Welcome Christmas Carol Contest

VocalEssence & American Composers Forum announce the fourteenth annual Welcome Christmas Carol Contest for TTBB chorus & English horn

POSTMARK DEADLINE: August 5, 2011

The custom of singing Christmas carols brings joy to the holiday season unlike any other tradition. And every December VocalEssence and the American Composers Forum celebrate this tradition in their own unique way: championing today’s composers, exploring new works, and rediscovering lesser-known works of the past.
 
This year marks the fourteenth anniversary of the Welcome Christmas Carol Contest as VocalEssence and the American Composers Forum provide composers of all ages with the opportunity to compose a modern-day carol.

The contest is open to composers of all ages whose permanent residence is North America; experience writing for voice and/or choirs is beneficial. This year’s contest requires writing a carol for TTBB chorus accompanied by English horn.Each year, the contest has produced wonderful new settings of familiar texts and carols based on existing poems and original texts with different instrumentation. Submissions must be postmarked by August 5, 2011.

Each winner will receive a prize of $1,000, and the winning carols will be premiered at the December 3, 4, 9, 10 & 11, 2011 Welcome Christmas concerts featuring the VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers. The performances will be recorded for national broadcast in 2012 via American Public Media. The winners are invited to attend the rehearsals and performances at their own expense, and will have the opportunity for radio interviews as well as other media coverage and promotion.

2011 Contest Guidelines

Past Contest Winners 1998-2010

2007 npr.org/music story on the Welcome Christmas Carol Contest