Are you a songwriter keen to know more about a cappella choral music? Do you love music and write for your own band? Or perhaps you’ve written a piece for piano, song for soprano, or an African drumming work?
If you have a passion for music, some experience in music notation, and want the opportunity to be given leading industry guidance, then the ORA Singers Composer Competition competition is for you.
Who is it for?
In order to apply to the ORA Singers Composer Competition, applicants should meet all of the following criteria:
- Be born on or after 1st September 2002
- Be resident in the United Kingdom
- Be a pupil at a UK non fee-paying school (e.g. state, grammar, or comprehensive school). Applicants from fee-paying or private schools will not be accepted.
In addition to the core eligibility criteria listed above, applicants should also:
- Have a strong interest in composition and/or choral singing
- Be able to read music to a reasonable level
- Be in full agreement with the terms of the competition and commit to making every effort to attend/participate in all activities of the competition where reasonably possible
- Have full consent from a parent/guardian for participation in the Competition before applying
How does it work?
Our 10 selected finalists will be enrolled into the Competition programme whereby each will be assigned a personal mentor and receive ten hours (or the equivalent) of compositional guidance. Slotted around their school studies and aimed to assist young aspiring composers in their musical development, each aspiring composer will be ‘trained by’ one of ORA’s esteemed commissioned composers, who will guide them in writing a ‘Reflection’ on a piece of Renaissance choral music. Finalists will also get the chance to take part in a compositional workshop and meet their peers part-way through the mentoring programme. And, at the end of the programme, Finalists’ works will then be performed/presented in the Competition Final Concert/Presentation, at which a winner will be chosen by the Final Adjudication Panel. Each finalist will also receive a recording of their work for promotional purposes!
In addition to the finalists, 20 ‘ORA Apprentices’ will be selected from the applicants, and will receive exclusive access to compositional support, the Competition Workshop, and the Final Competition Concert/Presentation.
How much experience do I need?
Whatever stage you are at, as long as you have a good understanding of music notation, you will be able to apply to the ORA Singers Composer Competition. We are not looking for finished pieces or polished compositions, simply submit something you’ve written at school, home or for a friend, and we’ll assess your composition alongside your personal statement to see whether the scheme would be a good match for you.
Selected Finalists will receive specialist mentoring in order to write a new a cappella choral work, so even if you don’t have any experience in choral writing yet, that’s not a problem!
How to apply:
Find out more details and learn how to apply at: https://www.orasingers.co.uk/competition