steven gerber project call for scores 2022-2023
C4: The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective, a New York City-based new music chorus, invites composers, especially BIPoC composers, to submit unperformed choral works with a conceptual connection to William Shakespeare, to be performed on C4’s spring 2023 concert in New York City. As part of an ongoing collaboration with the Steven R. Gerber Trust, C4 will be performing Steven Gerber’s Sessions of Sweet Silent Thought, a setting of five Shakespearean sonnets (9, 30, 71, 129 and 130). To foster new music, the Gerber Trust is providing support for one or two new pieces to be performed as part of the same concert. Additionally, there will be a dedicated recording session leading to high-quality recordings of both Sessions of Sweet Silent Thought and the accompanying piece or pieces.
A $1,500 prize will be awarded for each selected piece. Additionally, a travel stipend of up to $500 is available for out-of-town composers who wish to attend the premiere.
Pieces to be considered should be about 4 to 10 minutes in length (these are not hard limits), and should not have been performed previously in public. They should tie into the theme of Shakespeare and his sonnets, but composers are free to experiment with the exact connection, anything from setting another (or even the same) sonnet, to examining what Shakespeare does and does not signify to the modern observer, and beyond. The composer must be able to show that they have rights to the text, if any.
All are welcome to apply (except composers who have performed with C4 within the last five years). We are particularly interested in supporting BiPOC composers. There is no application fee, but composers should submit only one work. The deadline for submission is January 31, 2023. The winners will be announced by March 31, 2023. The concert will take place in May or June, 2023.
C4 is a 20- to 25-voice mixed chorus. We welcome adventurous vocal writing, but due to the unpredictability of COVID, we prefer pieces with no more than 6-part divisi. We prefer a cappella works.
We expect to select one or two pieces. C4 reserves the right not to select a piece, but hopefully that will not happ