The 2011 Brass Initiative Composition Contest

Brass Initiative is looking for programmatic diversity and new compositions in various styles. Brass Initiative is a new brass chamber group made of seasoned chamber players, adept in the realms of classical, jazz, Broadway, commercial, and pop styles.

Brass Initiative’s goal is to commission new works crafted to display the artistic diversity of brass while simultaneously ensuring the enjoyment and entertainment of the audiences.

Works selected for this project will be recorded in summer 2011 and released as an album in the winter of 2011/12.

Objective

Brass Initiative is looking for programmatic diversity and needs new compositions in the following styles:

• Jazz
• Programmatic
• Hip hop
• Country/bluegrass
• Romantic
• Impressionist
• Pop
• Rock
• Latin

The style is really your choice. The biggest criteria are melodic and commercial appeal. It can be intense, joyful, angry, mysterious… whatever you like.

Please keep in mind that one of the primary goals is listener entertainment.

Prizes

Works selected from the 2011 Brass Initiative Composition Contest will be recorded in summer 2011 and released as an album in the winter of 2011/12. The composers of selected works will divide 50% of download sales once annually for three years after the release of the album.

As an additional incentive, composers of selected works will have the option of having their piece(s) published and sold as part of the Brass Initiative Editions with a generous royalty rate for sheet music sales included.

Rules

• Work must be a stand alone piece approximately 2-7 minutes in length or a multiple movement work approximately 5-10 minutes long.
• Scored for horn, trombone, bass trombone, and two trumpets keyed in Bb or C. Eb and piccolo trumpet may also be employed as well as flugel horns. Tuba may not be used unless a part of works written for ensembles larger than quintet.
  • Works written for ensembles larger than quintet will also be considered.
  • Works written for ensembles smaller than quintet will not be considered.
  • The addition of a rhythm section, (drums, bass, piano, guitar, or any part of that group would be a welcome addition.)
• All works must be submitted digitally. Please do not mail hard copies unless requested.
• Works must not be previously published or you, the composer, must be the sole copyright holder of the work.
• The work cannot be previously released as a commercial recording.
• Composers may submit multiple works.

How to enter?

Submissions must include, in PDF form, a score, individual parts, and a midi or audio recording of the work.

Please submit all works to submissions [at] brassinitiative.com (please replace [at] with @).

In the email of the submission include the following:

1. Composer Name:
2. Email Address:
3. Phone Number:
4. Mailing Address:
5. Composition Name:
6. Number of Movements:
7. Composition Length:
8. Copyright Information:
9. Instrumentation:
10. A short description that can be used as a program note:

For additional submission questions please contact Brass Initiative at info [at] brassinitiative.com (please replace [at] with @) or submissions [at] brassinitiative.com (please replace [at] with @).