YSO Composition Readings Competition

Each year the Yale Symphony Orchestra reads new orchestral works by Yale College composers. For 2013-2014, a competition will be held to select the pieces for the next YSO Reading Session on September 25th, 2013.

Submission #1 Guidelines: DUE NO LATER than Monday, Sept 16, 4:30 pm

Yale College composers are invited to submit three to five minutes of an orchestral work for consideration by the judging panel. Composers may submit either a Finale or Sibelius file of their work to Prof. Kathryn Alexander by e-mail at kathryn.alexander@yale.edu. If chosen, they must also submit two scores of their orchestral work, printed back-to-back on 11x17 paper and neatly bound, to the Business Office of the Department of Music. Works may be submitted at any time before the deadline.

Instrumentation

2.2.2.3, 4.2.3.1, harp, piano, percussion, strings

Maximum of three percussion players. Choose from the following instruments:

  • Mallets: chimes, glockenspiel, marimba, vibraphone, xylophone
  • Metals: finger cymbals, crash cymbals, suspended cymbal (16” and 18”), large tam-tam, triangle (5”, 7” and 10”)
  • Skins: drum kit (5-piece), snare drum, bass drum, tambourine, timpani
  • Woods: castanets, claves, guiro, temple blocks
  • Other: bird call, flexatone, ratchet, slapstick, sleigh bells, vibraslap

Repertoire Examples

Works by Yale College composers that have been programmed by Maestro Shimada:

Pas de Deux - Loren Loiacono; premiered on Oct. 3, 2009 with the YSO

Render and Reach - Emily Cooley; premiered on Nov. 12, 2011 with the YSO

Judging Panel

Professors Toshiyuki Shimada, Kathryn Alexander and Konrad Kaczmarek will review the submissions.

Submission #2: DUE NO LATER than Friday, Sept. 20th, 4:30 pm

Chosen composers must submit a full set of professional-quality orchestral parts, to the Business Office of the Department of Music.  Parts may be submitted at any time before the deadline.

Forfeiture

A composer’s piece will not be read if he/she fails to meet the Submission #2 deadline on time with the appropriate professional-quality materials.