Padovana et Gagliarda “Detta la Lombarda” by @L.S Barros - "Rustic Mood" Award
Amidst the Clouds & Flowers by @InstrumentalistElle - "Nature's Garden" Award
Morning On Whidbey Island by @BipolarComposer - "Peace of Nature" Award
City Rail and Nightingale by @Wieland Handke - "Nature and Civilization" Award
Alishan (for Flute Quintet) by @HoYin Cheung - "Forest Echoes" Award
“Warmth” by @UncleRed99 - "Home and Hearth" Award
Lamentare Ciobanului - “The Shepherd’s Lament” by @ComposaBoi - "Pastorale" Award

We have decided not to create more badges because it was inevitable that there would be some overlap/competition in the theme-ing of the badges. For that reason we concede that although the above badges were created for those specific pieces, it is up to the voters at large to determine whether those pieces will actually win those badges.

The winners of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place trophies will be determined by points allotted in the following way:

Every 1st place vote in the poll gets 3 points.
Every 2nd place vote in the poll gets 2 points.
Every 3rd place vote in the poll gets 1 point.

1st place will be given for the entry with the highest number of points.
2nd place will be given for the entry with the 2nd highest etc. ....

The poll will close and the competition will be finalized and winners announced on Tuesday, June 9th, 2026.

The competition is now over! See the winners and results here:

To listen to all the entries go to the submissions thread:

And for the competition announcement go here:

Please submit links to your Landscapes - Soundscapes competition pieces here! (Please don't submit your music directly into this thread - rather, create your own dedicated thread where members will be able to review your music there - Upload Your Composition for Analysis and Feedback and then copy and paste the URL of your topic into a reply that you make in this thread). Thank you for your participation!

To vote in the popular voting polls go here:

To read the requirements/specifications of the competition and declare your intent to participate go here:

The members have voted in this poll; Spring 2026 Competition Poll and have decided about the form and details of the next Young Composer's Composition Competition! As per the previous trend, this competition has no monetary rewards - only kudos and badges. Also in accordance with the results of the 2025 Halloween Satisfaction Survey, we are inviting the members/competitors to participate in the creation of the badge awards that will be dispersed at the end of the competition! So if you have any ideas for particular badges that would accord with the kind of music that will be submitted for this competition and the theme of this competition, let us know in the List of Manually-Awardable Badges thread and we will take your ideas into consideration! Please reply to this topic to declare your intent to participate in this competition!

The winners will be determined by popular voting polls!

Reviewing and Judging: The reviewing of the competition submissions will once again be spearheaded by our volunteer staff and those who wish to contribute their time and effort to reviewing the entries out of the goodness of their own hearts (and/or sense of fun!). You may use the Official Competition Reviewing Template, or jettison the template and review the submissions just like you would any other piece of music on the website! You could even make your own template! You will be rewarded for your efforts with "Ardent Reviewer" badges in three tiers:

1. Featherweight Reviewer - for reviewing 33% of the entries

2. Welterweight Reviewer - for reviewing 66% of the entries

3. Heavyweight Reviewer - for reviewing 100% of the entries

Thank you for whatever time and effort you're willing to give!

Instrumentation: as per the poll, the members are free to compose for any kind of trio/quartet/quintet from a Pierrot ensemble to a kazoo trio to a quartet of Tibetan throat singers! Write for the serpent! You may use any combination of 3 - 5 monophonic or polyphonic instruments/voices.

Pictures, Photos, Paintings: You may submit a picture, photo or a painting of the landscape you based your composition on. This is totally optional, but if you submit one, please do not use AI to generate your image. However, you may use a screenshot from a game. Or you can use a completely imaginary landscape.

Duration: 3 - 7 minutes with a sweet spot of 5 minutes.

Deadline: Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026

Entrants thus far:

@Fruit hunter

@MK_Piano

@UncleRed99

@MrBelegro

@Luis Hernández

@Musicman_3254

@TristanTheTristan

@Wieland Handke

@L.S Barros

@Some Guy That writes Music

@therealAJGS

@ferrum.wav

@Monarcheon

@InstrumentalistElle

@mercurypickles

@apple

@BipolarComposer

@ComposaBoi

@HoYin Cheung

@Oak

@Brandon S

Here is the submissions thread for the competition where participants are encouraged to post links to their composition (rather than posting their piece directly into the pre-existing topic - make your own dedicated topic so the members at large can review your music there):

To vote in the popular voting polls go here:

We are instituting a policy of not allowing any AI generated works in the competition. Because of this you will be required to detail how you created your piece and submit a PDF score or midi file for the perusal of the staff and members at large. Original compositions only. The submissions are final at the time that they are submitted to the competition. Only one submission per entrant is allowed.

Padovana et Gagliarda “Detta la Lombarda” by @L.S Barros
Amidst the Clouds & Flowers by @InstrumentalistElle
Sacrificed to the Wilderness by @Fruit hunter
Morning On Whidbey Island by @BipolarComposer
Spring Submission “Rainy Weather” by @therealAJGS
Chinese Fugue by @TristanTheTristan
Sunset Suite in C minor by @Musicman_3254
City Rail and Nightingale by @Wieland Handke
Alishan (for Flute Quintet) by @HoYin Cheung
"Warmth" by @UncleRed99
The Voyage of a Lone Ship by @ferrum.wav
Lamentare Ciobanului - “The Shepherd’s Lament” by @ComposaBoi

The members have voted! --==<< Decisive Fanfare! >>==-- And the winners are:

For winning the "Rustic Mood" Award with 9 votes - Padovana et Gagliarda "Detta la Lombarda" by @L.S Barros will receive the following badge:

For winning the "Nature's Garden" Award with 10 votes - Amidst the Clouds & Flowers by @InstrumentalistElle will receive the following badge:

For winning the "Peace of Nature" Award with 6 votes - Morning On Whidbey Island by @BipolarComposer will receive the following badge:

For winning the "Nature and Civilization" Award with 9 votes - City Rail and Nightingale by @Wieland Handke will receive the following badge:

For winning the "Forest Echoes" Award with 5 votes - Alishan (for Flute Quintet) by @HoYin Cheung will receive the following badge:

For winning the "Home and Hearth" Award with 9 votes - “Warmth” by @UncleRed99 will receive the following badge:

For winning the "Pastorale" Award with 8 votes - Lamentare Ciobanului - “The Shepherd’s Lament” by @ComposaBoi will receive the following badge:

For winning 3rd Place overall with 8 points - City Rail and Nightingale by @Wieland Handke will receive the following trophy:

For winning 2nd Place overall with 9 points - we have a tie! Padovana et Gagliarda "Detta la Lombarda" by @L.S Barros and Amidst the Clouds & Flowers by @InstrumentalistElle will receive the following trophy:

For winning 1st Place overall with 16 points - The Voyage of a Lone Ship by @ferrum.wav will receive the following trophy:

Congratulations to all the winners! We will now move your pieces to the "Competition Hall of Fame" sub-forum!

And thanks to all the following participants who also reviewed all the entries! The contest would not have been as much fun and as instructional as it was without you! The following members will receive the "Heavyweight Reviewer" badge for reviewing 100% of the entries (12) submitted to the competition!

@Luis Hernández, @Kvothe, @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu, @chopin, @Wieland Handke, @ComposaBoi, @ferrum.wav, @PeterthePapercomPoser, and @Tónskáld

And the following members will receive the "Welterweight Reviewer" badge for reviewing 66% of the entries (8) submitted to the competition!

And the following members will receive the "Featherweight Reviewer" badge for reviewing 33% of the entries (4) submitted to the competition!

@TristanTheTristan, @HoYin Cheung, @Fruit hunter, and @UncleRed99

Thank you to all 13 Ardent Reviewers who reviewed the contest entries! This is perhaps the first time that the number of reviewers exceeded the number of contestants! Great turnout people!

And thanks for me @PeterthePapercomPoser for organizing and managing all the competition polls, announcements, submission thread, badges, results, satisfaction survey and advertising outreach! I will receive the "Community Organizer" badge!

To take the Landscapes - Soundscapes Satisfaction Survey go here:

To listen to all the entries go to the submission thread:

To check out all the popular voting polls go here:

And for the competition announcement go here:

1) What should the competition be about?

1. To write background music for one of @chopin 's Retry Bro's YouTube videos. Explanation: @chopin has a new YouTube channel! It's called Retry Bros. and consists of him playing Super Mario Maker levels and coming up with entertaining narration from Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, and other assorted characters. There's also a musical element. So far, Mike has come up with some clever lyrics and used AI to make realistic sounding songs that go along with the video. Now, where you would come in is that you'd be writing background music for one of @chopin 's new videos!

2. To write some kind of autobiographical piece with a paragraph describing how the music portrays the autobiographical material. This one is @UncleRed99 's suggestion. The idea is to "write a piece that simply tells a story about your life, and something meaningful within it. Utilize complex elements to express emotion, tension, or any other desired emotional or mentally relatable expression. Provide a brief summary describing the root of the story being told."

3. @Thatguy v2.0's proposal is for everyone to write a piece about their home landscape. This theme could be called "Landscapes - Soundscapes."

4. @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu bestowed his theme proposal to me so I decided to include another theme in the options: "Sound Mimesis - Acoustic Anatomy". The idea is to use the instruments at your disposal to mimic sounds in your natural environment (although the sounds don't technically have to be created by nature - they could definitely be artificial sounds, but should be mimicked by acoustic instruments).

5. My own idea is for the members to write M&M&M's - Mock-ups, Mash-ups and Medleys. The idea is for the members to take 2 or more preexisting themes from different genres of music and to make mash-ups and Medleys with them.

2) What kind of ensemble should the competitors be free to choose to write for?

1. Solo piano/keyboard or solo polyphonic instrument (such as guitar or harp)

2. One monophonic instrument accompanied by one polyphonic instrument

3. Choice of mixed trio/quartet/quintet of individual instruments

4. Chamber orchestra (string orchestra)

5. Full orchestra

3) How many months should the competition span? (1 month, 2 months or 3 months)

The duration of each piece should once again be between 3 - 7 minutes.

Reviewing the entries will once again be spearheaded by the members/competitors at large. You are free to use the Official Competition Reviewing Template or you can review the entries in any way you see fit or create a template of your own making! There will be tiered "Ardent Reviewer" badges given out for this event:

• Featherweight Reviewer - for reviewing 33% of the entries submitted to the event

• Welterweight Reviewer - for reviewing 66% of the entries submitted to the event

• Heavyweight Reviewer - for reviewing 100% of the entries submitted to the event

We are instituting a policy of not allowing any AI generated works in the competition. Because of this you will be required to detail how you created your piece and submit a PDF score or midi file for the perusal of the staff and members at large.

A Christmas Mash-up by @PeterthePapercomPoser
Jesus was Born this Day by @Vonias
Another Christmas Mash-up by @PeterthePapercomPoser
My submission to the 2025 Christmas event!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! by @therealAJGS
Song for the Fallen (2025 Christmas Music Event Submission) by @Musicman_3254
Submission to the 2025 Christmas Music Event by @TristanTheTristan
March of the Gingerbread People (2025 Christmas Event Submission) by @Crescent Roulade
Fugue on "We wish you a Merry Christmas" (2017) by @J. Lee Graham
Motet a 8 "O Magnum Mysterium" in E-flat Major by @Fugax Contrapunctus
fantasia on jingle bells (2025 Christmas Event Submission) by @Monarcheon
March of the Snowflakes - 2025 Christmas Event Submission by @Vavrinec
O Soul, Seek Revelation 14:9-11 by @SeekJohn14v6
(Very Casual) Christmas Mesh Up by @HoYin Cheung
The Empty Church - Submission to the YCF 2025 Christmas Event by @Wieland Handke
Highland Shepherds - Submission to the YCF 2025 Christmas Event by @Wieland Handke
Jingle Bells and Dashing Through the Snow by @chopin
Christmas Carol by @Aiwendil
Instead of Christmas (Submission to 2025 Christmas Event) by @Luis Hernández
Coventry Carol (Christmas 2025) by @mercurypickles
With Every Beat My Heart Knows by @HoYin Cheung
A Christmas Scherzo by @PeterthePapercomPoser
I composed a Christmas Song! - It went great! by @raymond doerr
My Christmas Submission by @Mooravioli
Christmas Mash-up No.3 by @PeterthePapercomPoser
Glory to God by @SeekJohn14v6
Nutcracker inspired final by @Tunndy

And thanks to all the reviewers who ardently and painstakingly reviewed all the entries to the event! (the AI generated ones aren't required):  @chopin, @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu, @Wieland Handke and @PeterthePapercomPoser. 

They will be the recipients of the "2025 Christmas Reviewer" Award! -  (Note that if people still want to review all the submissions after December 31st, they are free to do so and be added to the list of "2025 Christmas Reviewer" Award recipients ex post facto.  Check how many more reviews you need to make before getting the badge in the 2025 Christmas Music Event Reviews Spreadsheet.  If you're not on the list yet I will add you once you review a more substantial number of pieces.)

And thanks to @PeterthePapercomPoser for the event announcement thread, managing new submissions, creating the Christmas calendar event, advertising the event in various discord servers as well as making this conclusion thread!  He will receive the "2025 Christmas Organizer" Award! - 

And we all hope that you had a Merry Christmas and that your 2026 year will be great!!!

To see the 2025 Christmas Music Event announcement thread go here:

It's that season of the year again and time to write music in your adored wintry (or summery for those in the southern hemisphere), Christmas-y, Hanukkah-y, or Kwanzaa-y style!  The only rule is that this is not a competition!!!  So please review the pieces casually, only using the competition reviewing template on those who have expressed a desire/interest in having their music reviewed in this way!  🎅

In this event - anything goes!  Submit music in the spirit of the holiday season of any duration or instrumentation!  There will be badges given out for all the participants, of course!  We will also give out "Ardent Reviewer" badges for those who take it upon themselves to review all the participants' music!  You do not have to review any AI-generated works in order to receive the "Ardent Reviewer" badge.

This thread will double as the submissions thread as well as the event announcement.  Please post only links to your music posted elsewhere in the forum (so that it may be properly reviewed in its own dedicated topic).  The following members have thus far expressed interest in participating:

@PeterthePapercomPoser

@Monarcheon

@TristanTheTristan

@AngelCityOutlaw

@PCC

@Crescent Roulade

@Mooravioli

@Wieland Handke

@gaspard

@therealAJGS

@Vavrinec

@Vonias

@HoYin Cheung

@Musicman_3254

@raymond doerr

@Tunndy

The event opens on Black Friday, right after Thanksgiving!  And closes on December 31st!

Excited to see what we all come up with this year!  

It is now 2026 and the Christmas Music Event is closed to further submissions!  Check out the conclusion of the event here:

Fumage - Trio for Flute, Oboe, and Bassoon (Halloween Competition Submission) by @Justin Gruber
CLOWNS - Fall 2025 Halloween Competition Submission by @sebastian Pafundo
Woodwind Quintet No. 1 - Halloween Competition Submission by @Maxthemusicenthusiast
Trio Variations in D minor: A Submission to the 2025 Halloween Composition Competition by @TristanTheTristan
Aos Si - Piano Quintet for Halloween by @HoYin Cheung
YCF Composition Competition - Halloween 2025 (Submission) by @UncleRed99
YC Halloween Contest Entry - The Mist by @Kvothe
Bagatelle No.6 | Om. 101 by @Omicronrg9
2025 Halloween Competition - DANCE FROM THE SKELETON BALL (Submission) by @MK_Piano
From Above, Now Below by @Thatguy v2.0
A Hollow Theme for Halloween (Fall 2025 Competition) by @therealAJGS
Piano Quintet in G sharp minor - 2025 Halloween Competition Submission by @Wieland Handke
American Cryptids - Fall 2025 Halloween Submission by @Micah
Dima’s National Dance - 2025 Halloween Submission by @Dima
Daunting Steps - Quintet for Piano, Flute, Contrabassoon, Violin and Cello - 2025 Halloween Submission by @ferrum.wav
Diptych for Piano Quartet (Submission) by @Cosmia

The members have voted!  --<< Decisive Fanfare >>-- And the winners are:

For winning the "2025 Halloween Spookiest Piece" award with 9 votes - "From Above, Now Below" by @Thatguy v2.0 will receive the following badge: 

For winning the "2025 Halloween Strangest Piece" award with 8 votes - "Aos Si" by @HoYin Cheung will receive the following badge: 

For winning the "2025 Halloween Biggest Thriller" award there is a tie with 5 votes each! - "From Above, Now Below" by @Thatguy v2.0 and "Diptych for Piano Quartet" by @Cosmia will receive the following badge: 

For winning the "2025 Halloween Theme Winner" award with 7 votes - "From Above, Now Below" by @Thatguy v2.0 will receive the following badge: 

Congratulations to all the winners!  We will now move your pieces into the "Competition Hall of Fame" subforum!

And thanks to all the following participants who also reviewed all the entries!  The contest would not have been as much fun and as instructional as it was without you!  The following members will receive the "Ardent Reviewer" badge () for their efforts in meticulously reviewing all the entries:

@TristanTheTristan, @Kvothe, @Omicronrg9, @Thatguy v2.0, @therealAJGS, @Wieland Handke, @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu, @chopin and myself @PeterthePapercomPoser

And thanks to me @PeterthePapercomPoser for organizing and managing all the competition polls, announcements, submission thread, badges, results, satisfaction survey and advertising outreach!  I will receive the "2025 Halloween Community Organizer" badge: 

To take the 2025 Halloween Satisfaction Survey go here:

To listen to all the entries go to the submissions thread:

To check out the popular voting polls go here:

And for the competition announcement go here:

So vote for your favorites!  The poll is multiple choice so you can vote for multiple pieces for each category.  If there is a tie we will simply award the badge to two (or more) people!  And don't forget to have fun!  (And you're also allowed to vote for yourself, but everyone will know you did so since the voter names are public!  LoL)  The poll closes on Monday, November 3rd at 11:59 pm PST so cast your votes before then!  (And preferably have all your reviews also done before then so we can award the Ardent Reviewer badges to those who have painstakingly and meticulously reviewed all the entries!)

The poll is now closed and the results are in!  Go to the results and winners page here:

To listen to all the entries go to the Submissions Thread:

The competition is now closed and all the entrants have posted their compositions for your review!  Please go here to vote for your favorite entries:

The members have voted and decided upon a Halloween themed competition!  This is a just-for-fun competition without monetary awards.  But I will be making badges to reward the participants and to give them kudos!  I'm thinking I'll make a badge for "Strangest/Weirdest/Most Outlandish piece", "Spookiest/Scariest piece" and "Overall 2025 Halloween winner" which will all be decided by a popular voting poll.  The participants will also be able to earn an "Ardent Reviewer" badge if they review all the other participants works!  Please reply to this topic to declare your intent to participate in the competition!  The competition has the following constraints:

Instrumentation - Free choice of any of the following ensembles:

1. Piano Quintet/Quartet/Trio
2. String Quintet/Quartet/Trio
3. Woodwind Quintet/Quartet/Trio
4. Brass Quintet/Quartet/Trio
5. Mixed Quintet/Quartet/Trio

      Additionally, the participants are allowed to include Harpsichord, Organ or any other instrument which they believe would facilitate a Halloween-themed piece, as long as they keep the total number of instruments used between 3 and 5.

Duration:  3 - 7 minutes with a sweet spot of 5 minutes.

Deadline:  Friday, October 31st, 2025

Entrants thus far:

@Thatguy v2.0

@Justin Gruber

@Omicronrg9

@TristanTheTristan

@Kvothe

@UncleRed99

@sebastian Pafundo

@Maxthemusicenthusiast

@HoYin Cheung

@therealAJGS

@ferrum.wav

@MK_Piano

@Wieland Handke

@Micah

@Dima

@Cosmia

Here is the submissions thread for the competition where participants are encouraged to post links to their composition (rather than posting their piece directly into the pre-existing topic - make your own dedicated topic so the members at large can review your music there):

Please submit links to your Halloween themed competition pieces here!  (Please don't submit your music directly into this thread - rather, create your own dedicated thread where members will be able to review your music there - Upload Your Composition for Analysis and Feedback and then copy and paste the URL of your topic into a reply that you make in this thread).  Thank you for your participation!

To read the requirements/specifications of the competitions and declare your intent to participate go here:

To vote for your favorite entries go here:

June-July-August (Summer Competition)

September-October-November (Fall Competition)

December-January-February (Winter Competition)

March-April-May (Spring Competition)

This matches the USA seasonal divisions, but it may not match the months and seasons of other countries (like mine). That's OK, we can't please everyone in this situation...

So, we open this thread in order to collect suggestions and discuss them for the yet-to-be-formed Competition Comittee to decide for the four competitions guidelines. You can contribute hugely by giving suggestions on the themes, topics, genres, rules, premises, ideas about the competitions.

As these there will be only four competitions per year, it'd be good to make them quite distinct from each other, principally in instrumentation. So, you may give more than one suggestion. Feel free to contribute!

(It may be even possible to start with the Summer competition right away. It depends on the given suggestion, the decision of the moderators, the comittee...)

1)  What should the competition be about?

1. To write background music for one of @chopin's Retry Bro's YouTube videos.  Explanation:  @chopin has a new YouTube channel!  It's called Retry Bros. and consists of him playing Super Mario Maker levels and coming up with entertaining narration from Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, and other assorted characters.  There's also a musical element.  So far, Mike has come up with some clever lyrics and used AI to make realistic sounding songs that go along with the video.  Now, where you would come in is that you'd be writing background music for one of @chopin's new videos!
2. To write some kind of autobiographical piece with a paragraph describing how the music portrays the autobiographical material.  This one is @UncleRed99's suggestion.  The idea is to "write a piece that simply tells a story about your life, and something meaningful within it. Utilize complex elements to express emotion, tension, or any other desired emotional or mentally relatable expression. Provide a brief summary describing the root of the story being told."
3. To write a Halloween-themed spooky, weird, or outlandish and strange piece.  This one is self-explanatory and was proposed by @Thatguy v2.0.
4. My own idea is for the members to write M&M&M's - Mock-ups, Mash-ups and Medleys.  The idea is for the members to take 2 or more preexisting themes from different genres of music and to make mash-ups and Medleys with them.

2)  What kind of ensemble should the competitors be free to choose to write for?

The poll has closed and the competition has now begun!  To sign up and read about the competition specifications/requirements go here:

To submit links to your compositions for the competition to the submissions thread:

Marina Zirdzina International Vocal Competition is created to highlight the cultural heritage of Latvian musical theatre, to highlight the diversity of operetta and musical theatre genres and to inspire young singers to develop their talent, artistic and vocal skills. It will celebrate the brilliant personality of the operetta diva Marina Zirdzina, bringing to life her characteristic artistic and professional qualities. Young vocalists of age 18 - 35 from all over the world are invited to participate.

Competition will be held in two rounds and will be judged by an international jury: Deividas Staponkus (Lithuania), Heli Veskus (Estonia), Sonora Vaice (Latvia), Gregory Buchalter (USA).

To take part in the competition, the participant must send a video recording and to complete and submit an application by May 31, 2025. Round 1 will be held entirely on-line. In the Round 2 on August 12, 2025 competitors will perform in person with Symphony Orchestra of the Operetta Theatre (Latvia) conducted by Gregory Buchalter (The Metropolitan Opera, USA) in the Great Hall of the Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music in Riga.

Valuable prizes for approximately € 8,000.00 in total.

More details https://www.vocalcompetition.lv and https://www.facebook.com/MarinaZirdzinaInternationalVocalCompetition or https://www.facebook.com/OperetesTeatris

Contact us to vocalcompetition@operetesteatris.lv +371 25123145

Organized by Operetta Theatre in collaboration with Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music and BAFF (Baltic -Americam Freedom Foundation)

Call for Submissions: 2025 Fort Collins Symphony 

Composition Competition

The Fort Collins Symphony (FCS) is holding a competition to compose a concert opener of approximately 5-8 minutes in duration to be premiered during our 102nd season on Signature Concert #3 (tentatively scheduled for February 7, 2026). This competition seeks to honor the 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States while showcasing the creativity and talent of young Colorado-based composers.

The winning composer will receive:

• A $1,000 honorarium

• An archival recording of the performance by the Fort Collins Symphony

Eligibility Criteria:
To enter, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Be studying in the state of Colorado or have graduated from a Colorado high school

• Be under the age of 30 as of February 1, 2026

• Have not yet achieved a Master’s Degree from a university

Submission Requirements:

1. The composition must be a fanfare or overture of 5-8 minutes in duration.

2. The work may have been composed previously but must not have been performed publicly.

3. The composition should be scored for a large orchestra, including:

   • 3 Flutes

   • 3 Oboes

   • 3 Clarinets

   • 3 Bassoons

   • 4 Horns

   • 3 Trumpets

   • 3 Trombones

   • 1 Tuba

   • Timpani, 3 Percussionists, Harp, Keyboard

   • Strings (Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, and Bass)

4. Submit the following materials via email to jdenney@fcsymphony.org no later than May 1, 2025:

   • A digital copy of the score (PDF format)

   • A digital recording (synth mock-up preferred)

Key Deadlines:

• Winner announced: June 1, 2025

• String masters (1 part each) due: July 1, 2025

• Complete set of parts due: August 1, 2025

• Winning composition’s title page must include the phrase:
  “Winner of the 2025-2026 Fort Collins Symphony Composition Competition. Wes Kenney, Music Director.”

Additional Information:

• The winning composer must attend FCS rehearsals during the week prior to the premiere.

• FCSO will maintain the right to perform the winning work exclusively until February 1, 2027. After this date, the composer may seek additional performances.

• All submitted materials, including scores and parts, become the property of the Fort Collins Symphony.

• Promotional materials may be requested from the winning composer.

Judging & Adjudication:

• Entries will be adjudicated blindly by a panel, including Maestro Wes Kenney and musicians of the Fort Collins Symphony.

• All decisions by the panel are final.

We look forward to receiving your submissions and celebrating the musical creativity of Colorado composers!

For questions or additional details, contact jdenney@fcsymphony.org.

The Brief

Same as ever year - write anything inspired by a winter celebration (e.g. Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa) or just Winter in general (or Summer for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere).

If you want to participate, pop a comment below! You could have a look at last year's competition for inspiration if you like:

As usual there are no prizes and everyone's a winner. You will however, be rewarded with a beautiful badge designed by our very own @PeterthePapercomPoser.

Submissions are open now (8th December). Submissions will be included in this thread. There is no deadline, though preferably your piece should be done before Christmas or at least before the end of December.

What are you waiting for? Get composing!

*If there is demonstrated financial need, entry fee can be waived. Please email astenroos@gmcmf.org for more information.

Click here to learn more and apply.

Estampas_de_España.pdf

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xnciHniD_iW3uBUrxphiy_p4QF9xaSEe?usp=drive_link (The same PDF just in case)

Basically, I'm organizing a cultural project where composers from all around the globe put piano music to a selection of paintings. The best pieces will be included in a collaborative set that will be performed in the future (up to 16 pieces for the official collaborative album).

The best composition will receive a 500 euros prize, the second best work will receive 200 euros prize, I will offer a few 30 euros rewards to other great pieces (up to 3 extra rewards).

I hope many people will participate, see you soon! Don't forget to send me your painting choices so I can organize better (to my email ivanmusic1791@gmail.com).

Here you have the drive with the paintings: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rR-lpQH18sTy6qRqH2_QcR7DIMd4Z0Y8?usp=drive_link

If you have any doubts contact me over email! But I will be able to reply here for a few days, but I might not check it as often.

Young Composers will start hosting more events. Therefore, we are going to kickoff 2024 with our first event, for Valentine's Day!

The rules for our events will be quite relaxed, and non competitive in nature. Well, to a degree they will be competitive. You will get a chance to be included in a YouTube video (if you opt in). I usually put a theme to my videos, and the theme will be this: What characteristics make for a romantic composition?

What do you want to tell to your love ones? A romantic love letter? An apostle of love? There will be no time limit for this event, as love knows no bounds! Want to have your pieces featured with your love message delivered? Join us and post your pieces under this thread on or before Feb. 1, 2024! Only 1 entry will be accepted for each member, and you can also post your pieces separately in the forum!

Be sure you have joined my YouTube channel in order to participate! Here are some other specialized videos from this community that you may enjoy watching.

• What makes a good music composition? An analysis of Henry's Sonata (30 hours watched)
• What REALLY makes good melody? 5 composers from YC help demonstrate this! (38 hours watched)
• Create a story with music: 21 Composers show us how! This was our big competition, and thus, a big video. (26 hours watched)

These videos give you an idea of my style, and how we are starting to integrate this community with the video format. But this format can only work if you all participate.

Our 2024 Valentine's Day event video

 What makes music romantic?

It can only mean one thing - it's long overdue time for the annual Young Composers Christmas Music Event!

The Brief

Same as last year - write anything you like inspired by a winter celebration of your choice! Or, if you don't celebrate anything, maybe a piece to capture gazing over miles of snow (or grass if you live in the Southern Hemisphere) ...

If you want to participate, pop a comment below! You could have a look at last year's competition for inspiration if you like:

It would be great to see lots of you taking part! No prizes, no winners, just a way to get the creative juices flowing during the Season.

Submissions will open on the 1st December. There will be a separate submissions thread, so look out for that! There's no time limit but you'll probably want to have your piece done by Christmas, or at least the end of December.

Excited to see what you come up with!

@PeterthePapercomPoser

Wait... let me get this straight...

PeterthePitifulPoser thinks he can write a better Christmas tune than me? 

Seriously?!? Dude... I'm Thatguy v2.0, doesn't he even know that? lololololol

oh man... oh boy... whew... that was funny

So let it be known that this year I will be writing Christmas music AS A WEAPON AGAINST PETER. Luckily for him, he made the wise choice (as he is a noble yet humble man), and already agreed to this 1800's U.S. Western-style competition. A duel of compositional wits, if you will.

The deadline will be Christmas day, and the winner will be decided by a community poll. All may cast their votes, and if no one votes...

@Henry Ng Tsz Kiu will be forced to decide upon the winner. Don't do this to Henry people... he's such a good man. I would hate to have him decide between friends. 

The winner will receive bragging rights until Mike stops paying for the yearly cost to run the site. 

Oh, and Peter: 

YOU'RE GOING DOWN    ❤️ 🎄 ⛄ 

Watch @chopin's YouTube video results and winners premiere!

Click on the links of each entry to read all the reviews for that entry:

Entry A - "Sonata for a Dream" by @Samuel1
Entry B - "a knee in the grass through my eyelashes" by @GreenGiantCanOfCorn
Entry C - "The Journey of Jason" by @Michalis
Entry D - "Argonauta" by @Jordan Jinosko
Entry E - "The Escapist" by @ComposedBySam
Entry F - "Allegro in B flat major" by @44W74l4
Entry G - "Rêverie Sentimental" by @expert21
Entry H - "OneiRomantica" by @AngelCityOutlaw
Entry I - "Lucidity" by @SorooshMHS
Entry J - "Stories for Violin and Piano" by @Composer from Europe
Entry K - "A Strange World" by @spike473
Entry L - "cathédrale électronique" by @Paweł Siek
Entry M - "Relentless Terror" by @AlexeySavelyev
Entry N - "dreamscape for alto flute and piano" by @José de Azevedo Souza
Entry O - "Wind's Lament" by @veps
Entry P - "Profane Scenes of Prophetic Dreams" by @popsinn
Entry Q - "Deaf Pillows" by @Irene Huang
Entry R - "Dreamscape for Cello and Piano" by @MTK
Entry S - "VALS DE ESPASMOS DE UN SUEÑO DE AMOR" by @Sergio Moreno
Entry T - "Alessandro's Dream" by @ComposaBoi
Entry U - "Liminal Dream" by @IanBoins

For winning the Themes/Melodies/Motives category with a score of 9.48, Entry E - "The Escapist" by @ComposedBySam receives the "Tune Smith" badge! 

For winning the Harmony/Chords/Textures category with a score of 9.38, Entry Q - "Deaf Pillows" by @Irene Huang receives the "Ingenious Harmonizer" badge! 

For winning the Form/Development/Structure/Time category with a score of 8.90, Entry E - "The Escapist" by @ComposedBySam receives the "Musical Architect" badge! 

For winning the Originality/Creativity category with a score of 9.30, Entry E - "The Escapist" by @ComposedBySam receives the "Musical Explorer" badge! 

For winning the Score Presentation category with a score of 9.80, Entry L - "cathédrale électronique" by @Paweł Siek receives the "Immaculate Engraver" badge! 

For winning the Instrumentation/Orchestration/Playability category with a score of 9.30, Entry D - "Argonauta" by @Jordan Jinosko receives the "Outstanding Orchestrator" badge! 

For winning the Execution of Given Challenge category with a score of 9.98, Entry E - "The Escapist" by @ComposedBySam receives the "Theme Winner" badge! 

For winning the Taste category with a score of 9.50, Entry E - "The Escapist" by @ComposedBySam receives the "Impeccable Taste" badge! 

There are multiple ties in the popular voting polls!  Entry C - "The Journey of Jason" by @Michalis and Entry O - "Wind's Lament" by @veps will both receive the "Lucid Dreamer" badge! 

Also determined by the popular voting polls, Entry E - "The Escapist" by @ComposedBySam and Entry O - "Wind's Lament" by @veps will both receive the "Peaceful Sleeper" badge!  

Determined by the popular voting polls, Entry B - "a knee in the grass through my eyelashes" by @GreenGiantCanOfCorn receives the "Biggest Nightmare" badge!  

And now, --==<< Decisive Fanfare >>==-- for the official winners of the "Dreamscapes" Chamber Music Composition Competition:

For winning 1st place with a score of 9.32, Entry E - "The Escapist" by @ComposedBySam receives the "1st Place" badge  and the $100 USD prize!

For winning 2nd place with a score of 8.79, Entry Q - "Deaf Pillows" by @Irene Huang receives the "2nd Place" badge  and the $50 USD prize!

For winning 3rd place with a score of 8.60, Entry K - "A Strange World" by @spike473 receives the "3rd Place" badge  and the $25 USD prize!

Congratulations to all the Oneironauts!  And thank you to all the Oneiromancers @Thatguy v2.0, @PeterthePapercomPoser, @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu, @Omicronrg9, @chopin for judging the competition!  They will be the recipients of the "Oneiromancer" badge! 

A special thanks goes out to @Thatguy v2.0 and @PeterthePapercomPoser for organizing the competition!  They will receive the "Community Organizer" badge!  

And an extra special thanks goes out to @Thatguy v2.0 for financing the competition!  He will receive the "Patron Award" badge!  

Here are all the Oneiromancer Journals (reviews):  Thatguy v.2.0, PeterthePapercomPoser, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu, Omicronrg9, chopin.

Here are all the Predictions where the Oneiromancers kept track of their scores:  Thatguy v.2.0, PeterthePapercomPoser, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu, Omicronrg9, chopin.

To check out the Final Destiny, where all the Oneironauts music was evaluated for their final score go here:  Final Destiny.

We encourage all the participants to now submit their entries under their name for further feedback from the community!  Also - the winners' entries will then be able to be moved into the "Competition Hall of Fame"!

To take the "Dreamscapes" Satisfaction Survey go here:

To listen to all the entries, go here:

To check out the popular voting polls, go here:

For the competition announcement, go here: