Alkali Collective invites emerging composers connected to the Atlantic Canadian provinces to submit their chamber works to the ensemble's first annual Call for Scores. Eligible applicants are emerging and early-career composers of any age who are current residents of, were born in, or have completed a substantial portion of their musical education in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador, New Brunswick or Prince Edward Island.

Three chamber works will be selected by members of Alkali Collective to be performed at the ensemble's March 2022 concert. Each selected applicant will be rewarded a cash prize of $250 CAD. The selected works will be live recorded, and the recording will be available to the selected composers for archival use.

Submissions must be completed by no later than January 1st, 2022. See below for submission requirements.

About Alkali Collective:

Alkali Collective is an equitable, artist-led contemporary chamber ensemble in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Named for the salt water that surrounds our province, we use music as a vehicle to draw attention to and open dialogues about important issues facing our society. We are dedicated to the creation, performance, documentation, and educational outreach of contemporary art music, with a strong emphasis on Canadian music. We aim to be a driving force in the creation and presentation of new art.

Submission Requirements:

1. Applicants must either be current residents of, have been born in, or have completed a substantial portion of their musical education in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador, New Brunswick or Prince Edward Island. Eligibility should be addressed in a cover letter.

2. There are no age restrictions; however, applicants should be composers at the early stages of their professional careers.

3. Each composer may submit more than one composition for consideration. Each work must be submitted using a separate entry form. However, only one work may be chosen from each applicant.

4. Only works that will not have been professionally recorded prior to the Alkali Collective perfomance date are eligible. Works that have been read in an academic context are eligible.

5. An electronic mockup or live reading in the form of an Mp3 is encouraged, if possible.

6. Maximum duration is 10 minutes.

7. Instrumentation should include a minimum of three of the following instruments: flute (doubling piccolo), bass clarinet (doubling clarinet), tenor saxophone (doubling alto saxophone and soprano saxophone), trombone, violin, cello, piano, and percussion. Works that include flexible instrumentation will also be considered. Works with instrumentation that exceed the above eight players will not be considered.

8. Works that incorporate electronics, visual effects, or other similar technologies and components will be considered upon further discussion, provided the ensemble is able to incorporate the technological demands of the work.

9. Submissions are evaluated based on the quality of the score provided. It is therefore in the applicant’s best interest that the score be clear, accurate, and the best representation of the composer’s work. Any additional requested background information is to confirm eligibility and for documentation purposes. These materials are not considered in the general review of the scores.

10. Applications that are incomplete, illegible, late, or that do not meet the above criteria will not be considered.

Please note: There will be one rehearsal plus the dress rehearsal before the performance of the selected works. The suitability of entries for performance with this amount of rehearsal will be a factor in the jury’s deliberations.

Submissions must be completed by no later than January 1st, 2022.

Please email any questions to info@alkalicollective.com.

COVID-19 Disclaimer: All of the above is subject to relevant federal and provincial guidelines relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.