's representative.
Download Application Materials in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format*.
Judges: A committee of three conductors.
Submission Deadline: Postmark no later than November 15, 2011. Score Entry must be received no later than December 1, 2011.
Anonymity: All works must be submitted anonymously, with a pseudonym appearing on the score. A separate envelope containing the pseudonym AND the actual name, address and biography of the composer should be attached.
Inquiries and/or submissions should be addressed to:
Frances Richard
The ASCAP Foundation Rudolf Nissim Prize
c/o ASCAP
One Lincoln Plaza
New York, NY 10023
concertmusic@ascap.com
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SCI/ASCAP Student Composition Commission
Program Administered by ASCAP's Concert Music Department
ASCAP and the Society of Composers, Inc. (SCI) have joined forces to annually award commissions to two student composers. Winners will receive a premiere performance of their work at the SCI National Conference and placement in the SCI CD series. SCI/ASCAP Commission is open to US citizens, legal residents, or student members of SCI. Applicants must be full time students in high school or a university/college composition degree program.
Click here for application guidelines and submission forms.
Submission Deadline: The deadline for the 2010 workshop has passed. Please check back in 2011!
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The ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards
Program Administered by ASCAP's Concert Music Department
Original Concert Music (classical) will be considered. The Young Composer Awards encourage developing music creators during the earliest stages of their careers. Named in honor of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and former ASCAP President Morton Gould, the cash prizes are awarded each year to composers who are under 30 years of age. A panel of ASCAP composers selects the winners. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or enrolled students with a student visa. Applicants must be under age 30 as of January 1, 2012.
Deadline: February 15, 2012
Download Application Materials in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format*.
Inquiries and/or submissions should be addressed to:
Frances Richard
The ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards
c/o ASCAP
One Lincoln Plaza
New York, NY 10023
concertmusic@ascap.com
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ASCAP/SEAMUS Commission and Recording Prize for Student Composers
ASCAP and the Society For Electro-Acoustic Music, US have united to create the ASCAP/SEAMUS Commission and Recording Prize for Student Composers. Directed at composers who are on the cutting edge of electronic technology, the jointly sponsored prize is awarded to a student composer whose composition is performed during the annual SEAMUS national conference, and is voted by the SEAMUS Board of Directors as displaying significant compositional talent. The winner is then commissioned by ASCAP to write a work to be performed at the next annual conference and recorded as part of the SEAMUS CD Series.
ASCAP/SEAMUS Commission and Recording Prize is open to US citizens, legal residents, or student members of SEAMUS (Society for Electro-Acoustic Music). Applicants must be full-time students in high school, or a university/college composition degree program.
How to Apply: Download an application from http://www.seamusonline.org.
Submission Deadline: The deadline for the 2010 workshop has passed. Please check back in 2011!
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The ASCAP Foundation Fellowships for Film Scoring and Composition
ASPEN FESTIVAL; Aspen, CO: Open to composition students who are applying to the Aspen Center for Composition Studies. The ASCAP Foundation Fellowship for Composition and Film Scoring (in the amount of $5,000) provides student composers with an opportunity to work with the composition faculty and to study film scoring during Session II, the last 4 1/2 weeks of the summer session.
How to apply: Submit both scores and recordings of two works for any combination of instruments, voices and MIDI technology. Applicants must also include a one-page resume outlining their education, compositional efforts, and professional experience, as well as a one-page narrative explaining their goals in the field of film scoring.
Deadline for entries: TBA
To obtain an application to the Aspen Center for Composition Studies, contact:
Office of Student Services
Aspen Music Festival and School
Aspen, CO 81611
Tel: 970-925-3254
Fax: 970-925-5708
e-mail: school@aspenmusic.org
Submit applications to the same address.
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The Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards
Program Administered by ASCAP's Concert Music Department
The Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards are granted annually to encourage talented young jazz composers. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Applicants must be under age 30 as of December 31, 2012. Applicants must submit a completed application form; an original score or chart of one composition accompanied by a CD indicating proper track (if applicable); biographical information listing prior music studies, background and experience. This program was initiated in 2002 and is supported by The Herb Alpert Foundation and The ASCAP Foundation Bart Howard Fund.
The Herb Alpert Foundation
The Herb Alpert Foundation, a non-profit, private foundation established in the early 1980's, makes significant annual contributions to a range of programs in the fields of Arts, Arts Education and Compassion and Well Being. Its funding is directed toward projects in which Herb and Lani Alpert and Foundation President Rona Sebastian play an active role. [The Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals.]
Visit The Herb Alpert Foundation website
Check back with us in the summer to submit your application.
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ASCAP/CBDNA Frederick Fennell Prize for The Best Original Score for Concert Band
Program Administered by ASCAP's Concert Music Department
ASCAP and the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) seek to recognize talented young composers who write music for Concert Band. The prize is $5,000. The ASCAP/CBDNA Frederick Fennell prize is awarded bi-annually.
Guidelines:
Open to citizens or permanent U.S. residents, or enrolled students with student visas, who are between the ages of 18 and 30 as of January 1, 2013. Only one entry per composer may be submitted.
Submission Deadline: TBA
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