Nova Consort launches a composition competition

[Pulcinella]

The newly formed Nova Consort has just launched this composition competition.

https://www.davidmcgregorcomposer.com/nova-composition-competition

I hope forum members will be happy to promote it and maybe even enter themselves.

David is the composer of one of the pieces in A Quaker Trilogy, commissioned for the choir I sing in, here in York, and mentioned in the Quaker Music thread.

Left to right:
Ellie Davies (sop), Aine Smith (sop), David McGregor (alto), Dom Wallis (tenor), Will Crane (bass), Tom Castle (conductor)

[smittims]

Thanks for the notice. I'm glad to see they're not , unlike another competition , telling people what to write. But gosh, eighty seconds maximum is a bit limiting!

[Pulcinella]

Thanks for the notice. I'm glad to see they're not , unlike another competition , telling people what to write. But gosh, eighty seconds maximum is a bit limiting!

I thought that too, especially if you're trying to show any prowess at writing for a quintet of voices: presumably the judges were involved in that decision (or may even have suggested it).
I had also wondered about (and suggested) different age categories too.

[Pulcinella]

Just bumping this competition thread.
David tells me that there have already been over 30 submissions, but there's still nearly two months to go.

[oddoneout]

I know that video recording is involved, but was surprised to see this - my bold.

We're looking for works which are imaginative, innovative and will capture the attention of viewers in a short time window

.

[Pulcinella]

I know that video recording is involved, but was surprised to see this - my bold.
.

I can ask, but since there is a public prize involved, I suspect that all that is meant is that viewers of the videos will be invited to vote.
I have no idea if the singers will be making animal gestures too.

[oddoneout]

I can ask, but since there is a public prize involved, I suspect that all that is meant is that viewers of the videos will be invited to vote.
I have no idea if the singers will be making animal gestures too.

If it is a composition competition then surely the point is to attract the aural attention first and foremost? And make judgements on that and the compositional merits of the pieces. Any visual attention will be limited(as it should be IMO) if the same group of singers*(not screen actors/dancers/special effects department) is performing all the entries.

* Which has just prompted an awful thought about "developments" of the already dubious R3 Carol Comp...

[Pulcinella]

If it is a composition competition then surely the point is to attract the aural attention first and foremost? And make judgements on that and the compositional merits of the pieces. Any visual attention will be limited(as it should be IMO) if the same group of singers*(not screen actors/dancers/special effects department) is performing all the entries.

* Which has just prompted an awful thought about "developments" of the already dubious R3 Carol Comp...

I'm sure it will be.
But the selected pieces will be recorded (I assume visually and not just sonically) in Ely Chapter House, so listeners will then indeed be viewing the performances!

[Pulcinella]

Many thanks to ff for adding the photo taken at yesterday's recording session to the original post.

I've had this message from David McGregor, and will update when I have news of the videos being posted for the public vote.

We had a wonderful time yesterday recording the five selected entries from our animal-themed composition competition in Ely Cathedral's Lady Chapel. A glorious acoustic and some really exciting and varied music that we are looking forward to sharing with you.

It was fantastic to have received 106 entries for this year's competition, and we hope we might run a similar project in the future. We'd like to thank our judges, Sarah MacDonald, Graham Ross, and Kristina Arakelyan for their careful deliberation over the scores and Tom Perkins for recording the entries. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our patrons, Rogers Covey-Crump, David Keltner, and Neil Swindells, without whom none of this could have happened.

There are two prizes for this competition, including an Audience Prize selected by listeners. Further details about this and our selected composers are to be revealed in due course.

Watch this space!
--

David McGregor - Composer

[french frank]

They sound like a very go-ahead bunch. Very gratifying to have had so many competition entries.

[Pulcinella]

Here's a taster of the five winning entries.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWXHJ7B5tq4dEfRMcQPJZVw

More details of the public vote soon (I hope).