Call for Works

2024 ISCM World Music Days – Miami Chapter Call – Festival in Faroe Islands

The Miami Section of the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) at Florida International University (FIU) is pleased to announce a call for scores for submission to the being held in the Faroe Islands on June 22-June 30. As an Associated Section of the ISCM, we will be submitting up to six works to represent the USA at the festival.

Although the ultimate programming choices are made by the festival, we are proud to be able to state that a number of works chosen by our panel and submitted to WMD have been selected for inclusion in several of these important international festivals.  Most recently, music by Jeff Kaiser, Robert McClure, Sky Macklay, Jacob Gotlib, Mike Frengel, Per Bloland, Douglas Geers, Veronika Krausas, William Kleinsasser, Aaron Cassidy, Dorothy Chang, Ashely Rose Fure, Sam Pluta, John Kennedy, Ed Martin, Randy Bauer, and Kory Reeder has been selected and presented at these events.

Please note that this call is for US composers only (i.e., citizens or permanent residents of the US).

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Application Deadline: October 1, 2024 (before midnight EST)

Application Fee: $11.44 for the submission of one work, and $16.67 for the submission of two works.

The application procedure consists of the following steps:

1. Submitting online payment through Eventbrite. 
   Select 2021 World Music Days and you will be provided an “order number.” This is necessary for the next step.
2. All materials must be submitted electronically and made available for download by supplying links to download files and/or stream audio files. Please make sure all links stay active through the end of April. Please enter the “order number” obtained through the above process at the bottom of the form.  This will provide proof of payment.
   Click here to complete the information form.

Works for the following forces are requested (please note specific details): All submissions must come from within these categories. No addition of extra instruments to categories is allowed.  Priority will be given to works shorter than 10 minutes in duration and composed after 2014, with highest priority given to works composed after 2019.

INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR EACH WORK SUBMITTED 

1. The composer’s personal and contact information: Given names; Family name; Name as it should appear in the program; Date of birth; Gender; full Mailing address; Phone number; email address; website (if applicable).
2. Work information: Title; Submission Category; Accurate duration; Year of composition; Statement of whether the work has been previously performed.
3. For categories 1-11, please submit a pdf of the score and a recording or MIDI realization.

For categories 12-18, please submit a project proposal, score, or leadsheet, sound files, and/or other material that will allow the selection panel to gain a clear understanding of the musical, and technical aspects and requirements of the work. (Especially in category 12, it would be ideal to submit a recording of the finished work.)

• Program notes for the submitted work in English (maximum 100 words).
• Technical rider specifying all equipment necessary to perform the work.
• Short biography of the composer in English (maximum 100 words).
• High-resolution digital photograph of the composer.

SUBMISSION CATEGORIES

1. LARGE CHAMBER ENSEMBLE: 15–19 instruments drawn from the following: 1 flute (incl. piccolo, alto flute), 1 oboe (incl. cor anglais), 1 clarinet (incl. bass clarinet), 1 bassoon, 1 horn, 1 piano, 4 x 1st violins, 3 x 2nd violins, 3 viola, 2 cello, 1 contrabass. Live electronics is not an option for this category.
2. CHAMBER ENSEMBLE: 11–14 instruments drawn from the following: 1 flute (incl. piccolo, alto flute), 1 oboe (incl. cor anglais), 1 clarinet (incl. bass clarinet), 1 bassoon, 1 horn, 1 trumpet, 1 trombone, piano, 2 violins, 1 viola, 1 cello, 1 contrabass, percussion (instruments as in category 6). Live electronics is not an option for this category.
3. CHAMBER ENSEMBLE 10–13 instruments drawn from the following: 1 flute (incl. piccolo, alto flute) 1 clarinet (incl. bass clarinet), 1 saxophone (incl. soprano, alto, tenor and baritone.), 1 bassoon, 1 horn, 2 trumpets, 2 violins, 1 viola, 1 cello, 1 piano, 1 guitar (acoustic or electric). Live electronics is not an option for this category.
4. STRING CHAMBER ENSEMBLE: 10–13 instruments drawn from the following: 4 x 1^st violins, 3 x 2nd violins, 3 viola, 2 cello, 1 contrabass. Live electronics is not an option for this category.
5. STRING QUARTET (2 violins, viola, cello)
6. PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE: Up to 4 musicians. The following instruments are available: marimba 5 8ve (C), marimba 4.3 8ve (A), vibraphone, xylophone, glockenspiel, tubular bells, crotales, timpani (set of 5), suspended cymbals, clash cymbals, tamtam, thundersheet, snare drums (10), bass drums (2), skin tambourine (6), concert toms (8), octobans (8), rototoms (5), congas, bongos, triangles, castanets, waterphone. Live electronics is not an option for this category.
7. TRIOS OR QUARTETS drawn from the following instruments (one of each): voice (soprano), flute, clarinet (incl. bass clarinet), bassoon, horn, saxophone (soprano, alto, tenor or baritone), trumpet, trombone, violin, viola, cello, contrabass, piano, accordion, guitar, percussion (instruments: see category 6). Live electronics is not an option for this category.
8. DUOS drawn from the following instruments (one of each): voice (soprano), flute, clarinet (incl. bass clarinet), bassoon, horn, saxophone (soprano, alto, tenor or baritone.), trumpet, trombone, violin, viola, cello, contrabass, piano, accordion, guitar, percussion (instruments: see category 6), live electronics (up to 4 channels). N.B. no fixed-media electronics as these should be proposed in category 12.
9. SOLOS for one of the following instruments: voice (soprano), clarinet (incl. bass clarinet), bassoon, saxophone (soprano, alto, tenor or baritone), trumpet, trombone, violin, viola, cello, piano, accordion, guitar, live electronics (up to 4 channels). N.B. no fixed-media electronics as these should be proposed in category 12.
10. CHOIR: SATB, SMzATBarB, SA, SMzA, TB, TBarB, a cappella. The choir consists of 12 singers; divisi possible (2 per voice); sub-groupings (such as female voices only, etc.) are possible.
11. ORGAN SOLO: Organ: Marcussen & Søn, 1989. 3 manuals, 27 stops. Mechanical action and mechanical stop action.
12. ELECTRONIC MUSIC WITH FIXED MEDIA: Acousmatic works, fixed media alone, or fixed media plus up to 2 performers of any instrument listed in categories 7 or 8, or supplied by composer. Up to 10 channels (8 speakers and 2 subs).
13. COMPOSER-PERFORMER on any instrument supplied or brought by the performer, or on an instrument provided by the venue. For electronic composer-performers, a P.A. system with 10 channels (8 speakers and 2 subs) will be provided.
14. JAZZ ENSEMBLE 6–7 players, chosen from: voice, saxophone, piano, guitar, bass, drums (additional instruments can be added). Different combinations are encouraged: 2 voices; 2 drums, 2 basses etc. If selected composer is also a performer she/he is encouraged to participate in performing the composition as a part of the ensemble. In collaboration with Havnar Jazzfelag
15. ECLECTIC MUSIC ENSEMBLE: Invitation to composers to provide material (anything from a single line to a four-part score – can include chord symbols) for performing musicians to complete with some elements of improvisation. The material can be based on, or inspired by, folk or art music from any culture or tradition, and/or inspired by historical musics/recordings. Instruments: clarinet/bass clarinet, accordion, double bass, drums/percussion.
16. SOUND INSTALLATIONS to be shown in gallery spaces or other environments, or outside. Up to 6 channels available.
17. POETRY & MUSIC in SMALL LANGUAGES: Our definition of small languages: a regional or minority language with less than 500.000 speakers. Works can be fully notated (for up to 4 instruments drawn from category 7), electroacoustic or with improvisational ideas. The works can be performed by a singer (soprano) and up to 4 instruments drawn from category 7, or with an audio recording of the text, spoken or sung. Before performance of each composition an actor will recite the text in Faroese and English (two actors will participate). Submission to this Category should include:
    * An English translation of the text, and
    * EITHER an audio recording of the text for reference to singer, if singer is included
    * OR an audio recording of the text to be integrated in musical performance as play back.
18. NATURE AND MUSIC: Solo or duo music to be played in nature. Ocean sounds will be audible at all times. Instruments can be drawn from this list: 2 trumpets, 1 trombone, 1 horn, 1 saxophone.

SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

* Materials required above under Information required of each work to be submitted
* Proper submission of the online application form
* Application payment for submitted works.

By submitting to the festival, the composer or publisher must provide all necessary performing materials (including scores and parts, special uncommon instrument(s), audio and video materials, etc.) at a date specified by the festival, if selected.

Given the nature of the requirements from the Faroe Islands, scores should not be submitted anonymously– however the identity of the composer will be masked from the jury during the selection process.

All submissions must be received by October 1, 2023.  Selected works be announced shortly thereafter.  Submissions that do not meet the conditions or deadlines specified will not be considered.

For specific questions regarding instrumentation and related matters email the WMD festival organizers directly at wnmd@composers.fo

For questions related to issues submitting works through the FIU system, please email music@fiu.edu and add WMD 2024 in the subject line. For more information regarding the World Music Days, please visit the ISCM page or the festival page by clicking here.