2024 CORTONA PRIZE & CALL FOR SCORES

The Cortona Sessions for New Music and the International Foundation for Contemporary Music invite composers to submit scores for consideration for The Cortona Prize. 

The Cortona Prize will be awarded to one or more composers whose work demonstrates particular skill and innovation. 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Composers must be age 18 and above as of June 1, 2024 to be eligible for consideration. Submitted works may be up to 15 minutes in length; if a longer multi-movement work is submitted, select movements may be performed. Works may be composed for any instrument or combination of instruments represented by the 2024 Cortona Sessions performance faculty. SEE BELOW FOR A FULL SET OF RULES AND PROCESSES.

PRIZE DETAILS

Faculty will select a small number of Cortona Prize Finalists; all finalists will be offered immediate acceptance to the 2024 Cortona Sessions, should they wish to participate. One work will receive The Cortona Prize, and the composer of that work will be offered immediate acceptance to the 2024 Cortona Sessions as well as a full tuition scholarship. The winning composition will be performed and recorded (video and audio) by the Cortona Collective Ensemble during the 2024 Cortona Sessions.

GUIDELINES

Application Fee:  pay-what-you-can ($25 suggested; amount paid does not affect prize consideration in any way)
Submission Deadline: January 5, 2024 (11:59pm Eastern Time)
Notification/Award Date:  January 21, 2024

HOW TO APPLY 

Applications are due by 11:59 EST on January 5, 2024.

Please complete the application using the above button.

Application requirements:

  • General personal information

  • Link(s) to PDFs of scores where appropriate, and/or link(s) to any other means by which you communicate information to your performers (audio, video, etc).

  • Optional: Recordings of any kind may be submitted as additional supplementary materials, but are not required. MIDI recordings are also permissible, but are not required.

PROCESS

Scores will be distributed to all Cortona Sessions faculty members, who will select all winners. Cortona Prize Finalists and the Cortona Prize winner will be notified by email on January 21, 2024, and results will also be posted online.

INSTRUMENTATION

Any combinations of the listed instruments are welcome; please note restrictions below. Submitted works that do not follow these guidelines will be automatically disqualified.

voice: Rachel Calloway (mezzo soprano, University of South Carolina / Duo Cortona)
flute:  Sarah Brady (BMOP; Boston Conservatory)
clarinet:  Gregory Oakes (Iowa State University)
saxophone:  Geoffrey Deibel (Florida State University / h2 Quartet)
violin:  Ari Streisfeld (University of South Carolina / Duo Cortona)
cello:  Kivie Cahn-Lipman (Youngstown State University / International Contemporary Ensemble)
piano:  Brianna Matzke (Wilmington College); Winston Choi (Roosevelt University)
percussion: Michael Compitello (Arizona State University; New Morse Code)

Instrumentation restriction guidelines:

  • C flute and alto flute are permissible; piccolo and bass flute are not permissible.

  • No bass clarinet.

  • Works featuring tenor or bari sax may be submitted, but will not be eligible for performance at the Sessions.

  • Percussion: only works including marimba, vibraphone, or small / body percussion are eligible for performance at the Sessions. Works including other types of percussion may be considered for the prize but may not be eligible for performance at the Sessions.

  • Works for solo instruments are welcome and encouraged.

  • Works with fixed media and/or live electronics are eligible, though they must be configured for stereo output and no more than 4 independent channels of live input/processing. All pieces using electronics should include a detailed tech rider listing all performance requirements (including software/operating system requirements, stage plot, signal flow/routing diagram, hardware preferences, etc.). Any other electronics involved should be small-scale and easily portable (pedals, transducers, etc).

RULES

  1. Composers must be age 18 and above as of June 1, 2024 to be eligible for consideration.

  2. Submitted works may be up to 15 minutes in length; if a longer multi-movement work is submitted, select movements may be performed.

  3. Works must be composed for any instrument or combination of instruments represented by the 2024 Cortona Sessions performance faculty, and must follow instrumentation guidelines. Submitted works that do not follow instrumentation guidelines will be automatically disqualified.

THE PRIZE

  • All Cortona Prize finalists will be offered immediate acceptance to the 2024 Cortona Sessions, should they wish to participate.

  • One work will receive The Cortona Prize, and the composer of that work will be offered immediate acceptance to the 2024 Cortona Sessions as well as a full tuition scholarship. 

  • The winning composition will be performed and recorded (audio and video) by the Cortona Collective Ensemble. 

  • Winners of the Cortona Prize may be offered opportunities to compose new works for the Cortona Collective in the future.

Winners of the Cortona Prize

2023: Christian Quiñones
winning piece: Loud Music for Quiet Places (cl/vln/vlc/pno)

2022: Paul Novak
winning piece: prisms and mirrors (pierrot sextet)

2020: Kevin Kay
winning piece: duality ii (fl/cl/vln/vlc/pno/electronics)

2019: Annika Socolofsky
winning piece: Don’t Say a Word (pierrot)

2018:  Tonia Ko
winning piece:  Reaction (Axis III) (fl/pno)

2017:  Pascal LeBoeuf
winning piece:  Obliquely Wrecked (vln/vlc/pno)

2016:  Viet Cuong
winning piece:  Wax and Wire (cl/vln/vlc/pno)
2nd Prize:  Xinyang Wang
Honorable Mentions:  
Turkar Gasimzada, George N. Gianopoulos, Greg Steinke, Mark Wolf

2015:  Bin Li
winning piece:  Fuzhou, 1860 (vln/pno)
commissioned piece:  Concetto Spaziale 5 (vln/vlc)

2014:  Dave Reminick
winning piece:  Consort (saxophone quartet)
commissioned piece:  Bird Songs (fl/cl/sax/vln/vc/pno)