CHAMBER MUSIC SEINÄJOKI 2011 - 3rd International Chamber Music Composition Contest in Seinäjoki, Finland
The Chamber Music Seinäjoki contest has been organised by the Seinäjoki City Orchestra in cooperation with the Society of Finnish Composers, the National Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE and the City of Seinäjoki every three years since 2005. Winners of the previous competitions have included Aki Yli-Salomäki, Takahiro Sakuma, Sungji Hong, Juha Leinonen and Paolo Boggio.
The purpose of the contest is to find new, quality chamber music compositions for national and international fora. The culmination of the 2011 contest is the final concert held at the Seinäjoki-sali hall on the 12th of november 2011. There, the winners will be announced after the Seinäjoki City Orchestra has performed the finalists pieces. Finnish National Radio YLE 1 will broadcast the concert live. A one-week multidisciplinary art festival and a three-day conference for composers from Scandinavia and the Baltic countries will be organised in conjunction with the competition.
The City of Seinäjoki is one of the fastest growing urban centres in Finland. The capital of the Southern Ostrobothnia province, the city is a thriving business and cultural centre known for the architecture of Alvar Aalto, the Tangomarkkinat Tango Festival and the Provinssi Rock festival.
The Seinäjoki City Orchestra (SKOR) was founded in 1936. Its conductors have included Seppo Laamanen, Eino Haipus, Antti Vainio and Atso Almila. In autumn 2010, the orchestras new artistic director, conductor Tuomas Rousi, will take his position. The orchestra holds its concerts in the 400-seat Seinäjoki-sali hall renowned for its splendid acoustics. Chamber music is a notable feature of the orchestras repertoire, and the string and wind quintets, comprising the orchestras core musicians, give frequent both classical and contemporary chamber music concerts. Musicians in and around Seinäjoki join up with the full-time members of the orchestra to play in symphony concerts. SKOR also has a close partnership with the Vaasa City Orchestra. Together they give 2-3 concerts a year. In addition, the orchestra is involved in a broad spectrum of other partnerships, which include everything from interpreting major works of church music repertoire when accompanying choirs to annual performances at opera and tango festivals.
CHAMBER MUSIC SEINÄJOKI 2011 - COMPETITION RULES
COMPOSITION
1. The duration of the piece submitted should be 10-18 minutes.
2. The arrangement should include at least seven of the following instruments: flute (alternatively, piccolo or alto flute), oboe (alternatively, English horn (cor anglais), clarinet (alternatively, piccolo clarinet or bass clarinet), bassoon, horn, two first violins, viola, cello, and contrabass. The composition may be a piece in which one of the above instruments has a solo part.
3. Electronic and/or elektroacoustic audio material may be used in the composition. However, using live electronics is not permitted. The audio material has to be sent together with the score (detailed technical requirements can be found under PARTICIPATION)
4. The piece should be suitable for performance without a conductor.
5. The piece must not have been published before.
6. The following poem by South Ostrobothnian poet Arto Melleri has been chosen for use as a source of inspiration for the composition:
Rhythm emerges when the end
turns around again to the beginning,
in writing. Life sets a different trend.
Melody has always been in compliance
with the hearing ear,
on the other side of silence.
- Arto Melleri
PRICES
1. The jury will select no fewer than four and not more than seven compositions for the final concert that will be held in Seinäjoki-sali hall on 12 November 2011. The composers of the compositions chosen for the finale will be invited to the concert. The jury will choose the winners immediately after the final concert.
2. The prize money for the contest is €10,000.00. The sum will be divided according to the jurys decision.
3. An audience award will be presented to one of the finalists.
4. The finalists will be taken into consideration for the position of "composer in residence" with the Seinäjoki City Orchestra for one season during 2012-2014.
5. A concert programme, consisting some of the finalists compositions, will be performed on national and international concert tours during the 2012-2013 season.
6. A recording containing the winning pieces performed by Seinäjoki City Orchestra will be published in 2012. (producer: Markku Veijonsuo)
7. All finalists will receive personal feedback during a private session with the jury.
THE JURY
President of the jury: Tapio Tuomela, chairman of the Society of Finnish Composers
Composer: Beat Furrer
Composer: Jukka Tiensuu
Conductor/Composer: Atso Almila
Concertmaster: Antti Laasanen
Secretary: Jarmo Anttila, executive director of Seinäjoki City Orchestra
PARTICIPATION
1. The competition is open to composers of any age and any nationality. Each composer can submit one score.
2. Each score should be labelled with a pseudonym and must arrive at the competition office by 31 March 2011 at the very latest. A sealed envelope containing the composers personal and contact information is to be enclosed with the score. The score must be in A4 -format. If electronic and/or elektroacoustic audiomaterial is used as part of the composition, the audiomaterial must be sent on CD or dataDVD (AIS or WAV -format) along with the score. The orchestra parts will be requested immediately after the final selection. The organiser of the contest is entitled to copy the scores for the members of the jury for the duration of the proceedings, after which the copies will be destroyed.
3. All finalists will be given an opportunity to listen to and comment on their piece once during the rehearsal period, either in person or via videoconference.
4. Address of the contest office to which the compositions should be mailed:
CHAMBER MUSIC SEINÄJOKI 2011
c/o Seinäjoen kaupunginorkesteri
Keskuskatu 32 A
FI-60100 SEINÄJOKI