South African Composers’ Competition 2024-2025

ABOUT THE COMPETITION PROVIDER – CPO

The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) was founded in 1914 and is currently one of Africa’s most dynamic and versatile orchestras, significantly enhancing Cape Town’s international reputation. Over the years, it has evolved from the Cape Town Municipal Orchestra to the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra, later to the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, and back to the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.

Financially and culturally robust, the CPO attracts top-tier international artists. As a multifaceted orchestra, it provides world-class performances to diverse communities in the region, participating in festivals and concerts across various musical genres.

ABOUT THE SA COMPOSERS COMPETITION

The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) is inviting composers to apply for the 2024–2025 South African Composers’ Competition, to be held on 31 October 2024.

The contest targets young composers, aiming to enhance their skills and highlight talent within the local music scene. It calls for submissions of 5 to 15 minute compositions for symphony orchestra, offering participants valuable opportunities for their works to be performed.

Winners will receive the following prizes:

1st prize: R20 000 cash, along with a one-year residency as the CPO’s Composer, including a performance of the winning piece in a CPO concert and a new commissioned work to be showcased in the next year’s final round.
2nd prize: R10 000 cash, along with at least one public performance of the submitted composition.
3rd prize: R5 000, along with at least one public performance of the submitted composition.

All five finalists’ compositions will be showcased during the concert on 15 March 2025.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SA COMPOSERS COMPETITION

Applicants must satisfy the following minimum entry criteria before applying (please note that failure to satisfy all the requirements will lead to your application not being considered):

You must be a South African citizen
You must NOT be older than 35 years old
You must read and agree to abide by the competition rules (.pdf)
You must NOT be a previous winner of this competition
You must NOT be a member of the jury or the organising committee

HOW TO APPLY FOR THE SA COMPOSERS COMPETITION

Applications must be submitted online at: South African Composers’ Competition Entry Form

Applicants must follow these rules when applying:

Each participant may submit only one composition.
The piece must be between five and 15 minutes in length.
The submitted work must be original, unpublished, and unperformed, and it should not have received any prior awards.
The composition must be free of any contractual obligations, including those with publishing companies.
Instrumentation options include strings, double woodwind, brass, limited percussion, keyboard, harp, celeste, select traditional African instruments, and electronic instruments.
The orchestra should not exceed 55 players, and pieces for solo instruments or solo voice are not eligible.
Arrangements of existing works will be disqualified.
Composers retain ownership of their works but agree that the CPO may use their compositions for promotional purposes.
You may not submit pre-recorded or fully electronic music compositions.

Submit clear copies of the following supporting documentation along with your application (the submission of these documents is compulsory – if any items are missing, your application may be disqualified):

ID document
Clear and legible PDF score generated from music notation software, with the duration and title prominently displayed on the first page. Ensure the score is anonymous, with no identifying information to maintain impartiality during judging. Explanations are permitted solely for special performance techniques or forms, and only Italian, English, German, and French musical terms are accepted.
MP3 audio demo, naming the file with the title of the work only
Recent digital photo of yourself, taken within the last three months, with a minimum size of 1MB

CLOSING DATE FOR THE SA COMPOSERS COMPETITION

31 October 2024 (at 17:00 CAT).
(Applications submitted after this date will not be accepted – please apply before the closing date to ensure your application is considered.)

CONTACT THE COMPETITION PROVIDER

For any queries related to this programme, please contact the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) directly:
Contact Person: Neil Robertson
Email: neil@cpo.org.za