Breaking Barriers – Call for Scores – Orchestral Reading Opportunity for Women and Non-Binary Creators

New Music USA is pleased to partner with Chicago’s Ravinia to offer a new opportunity for three women and non-binary composers in the Chicago-area to receive invaluable support and experience at the 2023 Breaking Barriers Festival.

Following a successful inaugural year focused on women conductors, the second annual Breaking Barriers Festival will return to Ravinia this year with a focus on women and non-binary composers.  New Music USA is supporting the inclusion of a collaborative workshop for three women and non-binary composers in the Chicago area to have their music rehearsed by Taki Alsop conductor fellows, Marin Alsop and the Chicago Philharmonic.  Mentorship opportunities will also be included. Through this endeavor, we hope to encourage collaboration and future partnerships between women composers and conductors.

We are using ‘Non-binary’ as an umbrella term for those with gender identities that do not align with the terms male, female, man, or woman—‌identities that are outside the gender binary. Transgender creators are welcome to apply.

Breaking Barriers Festival at Ravinia

Ravinia launched its annual Breaking Barriers Festival in 2022 to spotlight and celebrate women in classical music, particularly in areas where they are heavily underrepresented, such as conducting and composing.  This year’s festival, which takes place July 21-23, 2023, features three Pavilion concerts, panel discussions, roundtables, a composer workshop, and more, presented in collaboration with New Music USA and The Chicago Network. Composers such as Reena Esmail, Shulamit Ran, Tania León, Augusta Read Thomas, and Clarice Assad are featured throughout the Ravinia season which runs from June 6 to September 10, 2023.  Featured composers during the Breaking Barriers weekend include Maria Schneider, Gabriela Ortiz, Gabriela Montero, and Roxanna Panufnik.

What we are offering to applicant Chicago-based composers

• One work played and workshopped by the Chicago Philharmonic
• A recording of the play-through provided for non-commercial/archival purposes
• One-on-one mentorship with composers participating during the weekend
• An opportunity to collaborate and establish longer-term connections with Taki Alsop Fellowship conductors and Marin Alsop.

Eligibility

Applicant must:

• Be based and doing work in the Chicago area
• Identify as a woman or non-binary
• Be at an early stage in their professional careers with fewer than 2 works performed by a professional orchestra (collegiate and festival orchestras are allowed); there is no age restriction
• Only submit one work for consideration

The submitted work must:

• Be 5 minutes or less in duration; sections or movements of a larger work will be considered
• Not exceed the orchestration parameters of 2.2.2.2-2.2.0.0-timp+2 perc+hp+pn; strings 8/6/5/4/2 max
• Not be a concerto or include vocalists

If selected the applicant will be required to supply a professional quality score and set of parts upon acceptance.

Review

Review of submitted applications will be made by Breaking Barriers mentor composers, Marin Alsop and members of the Taki Alsop Fellowship program. Applications will be reviewed by the following criteria: Artistry and Impact.

Deadline and Awards

The deadline will be April 18, 2023. Three (3) creators will be selected to participate. Notification will be made via email in May 2023. Scores and parts will be due in June 2023.

Application Requirements

The application can be completed and submitted online here. Please be sure to provide working links to work samples and any documents/media for download.

• Information about the creator
  • Contact information
  • Brief bio (150 words for use on our website if awarded)
  • Link to resume/CV
• Information about the work
  • Title
  • Duration
  • Instrumentation
  • Program note (500 words or less)
  • A link to the score of the submitted work
• Work Samples demonstrating artistic quality of the music creator
  • Please provide a link to a recording of the submitted work (MIDI is acceptable)
  • Please provide links for up to 2 additional work samples demonstrating the creator’s work
  • You may provide links to YouTube, Vimeo, or Soundcloud, or a link to download

Questions

Please email [email protected].

Apply online here. The application deadline is April 18, 2023.