Catalyst Commission

Applications are closed

Musiqa’s Catalyst Commission identifies promising artistic talent and provides mentoring from acclaimed Houston area composers, and professional opportunities in an innovative, contemporary music chamber ensemble. 

 The winner will receive: 

  • Mentorship from MUSIQA’s artistic board composers. 
  • A commission for a 4-7 minute work to be premiered at a Musiqa performance. 
  • A $2,000 stipend. 

The winner will be responsible for: 

  • Attending all Musiqa performances and assisting on concert and dress rehearsal days as needed. 
  • Acting as an ambassador for the ensemble, especially on social media. 
  • Speaking at a pre-concert discussion. 
  • Developing documentation of your creative process in collaboration with Musiqa staff in order to promote the work and engage with new audiences. 
  • Engaging in virtual or in-person composition seminars with young composition students in Houston. 
  • Participating as a first round judge in the following year’s competition. 
  • Granting Musiqa limited rights to promote the resulting composition, including but not limited to possible reproduction on CDs, in our online library and elsewhere. 

REQUIREMENTS:

  • Self-motivated with a strong interest in contemporary music. 
  • Have completed at least a Bachelor’s degree in music within the last five years, preferably in music composition. 
  • Live in the Houston area and have reliable transportation.  We define the Houston area as “within a 2-hour drive of downtown Houston.”
  • Have basic knowledge of standard word processing and social media programs. 

Please understand that Musiqa has a small staff, and must stay within these guidelines in order to manage the volume of applications that we receive. We are not able to change any of the requirements at this time. If you have any questions not addressed in these guidelines, please contact us at info at musiqahouston dot org.

Musiqa is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in every facet of its operations including its curatorial practices. The initial judging round of scores and music will be done blind. Judges will not have access to composer demographic information or resumes during the submission review process. 

The following submissions are required to be considered for the Catalyst Commission. 

  • Two (2) anonymized scores or excerpts (PDF format only) with accompanying recordings (MP3 format only), each under 5 minutes in length. PDF and MP3 file titles must contain only the work’s title: files with titles containing the composer’s name will not be considered. 
  • Resume or CV (PDF format only).  
  • Completed application form and checklist. 

Applications and submissions must be received by August 9, 2024. Submissions should be sent only to the email address provided on the application form.  Application forms will be available on July 22, 2024. Incomplete or late submissions will not be considered. Selection of the fellowship will be announced no later than October 1, 2024. Musiqa will not retain any submission materials after the fellowship has been awarded. All submission materials will be destroyed and erased from our servers. Due to administrative limitations, Musiqa is not able to provide feedback on submissions. Please understand that Musiqa has a small staff, and must stay within these guidelines in order manage the volume of applications that we receive. We are not able to change any of the requirements at this time. If you have any questions not addressed in these guidelines, please contact us at info at musiqahouston dot org.