Overview
\nBard Music West is pleased to announce our inaugural call for scores! The selected composer will be composer-in-residence at Bard Music West 2017 and will be commissioned to write a fifteen-minute original score to Samuel Beckett\u2019s mime play Act Without Words I, which will be premiered in a production of the play at Bard Music West in San Francisco on March 18th, 2017.<\/p>\n
The composer\u2019s residency at Bard Music West will include one pre-performance workshop with festival artists and a performance of the commissioned piece, as well as attendance at all other festival events. The performance of Act Without Words I will be audio-recorded and the recording will be available for the composer\u2019s use post-performance. After the premiere, all performance, copyright, and royalty rights to the music will remain with the composer.<\/p>\n
One composer will be selected, but all scores and proposals will be considered by the festival directors and artists.<\/p>\n
Eligibility
\nThe call for scores is open to all composers regardless of age,
\nnationality, or performance history. Composers will ideally be available for festival residency in San Francisco March 15-18, 2017.<\/p>\n
Commission Fee
\nThe selected composer will receive a commission fee of $2500 paid by the performance date. If the selected composer resides outside San Francisco, the festival will cover up to $500 in transportation costs to San Francisco in addition to housing, meals, and local transportation within San Francisco for the duration of the composer\u2019s residency.<\/p>\n
Important Dates
\nDeadline for submissions: September 1, 2016
\nComposer selected and notified by October 15, 2016
\nDue date for finished score: January 15, 2016
\nDate of performance: March 18, 2017<\/p>\n
Submission Guidelines
\nTo apply, please email Allegra Chapman at beckett@bardmusicwest.org with the following materials:<\/p>\n
1. Two relevant samples of past work. Please submit pdf scores and recordings for each work. The recordings may be in the form of an mp3 file or a link.
\na. Please name mp3 files as follows: [last name]-[work title].mp3. Example: Ligeti-Mysteries of the Macabre.mp3
\n2. A detailed description of your proposed composition including concept and instrumentation. The description should include:
\na. Instrumentation \u2013 solo or chamber instrumental (no voice) with a maximum of 4 musicians, preferably featuring clarinet.
\nb. Musical\/structural\/conceptual etc. ideas for the work. The proposed composition must be performable as a score to Act Without Words I, but it may also be performable as an independent piece.
\nc. Please note \u2013 the proposed composition should be no longer than fifteen minutes in length to match the play\u2019s duration. Significant deviations will not be considered.
\n3. Bio and\/or CV (PDF). Please name PDF file as follows: [last name]-Bio.pdf. Example: Ligeti-Bio.pdf
\n4. Your name, email, phone number, and location of primary residence.
\nAbout Act Without Words I
\nWritten in 1956 by Samuel Beckett, Act Without Words I is a short mime play lasting approximately fifteen minutes. It features one male protagonist who is thrown onstage into a desert scene illuminated by a \u201cdazzling light.\u201d Over the course of the play, the nameless man is presented with various objects, including a carafe of water that remains just beyond his grasp. The man makes various attempts to reach the water, ranging from the absurd to the tragic. Each attempt fails and he eventually gives up. Beckett did not write specific instructions for the musical score to the play. The original score was written by John S. Beckett, Samuel Beckett\u2019s cousin. A copy of the text to Act Without Words I may be viewed here: http:\/\/samuel-beckett.net\/Act_Without_Words.html<\/p>\n
About Bard Music West
\nBard Music West (a project of the Bard Music Festival) is a new San Francisco-based music festival dedicated to inspiring passion among diverse audiences for the classical music of our time. Bard Music West will explore the sound world of one twentieth-century or living composer each season, delving into the composer\u2019s eclectic inspirations and influences while crossing musical genres, time periods, and artistic disciplines. On March 17th and 18th, 2017, Bard Music West will present its first season focused around the great Hungarian composer Gy\u00f6rgy Ligeti. For more information, please check the festival website at www.bardmusicwest.org.<\/p>\n