Prospectus- 2022 Composition Contest

Hillcrest Wind Ensemble

Call for Scores

The Hillcrest Wind Ensemble (HWE) hosts the Contest to add quality, new musical selections to our library and to perform such as world premiere compositions, while also providing musical composers with an opportunity to have their works featured at a live concert.

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Rules

1.     All styles of music will be considered.  Preference will be given to works not previously published, but self-published works will be accepted.  

The works must not have been previously performed.  Contest winners are welcome to publish the contest entry after our performance of the piece.

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2.     Entrants:  The Call for Scores contest is open to any age, nationality, or experience level.  NO members or family members of the HWE may enter.

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PLEASE NOTE!  Previous HWE Contest award recipients may submit new works after a three-year waiting period.  In other words, winners of the 2021 contest must wait until 2024 to submit a new entry.

3.     Scoring is to be for the Hillcrest Wind Ensemble. We have the following instrumentation:

            - 6 Flutes (up to 3 piccolos)

            - 1 Oboe

            - 2 Bassoons

            - 1 Eb clarinet

            - 6 Bb clarinets

            - 1 Bass Clarinet (lowest range: low Eb)

            - 2 Alto Saxophones

            - 1 Tenor Saxophone

            - 1 Baritone Saxophone

            - 5 Cornets/Trumpets

            - 4 French Horns

            - 3 Trombones

            - 2 Euphoniums/Baritones

            - 2 Tubas

            - 1 String Bass

            - 1 Timpani*

            - 1 Mallet percussionist *

            - 3 percussionists *

*Percussion available:  3 timpani (23”, 26”, 29”), concert bass, snare, chimes, bells, suspended cymbal, crash cymbal, triangle, tambourine, finger cymbals, 36” tam-tam, standard drum set, floor tom, small bongos, cabasa, shaker, slide whistle, maracas, castanets, ratchet, claves, guiro, sleigh bells, cowbell, vibraslap, wind chimes, flexatone.

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            Do NOT include English horn, soprano sax, harp, etc.  They are NOT available.

            We have limited technology for electronics.  The inclusion of any electronics should be easily accessible.

            VERY IMPORTANT! Entries that do not meet the instrumentation detailed above will NOT be considered. 

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4.     Duration:  Preference is given to works between 4-10 minutes (shorter and longer pieces have won in the past; this is just a preference). 

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5.     Entry Fee(s):  The entry fee for the Call for Scores is $20 USD per submission.  All entry fees will be paid electronically as part of the submission process when clicking the "Submit Your Composition" button below. Payment will be processed through PayPal, where you may also use any credit card whose logo is shown.

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Your entry fee may be tax deductible.  You will receive a receipt via Email.

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6.     Difficulty:  Pieces should be for medium to advanced players - Grade 3 to 5. Please see:  https://www.bandworld.org/pdfs/GradingChart.pdf  if you have any additional questions.

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7.     Suitability:  If, in the opinion of the judges, no entry is deemed worthy of a prize, none shall be awarded. 

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8.     Deadline for submissions:  End of day Pacific Daylight Time, September 23, 2022.

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9.     Judges:  The judges evaluating your work are music professionals including performance majors, music educators, composers, and arrangers.

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10.  Notification:  The winning entries will be announced in December of 2022. Winning entrants are expected to be available for questions and to cooperate with the HWE artistic director during the rehearsal season up to the performance of the piece.

Due to COVID-19 concerns, our rehearsal and performance schedule for the winning pieces may need to be postponed or canceled.  If so, HWE retains the right to perform the winning entries at our next available concert, with the contest cash awards sent to the winners after the performance.  Should there be no concerts in 2023, HWE will send awards before December 31, 2023 to the contest winners.  HWE will keep winning entrants notified of the scheduled rehearsals and concert dates, and of any changes or cancellations of those dates.

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11.  Parts for the winning entries will be needed by January 10, 2023.

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12.  Performance Rights:  By entering the contest, the winners acknowledge and grant a non-exclusive perpetual license to HWE to perform and record all or a portion of their work created for the HWE Composition Contest.  Winning compositions will remain in the HWE music library for future performance beyond the premiere concert date.  Recordings, either audio or video, may be placed on our website, YouTube, and other social media accounts.  The winners retain their copyright of the piece and may publish the piece any time after the HWE world premiere performance date. 

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13. Awards: There will be two cash awards: 1st place of $500.00 and 2nd place of$250.00, payable to the winners after the premiere performance.  Winning pieces will be performed as allowed given the COVID-19 pandemic situation. A recording of the piece will be available for download.

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What to Submit:

Only electronic submissions will be accepted

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You will enter the following information when you click the "Submit Your Composition" button below.

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A.     Composer Information: We require all of the following information:

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1. Composer Name

2. Email address

3. Telephone Number

4. Complete Mailing Address

5. Name of Piece

6. How you heard about the contest

B.     Score:  A PDF of the score formatted for 8.5” x 14” or 8.5” x 11” printing. No handwritten scores or parts will be accepted. Judging will be anonymous. Do NOT put your name on the score - THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!

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C.    Recording:  Either a live (non-concert performance) or MIDI sound file.  Recordings must be MP3 format, up to 25 MB only. 

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D.    Entry Fee(s):  The entry fee for the Call for Scores is $20 USD per submission.  All entry fees will be paid electronically via PayPal as part of the submission process when clicking the "Submit Your Composition" button below.

Send all communications and inquiries regarding the contest to:

  HWE.Contest@gmail.com.

These winning entries were performed at our 2022 spring concerts on April 3, 2022 and April 9, 2022.
1st Place - $500 prize

These winning entries were performed at our 2022 spring concerts on April 3, 2022 and April 9, 2022.
1st Place - $500 prize