Breaking Ground
Composition competition
The City of Oxford Choir invite submissions to a composition competition on the theme of “Breaking Ground” in collaboration with Oxford University Museum of Natural History
The Breaking Ground competition is now closed to entries.
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A huge thank you to all the composers who took the time to enter our composition competition, we are thrilled by the creativity and diversity of the works. Please bear with us as the panel undertake the exciting task of reviewing the entries.
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We anticipate announcing the winner before the end of the year.
The City of Oxford Choir is a leading chamber choir, performing at least four concerts per year in and around Oxford. We enjoy exploring exciting and ambitious repertoire and are seeking a new work to be premiered at our upcoming concert in collaboration with the Oxford University Museum of Natural History (OUMNH) on the theme “Breaking Ground”. The concert will reflect the museum’s temporary exhibition of the same name. “Breaking Ground” celebrates iconic fossils used in the first scientific description of a dinosaur in Oxfordshire 200 years ago. This is an exciting opportunity for emerging composers to create a work with unusual thematic elements around palaeontology, discovery and innovation. Joining our Musical Director Duncan Aspden on the judging panel will be Griselda Sherlaw-Johnson (Choral Promotion Specialist at Oxford University Press), and Susie Allan (pianist).
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Prize: One winner will be selected to receive £1000 and a premiere performance by The City of Oxford Choir at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History on Friday 28th March 2025.
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Closing date: Friday 22 November 2024. More details below.
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Forces: 35-voice a cappella chamber choir (SATB with divisi).
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Duration: 3-5 minutes.
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Text: Composer’s choice of text related to the “Breaking Ground” theme.
The Breaking Ground exhibition will be open to the public from 18th October 2024. The exhibition tells the story of major developments in our understanding of the history of life and Earth, with over 100 objects on display, including the iconic jaw of Megalosaurus.
Please submit an anonymous PDF and digital recording (can be a Sibelius/Finale file) to secretary@oxfordchoir.org by the 22nd November 2024. Winner will be notified by mid-December.
The competition is open to anyone over the age of 16, except current City of Oxford Choir members. The City of Oxford Choir will have exclusive rights over the winning entry for 12 months from winner being notified. Entries received after the closing date will not be considered. The piece must be an original work that has never had a public performance. The composer is responsible for seeking appropriate permission from the copyright holder if setting third party texts.