Applications are closed

Atlanta Chamber Players (Atlanta), Ensemble New SRQ (Sarasota), Musiqa (Houston), Picosa (Chicago) and SOLI Chamber Ensemble (San Antonio) proudly announce the 4th round of the Cross-Country Chamber Consortium’s annual Black, Latinx and Indigenous Emerging Composer Commission, aimed at increasing diversity in modern chamber music repertoire. The 2024 winner will receive a $5000 cash award, as well as a performance by each of the five Consortium members, a travel stipend to attend a performance in the location of their choice, and the combined artistic and administrative support of five chamber music ensembles committed to providing an outlet for new voices in modern music.

The Cross-Country Chamber Consortium is made up of ensembles from around the country who are all committed to the cultivation and performance of works by up-and-coming creators in the chamber music field. Each of these groups has a history of supporting emerging composers, but this new consortium was established to better amplify the voices of artists in Black, Latinx and Indigenous communities, voices which have traditionally been under-represented in the world of modern music. By joining forces to present five performances of the commissioned work, this consortium will provide a broader platform for these emerging composers than a traditional commission might. At the same time, this consortium model will provide composers with a valuable learning environment in which they can fine tune their new creations in a variety of settings.

Applications for the first round of this commission will be accepted in November of 2024, and the winner’s commission will be presented in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, San Antonio and Sarasota during the 2025/26 season. Applications will be judged blind by a panel representing the member organizations and joined by rotating guest judges: panels change from year to year. The winner will create a new work for clarinet, violin, cello and piano.

Additional support for the Cross-Country Chamber Consortium is provided by Scott and Judy Nyquist.

  • Applicants should be under the age of thirty and self-identify as Black, Latinx and/or Indigenous.
  • Applicants must be American citizens eligible to work in the U.S.

The winning applicant will be expected to compose a new work for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (between 7 and 10 minutes in length.) The winning applicant will receive:

  • A $5000 commission award.
  • A performance of the new work by each consortium member organization during the 2024/2025 season.
  • A $500 travel stipend to be used only for travel to one of the performances.
  • Archival recordings of the performances from consortium member organizations.

Applicants will submit:

  • Two (2) anonymized scores or excerpts (PDF format only) with accompanying recordings (MP3 format only). MP3s should each be under 5 minutes in length, with the page and/or measure numbers for recorded excerpts identified in the file title. PDF and MP3 file titles must contain only the work’s title and page or measure numbers: files with titles containing the composer’s name will not be considered. The winning applicant will be asked to create a commission for clarinet, violin, cello and piano, but the submitted samples can be for any ensemble.
  • Resume or CV (PDF format only).
  • Completed application form and checklist, available here on November 1.

Submissions should be sent only to the email address provided on the application form. Application forms will be available on November 10, 2024. Applications and submissions must be received by November 30, 2024. Incomplete or late submissions will not be considered. The initial judging round of scores and music will be done blind. Judges will not have access to composer applications or resumes during the submission review process. Selection of the commissions will be announced no later than January 30, 2025. The Consortium will not retain any submission materials after the commissions have been awarded. All submission materials will be destroyed and erased from our servers. Due to administrative limitations, the Consortium is not able to provide feedback on submissions.