2024 Young Composers Competition

FORCE OF NATURE

The Capital Hearings Announce Winner of the 2024 Young Composers Competition:

“Give orange me”

Courage Barda

Washington, D.C., [July 1, 2024] – The Capital Hearings, a leading vocal ensemble known for its innovative and eclectic performances, proudly announces Courage Barda as the winner of the 2024 Young Composers Competition. Barda’s extraordinary talent and unique artistic vision have earned them this prestigious accolade.

The winning composition by Courage Barda will be featured in an upcoming performance by at The Capital Hearings Fall Concert, “Force of Nature,” taking place on October 5, 2024.

While this year’s competition is now closed, this is an annual competition. The next cycle will begin Spring 2025. Subscribe to stay up to date with competition announcements!

Submission Guidelines

• Entries must be scored for unaccompanied mixed choir, suitable for performance by 12-14 voices, either with or without divisi. Entries must be 2-5 minutes in length.
• Any style or genre of music is permitted (i.e., works need not be “classical”). Jazz, pop, rock, world, crossover works, etc., are all welcome.
• Works must be entirely original compositions (not arrangements of existing works), except that limited excerpting for artistic reasons is allowed.
• Works must not have received a public premiere or publicly available recording, and must be unpublished. Exception – self-published, unsold works that are withdrawn from sale during the competition (see rules).
• All texts must be cleared for performance and commercial recording, and evidence of copyright holder’s permission must be shown. For further guidance, see here.
• Open to U.S. and Canadian composers aged 18-40. Previous winners, members of The Capital Hearings, and their families, close friends and colleagues are not eligible.
• The Capital Hearings retain a two-year “right of first recording” for the winning composition (see Rules for details).
• Only one composition per submission will be accepted, but multiple submissions are welcome.
• The competition will be judged anonymously. Finalists will be selected by the music director with input from a committee. The full ensemble will select the winner.
• Entrants must submit a complete online submission form, including a full score pdf, audio realization (MIDI, MP3, etc.), standalone version of the underlying text (if not included in the score), a translation (if not in English), and any documents needed to prove copyright permission.
• Questions? Contact [email protected] for more information.