YSO Composition Readings

Sponsored by Yale College New Music:

Each year the Yale Symphony Orchestra reads new orchestral works by Yale College composers. For 2018-2019, a competition will be held to select the pieces for the next YSO Reading Session on November 12th, 2018.

Submission #1 Guidelines: DUE NO LATER than Monday, Oct. 1, 4:30 pm

Yale College composers are invited to submit three to five minutes of an orchestral work for consideration by the judging panel. Composers may submit either a Finale or Sibelius file of their work to Prof. Kathryn Alexander by e-mail at kathryn.alexander@yale.edu. If chosen, they must also submit two scores of their orchestral work, printed back-to-back on 11×17 paper and neatly bound, to the Business Office of the Department of Music. Works may be submitted at any time before the deadline.

Instrumentation:

2.2.2.3, 4.2.3.1, harp, piano, percussion, strings

Maximum of three percussion players. Choose from the following instruments:

  • Mallets: chimes, glockenspiel, marimba, vibraphone, xylophone
  • Metals: finger cymbals, crash cymbals, suspended cymbal (16” and 18”), large tam-tam, triangle (5”, 7” and 10”)
  • Skins: drum kit (5-piece), snare drum, bass drum, tambourine, timpani
  • Woods: castanets, claves, guiro, temple blocks
  • Other: bird call, flexatone, ratchet, slapstick, sleigh bells, vibraslap

Repertoire Examples:

Works by Yale College composers that have been either read or programmed by the YSO:

hatchling – Emil Ernstrom; read by the YSO

Unraveling – Max Vinetz; premiered  Nov. 11th, 2017 with the YSO

Judging Panel:

Professors Kathryn Alexander and Konrad Kaczmarek will review the submissions.

Submission #2: DUE NO LATER than Monday, Oct. 29th, 4:30 pm

The chosen composers must submit both the score and a full set of professional-quality orchestral parts to the YSO Librarians.  Parts may be submitted at any time before the deadline.

Forfeiture:

A composer’s piece will not be read if he/she fails to meet the Submission #2 deadline on time with the appropriate professional-quality materials.