Arcady-RBC Emerging Composer Competition

The 2024 competition is now over! Thank you to everyone who submitted and congratulations to the winners.

Arcady is pleased to present the eighth annual Arcady-RBC Emerging Composer Competition for new works for voice and piano

The award: The winner of Arcady’s 2024 Emerging Composer Competition will have their work premiered during the 2024/25 season by members of Arcady’s professional ensemble. They will receive a recording and if desired, one-on-one sessions with esteemed Canadian composer and Arcady’s Resident Composer and Artistic Director Ronald Beckett (via Skype or in-person). Please note: Travel expenses to the premiere are the responsibility of the prize recipient (though composers’ attendance is not required at the premiere).

Submission criteria:

  • Works must be written for solo voice or duet
  • Works must include accompaniment for piano or string quartet
  • 3-5 minutes in duration
  • May be secular or sacred
  • Rights to texts must be cleared, and evidence of copyright holder’s permission provided
  • Composer will retain the copyright of the piece
  • Composer may submit up to two compositions
  • Arcady will retain the winning manuscript for future performances
  • Arcady retains the right to not pick a winner if there is no suitable winner
  • The competition is open to residents of any country

Eligibility:

  • Composers must self-identify as an emerging composer.

Submission process:

  • All applicants must fill out the online application form by April 6, 2024 (by 11:59 PM EST at the latest).
  • Submission materials should be uploaded to a folder in Google Drive, Dropbox, or a similar platform publicly accessible and linked in the application form.

Required materials include:

  1. Score(s) in PDF format
  2. List of works in PDF format (1 page maximum)
  3. Proof of rights to text in PDF format (if applicable)
  4. MIDI recording or audio from a reading in MP3 format

Deadline: April 6, 2024, 11:59 PM EST

For additional information contact: info@arcady.ca

The winner will be notified by May 11, 2024.

There is no fee to enter the competition, but applicants may make a donation to the non-profit organization to support the competition if they wish.

Past winners:

  • Håkon Guttormsen – Denmark (2024) – Winning piece: 3 Almqvist Songs
  • David Archibald – Toronto, Canada (2024) – Winning piece: To A Stranger
  • Kip Johnson – Halifax, Canada (2023) – Winning piece: for Shore
  • Travis Reynolds – Los Angeles, CA (2022) – Winning piece: [by zero]
  • Victor Avila – Ottawa, ON (2022) – Winning piece: Birds of Spring
  • Julian Ward – Greenville, NC (2021) – Winning piece: Spirits of the Dead
  • Isaac Ward – Greenville, NC (2021) – Winning piece: Sketch for soprano and piano
  • Monika Gurak – Toronto, ON (2021) – Winning piece: Hope is…
  • Bracha Bdil – Jerusalem, Isreal (2020) – Winning piece: My Snowman
  • Sointu Aalto – Edmonton, Alberta (2020) – Winning piece: Yösinfonia, 1I
  • Julijana Hajdinjak – Mississauga, Ontario (2019) – Winning piece: Moonset
  • Haley Woodrow – Bedford, TX (2018) – Winning piece: Winter Light
  • Ian Guthrie – Washougal, WA (2017) – Winning piece: Song of the Wood
  • Dylann Miller –  Aurora, ON (2017) – Winning piece: Two Irish Blessings
  • Stephanie Orlando – Toronto, ON (2016) – Winning piece: A dream within a dream