i Coristi Chamber Choir Competition in Choral Composition

i Coristi Chamber Choir is proud to support the composition of new Canadian works for choir through this biennial competition. The winning composition will be chosen by a blind jury and will be performed at one of i Coristi's concerts in 2020. The winning composer will receive a prize of CAD $1,000 and an archival recording of the performance.

About the choir i Coristi Chamber Choir is a 24-voice choir based in Edmonton, AB, now entering its 26th season. Membership is by audition and encompasses a broad cross section of the population: accountants, teachers, computer programmers, nanotechnologists, designers, theologians, administrators, office personnel—singers for whom music is their vocation, and singers for whom music is their avocation!

The name i Coristi is Italian, meaning "the choral singers". Noted for its unique, eclectic programming, the choir focuses on a cappella masterpieces from the Renaissance to the 21st century, presented in three main concerts each season; the choir also performs at seniors' facilities and various local businesses and gatherings.

The choir performs at an advanced level, and alongside choral standards it includes in its repertoire new commissions, improvisation, extended vocal techniques, spatial performance elements, and other innovations. The choir’s 2018/2019 season, for example, included the first-ever collaboration between a Western choir and the sarangi, including new music written specifically for the combination, and choral improvisation. Accordingly, we welcome submissions in a broad range of styles, whether a more traditional choral setting, or more adventurous material suited for a chamber ensemble of advanced amateur performers.
Rules & Regulations

1. Canadian citizens and permanent residents living in Canada are eligible to submit entries.
2. Submissions must be original compositions (not arrangements) that are unpublished, have not
   yet been publicly performed, and are not currently under consideration in another competition.
3. Pieces must be approximately 4 to 5 minutes in length, for a cappella SATB choir; 2-part or occasional 3-part divisi is acceptable.
4. The composer must have obtained the necessary permissions to set copyrighted texts.
5. If a winning entry is selected, i Coristi Chamber Choir will award the composer a prize of CAD $1,000, will perform the work at one concert in the 2020 calendar year and will make available to the composer a copy of the archival recording.
6. All entrants retain copyright to submitted pieces. I Coristi Chamber Choir will retain the exclusive performance rights to the winning piece for one year following the awarding of the prize, as well as perpetual, non-exclusive recording and mechanical rights.
7. Application deadline is October 31, 2019. A winner will be selected and announced by November 30, 2019.
8. i Coristi Chamber Choir reserves the right not to select a winning entry.

Application Procedure

1. A PDF of the score must be submitted to [email protected]. Please remove all identifying marks from the score (i.e. composer's name).
2. If the piece uses a copyrighted text, please provide proof that permission has been received to set the text. (Compositions that have not received the necessary permissions in this regard are ineligible for the competition.)
3. There is a fee of CAD $25 per entry. Composers are permitted to submit up to two entries; however, each entry requires a separate entry fee. The entry fee should be mailed to the address below. (E-mail transfers can be accepted; please e-mail [email protected] for the necessary details.) Please clearly indicate the composer's name with your entry and provide full contact information.
4. Scores and entry fees must be received by October 31, 2019.

Please mail entry fees via cheque or money order payable to “i Coristi Chamber Choir” to:
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i Coristi Chamber Choir
P.O. Box 52068 Garneau
Edmonton, AB T6G 2T5