New Jersey Young Composers Competition Andrew Lesser NJ-YCC Committee chairman andrew.lesser@yahoo.com
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’m pleased to announce that registrations are now being accepted for the 2019-20 New Jersey Young Composers Competition. There were a record number of entries during last year’s event, and we look forward to hearing many excellent original works by student composers in both middle and high school, including seniors who are graduating in June 2020. Details and registration directions can be found on the “Quick Links” section of the NJMEA website, located at https://njmea.org/young-composers-competition/. Here are a few guidelines when considering to participate: 1. Applicants must be New Jersey residents and must be sponsored by a current NJMEA/NAfME member. 2. Students may submit multiple selections in each category. However, a $20 application fee is required with each selection. Each entry must be have a separate completed application form and entry fee in order to be considered for eligibility. 3. All compositions must have a title or opus number, and all names must be omitted from the score, program note and audio file so that submissions may be judged anonymously. 4. Students must include a brief program note that includes the composition title with composer name omitted, describing the composer’s intention of the work. 5. All scores must be submitted as PDF’s using a standard notation program, such as Sibelius or Finale. No handwritten scores will be considered for entry. 6. All measures must be numbered in the score. 7. Students must submit an audio recording of their composition in MP3 format, a PDF (digital copy) of their score and PDF of composition description/ program note. Submissions without recordings or PDF score will not be considered for entry. 8. While the applicant will retain ownership of their submission, all submissions will be kept by the NJMEA. No materials will be returned to students. NJMEA reserves the right to use student submissions for publicity and/or display. Finalist compositions will be posted on the NJMEA website. OCTOBER 2019
9. Submissions must be no longer than 7 minutes in length and within the difficulty range of Grades 2-4.
Composers may submit works in the following categories: • Solo Player (including piano) • Small Instrumental/Vocal Ensemble (2 – 10 parts/performers) • Large Instrumental/Vocal Ensemble (11 or more parts/performers) Finally, compositions will judged by a panel of experts by the following criteria: • Originality: Demonstrating a personal/unique style showing individual creativity. • Compositional Technique: Must have identifiable form, structure, and development. • Accessibility: Must be playable by student ensembles on limited rehearsals. • Compositional Maturity: Knowledge of medium, effective use of instruments/voices, and look of professionalism in score and recording. • Overall Appeal: Must be innovative, imaginative, and enjoyable. Previous winners’ works can be heard on the NJMEA NJ-YCC web page at https://njmea.org/young-composerscompetition/previous-ycc-winners-audio-files/. Finalists will be invited to participate in an interview and critique session hosted by one of our judges at the February NJMEA Conference in Atlantic City (date and time forthcoming). The deadline for online application submissions is December 1, 2019. Endorsement page and application fees must be postmarked by December 1, 2019. Questions about the competition may be directed to Andrew Lesser, NJ-YCC Chairman at: andrew.lesser@yahoo.com. If you are interested in joining our team as part of the NJ-YCC Committee, please contact me as well.
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