Deadline is August 6 to submit carols for this year's Welcome Christmas Carol Contest

VocalEssence & American Composers Forum announce the thirteenth annual 2010 Welcome Christmas Carol Contest for chorus & handbells; Deadline for submissions is postmarked on or before August 6, 2010.

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 thirteenth 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.
 
Open to any composer, this year’s contest requires writing a carol for SATB chorus accompanied by handbells. Each year, the contest has produced wonderful new settings of familiar texts and carols based on existing poems and original texts with different instrumentation.
 
Each winner will receive a prize of $1,000, and the winning carols will be premiered at the December 4, 5, 10, 11 & 12, 2010 Welcome Christmas concerts featuring the VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers. The performances will be recorded for national broadcast in 2011 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.

For more information, see the 2010 Carol Contest Guidelines. For press assistance, contact Katryn Coniln, VocalEssence Communications Manager, 612-547-1457 or kconlin@vocalessence.org.

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