String Quartet Composition Competition for Irish citizens/residents under 35

We are delighted to announce that the 15th West Cork Chamber Music Young Composers’ Competition is now open for entries. The winning works will be premiered at The West Cork Chamber Music Festival in 2023.

The work:
-Scored for string quartet (2 violins, 1 viola and 1 cello). Works requiring other instruments, pre-recorded sounds or electronics are not eligible for consideration.
-5-8 minutes duration.
-Has not been performed in concert prior to its performances at the 2023 West Cork Chamber Music Festival.
-The competition will be judged anonymously and the international judge will select three winning scores on equal footing.

Each of the three composers will receive:
-€1,000 prize money.
-3 nights’ accommodation at the festival. (All other expenses incurred are the responsibility of the winning composers)
-2 public performances of their work by a conservatoire quartet at the West Cork Chamber Music Festival.

Conditions of entry:
-Entrants must be under the age of 35 on 1st January 2023.
-Entrants must either hold Irish nationality, be born in or resident on the island of Ireland, have an Irish-national parent, be an International student at an Irish third-level institution, or have lived in Ireland for at least one year.
-Each entrant can submit one work only each year.
-We can accept submissions from previous entrants and past winners under the age limit. Any works entered in previous years cannot be resubmitted.
-Works that have been performed in public prior to the Festival (23 June – 2 July 2023) are not eligible for consideration.
-Scores must be submitted to West Cork Music by 23:59 on Tuesday 14th March 2023. All scores must be submitted electronically. Submission must include a sound MIDI file of the composition, clearly labelled with the composition title. Please use the subject line YCC 2023 when submitting.
-Compositions will be assessed by an adjudicator chosen by West Cork Music.

It is a condition of entry that composers agree to attend the workshop in Bantry on Sunday 25th June at 14h00. In the event of non-attendance, prizes will be withheld.

This competition is adjudicated anonymously. Any indication of the composer’s name or address on the score or on the MIDI file will lead to disqualification.