ISCM Canadian Section Call for Works for ISCM World New Music Days 2025 in Lisbon & Porto, Portugal, May 30 – June 7, 2025
DEADLINE: March 8, 2024
The International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) Canadian Section is pleased to announce a call for works to select the Canadian Section’s submission for the 2025 ISCM World New Music Days taking place from May 30th – June 7th, 2025 in Lisbon and Porto, Portugal. The jury will be announced publicly in the coming weeks.
Six works will be chosen for submission with a guarantee that at least one will be selected for performance in Portugal. It is the goal of the jury to select works of excellent artistic calibre to be the Canadian Section’s submission to ISCM World New Music Days. The jury assesses the submissions together to ensure that the chosen works encapsulate the dynamic and diverse output of Canadian composers and sound artists working in a broad range of aesthetics, media, identities, and contexts.
Submissions are encouraged in a wide variety of styles, reflecting the plurality of sonic arts today. Diversity in all its forms (race, culture, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, physical ability, and age) will be a guiding factor. We particularly welcome applications from artists who are women, non-binary, trans, Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, as well as artists from traditionally under-represented populations.
In the selection process, the jury will give preference to pieces that are up to 10 minutes long, apart from the Youth Choir Category (no. 11), where the duration is no more than five minutes. Preference will also be given to works created after 2015 and works created after 2020 will receive the highest priority.
In addition to the above, the theme for the 2025 festival is “Thirst for Change,” and the organizers are clear in their announcement that “…the jury will particularly favour compositions that resonate with or contribute to the ISCM WNMD 2025 theme.” More details about the festival theme can be found here.
The Canadian Section Jury will take these above guidelines from the Festival Jury into consideration when adjudicating submissions.
For all works being submitted to the ISCM Canadian Section for WNMD 2025, it will be the responsibility of each composer to secure rights for the inclusion of that composer’s work in the ISCM Canadian Section promotional website.
By submitting works to this call, composers are agreeing that if their work is selected for performance/presentation, then they grant automatic permission for recording, broadcasting, and streaming the ISCM performance/ presentation of their work without additional financial liability to the ISCM or the ISCM WNMD 2025 organisers.
ELIGIBILITY
1. Composers with Canadian citizenship or Permanent Residency are entitled to submit works to the jury of the ISCM Canadian Section. It is also possible to submit work(s) directly to the international jury of the ISCM by Individual Submission, conforming to the application fees and regulations of ISCM WNMD 2025.
Only one work may be submitted per composer, whether through the ISCM Canadian Section or by individual submission. The preferred means of submitting works by Canadian composers for consideration is through the ISCM Canadian Section. The ISCM Canadian Section will make every attempt to notify the public in a timely fashion of the ISCM Canadian Section jury’s selected works for World New Music Days 2025.
Individual Submissions should be received via the relevant ISCM 2025 Submission Form no later than 11:59pm CET on 25 April, 2024. Late submissions will not be considered. The Submission
Forms will be made available, and the links advertised on the ISCM website, from 15 February,
2024. (The CLC/ISCM Canadian Section will share this link when it becomes available)
Note: Composers whose work is selected for the official ISCM Canadian Section submission must be members of the Canadian League of Composers. If you are not a member, you may still submit, but if your work is chosen, we will ask you to join the CLC before we submit your work. In this case, the CLC will waive the $75 membership fee for the first year for composers whose works are part of the ISCM Canadian Section official submission.
2. The ISCM Canadian Section will select six works for consideration by the 2025 ISCM World New Music New Days Selection Jury. These works will come from at least four available categories.
3. Works by a composer whose piece(s) have been performed at the 2024 ISCM World New Music Days in the Faroe Islands are not eligible for submission.
4. Preference will be given to works composed after 2015, with highest priority given to works composed after 2020.
6. Preference will be given to works that reflect and / or incorporate the 2025 Festival theme “Thirst for Change.” Further details about that theme can be found here.
7. All works submitted to the ISCM Canadian Section for the Call for Scores for the 2025 ISCM World New Music Days must conform to the instrumentations (or subsets thereof in some cases) and durations of the available categories, as set out herein or in the Official Call for Works distributed by the ISCM Portugal Section. Please contact the ISCM Canadian Section (iscm@composition.org) or the CLC (info@composition.org) for more information about the eligibility of works written for subsets of the categories.
8. Failure to conform to this will, at the discretion of the 2025 World New Music Days international jury, disqualify the entire submission from the ISCM Canadian Section.
INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR SUBMISSIONS
The information/ materials required for each submitted work, both in Official and Individual Submissions, are:
1. The composer’s personal and contact information: given names; family name; name as it should appear in the programme; date of birth; gender; full mailing address; phone number; e-mail; website (if applicable).
2. Work information: title; submission category; accurate duration; composition year; information about previous performances and/ or if the work has been premiered or not.
3. Programme notes in English – maximum 150 words (possible file formats: odt, doc, docx).
4. Short biography of the composer in English – maximum 150 words (possible file formats: odt, doc, docx).
5. High-resolution digital photo of the composer (possible file formats: png or jpg).
6. Technical rider specifying the accurate instrumental set, equipment and means necessary for the performance of the submitted work (possible file formats: odt, doc, docx).
7. For categories 1-12: a PDF with the score and an audio file with a recording or a MIDI realisation (possible file formats: m4a, mp3, mp4, flac, wav, aiff). For recordings, please provide the date, venue, and names of performers.
8. For category 13, please submit sound files with the finished work (possible file formats: m4a, mp3, mp4, flac, wav, aiff). Please provide a stereo version for multi-channel works (up to 16 channels).
9. For category 14, please submit a project proposal/ description, sound files, image/ video files, a clear technical outline, and / or any other material allowing the jury to understand the work’s artistic and technical aspects and requirements.
- Image file formats: png, jpg.
- Video file formats: mp4 (normal quality), mov (Apple ProRes 422; high quality).
- Sound file formats: m4a, mp3, mp4, flac, wav, aiff.
- Please provide a stereo version for multi-channel works (up to 6 channels).
NOTE: Please ensure all the submitted documents and materials related to each work are labelled with the composer’s name and title.
SUBMISSION CATEGORIES:
1. ORCHESTRA (with or without electronics **)
a) Concert 1 · Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra (max: 2.2.2.2 – 2.2.0.0 – 2 perc – 7.6.5.4.2) *
b) Concert 2 · Porto Symphony Orchestra Casa da Música (max: 4.4.4.3 – 4.4.3.1 – timp + 3 perc – hp – 14.12.10.8.6) *
c) Concert 3 · Gulbenkian Orchestra (max: 3.3.3.3 – 4.3.3.1 – timp + 2 perc – hp – 10.8.6.5.4) *
* Flute – can double Piccolo and Alto Flute · Clarinet – can double Bb Bass Clarinet · Oboe – can double English Horn.
** The works submitted in this category can include live or “tape” electronics for an up-to-four-channel loudspeaker system. For more details, please see the note below.
2. LARGE ENSEMBLE – 10-15 musicians (with or without electronics **)
a) Remix Ensemble Casa da Música (max: 1.1.1.1 – 1.1.1.0 – 2 perc – pf – 2.1.1.1) *
b) Ensemble MPMP (max: 1.1.1.1 – 1.1.1.0 – 2 perc – pf – 2.1.1.1) *
* Flute – can double Piccolo and Alto Flute · Clarinet – can double Bb Bass Clarinet · Oboe – can double English Horn.
** The works submitted in this category can include live or “tape” electronics for an up-to-four-channel loudspeaker system. For more details, please see the note below.
3. MEDIUM ENSEMBLE – 8-13 musicians (with or without electronics **)
Concrète [Lab] Ensemble (fl, ob, cl, sax, hn, tbn, perc, pf, egtr, vn, va, vc, db) *
* Flute – can double Piccolo and Alto Flute · Clarinet – can double Bb Bass Clarinet · Oboe – can double English Horn · Saxophone – can double Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Baritone Saxophones.
** The works submitted in this category can include live or “tape” electronics for an up-to-four-channel loudspeaker system. For more details, please see the note below.
4. SMALL ENSEMBLE – 5-8 musicians (with or without electronics **)
Sond’Ar-te Electric Ensemble (sop, fl, cl, perc, pf, vn, va, vc) *
* Flute – can double Piccolo and Alto Flute · Clarinet – can double Bb Bass Clarinet.
** The works submitted in this category can include live or “tape” electronics for an up-to-four-channel loudspeaker system. For more details, please see the note below.
5. STRING ENSEMBLE – 10-13 musicians (with or without electronics *)
Camerata Alma Mater (max: 4.3.3.2.1)
* The works submitted in this category can include live or “tape” electronics for an up-to-four-channel loudspeaker system. For more details, please see the note below.
6. STRING QUARTET (with or without electronics *)
Matosinhos String Quartet (2 vn, va, vc)
* The works submitted in this category can include live or “tape” electronics for an up-to-four-channel loudspeaker system. For more details, please see the note below.
7. TRIO (with or without electronics *)
Sond’Ar-te Trio (pf, vn, vc)
* The works submitted in this category can include live or “tape” electronics for an up-to-four-channel loudspeaker system. For more details, please see the note below.
8. DUOS (with or without electronics **)
a) Komorebi Duo – Camila Mandillo and João Casimiro Almeida (sop, pf)
b) Nuno Pinto and Elsa Silva (cl *, pf)
* Clarinet – can double Bb Bass Clarinet.
** The works submitted in this category can include live or “tape” electronics for an up-to-four-channel loudspeaker system. For more details, please see the note below.
9. PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE – 4-6 keyboard percussion instruments * (with or without electronics **)
Percussion Ensemble of the OCP (soloists of the Portuguese Chamber Orchestra)
* Available instrumental set: 3 five-octave marimbas (C2 to C7) · 1 five-and-half octave marimba (C2 to F7) · 3 three-octave vibraphones (F3 to F6) · 1 four-octave vibraphone (C3 to C6) · 1 four-octave xylophone (C4 – C8).
** The works submitted in this category can include live or “tape” electronics for an up-to-four-channel loudspeaker system. For more details, please see the note below.
10. SOLO WORKS (with or without electronics **)
a) Camila Mandillo (sop)
b) Nuno Pinto (cl *)
c) Henrique Portovedo (sax *)
d) Elsa Silva (pf)
e) Filipe Quaresma (vc)
* Clarinet – can double Bb Bass Clarinet · Saxophone – can double Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Baritone Saxophones.
** The works submitted in this category can include live or “tape” electronics for an up-to-four-channel loudspeaker system. For more details, please see the note below.
11. YOUTH CHOIR *
Youth Choir of the Lisbon University
– Four voices (SATB) with a divisi option for each voice (approximately 40 singers).
– A cappella or with piano accompaniment.
– Possible small percussion instruments and/ or body used as percussion.
– Duration: no more than 5 minutes.
* This category does not provide the possibility of electronics.
12. SOLO PORTUGUESE GUITAR (with or without electronics *)
Miguel Amaral (Portuguese Guitar)
This category aims to encourage the creation of new works for this unique and virtuoso Portuguese instrument. Miguel Amaral provides a Brief Portuguese Guitar Writing Manual, and interested composers are welcome to contact the soloist via the e-mail: wnmdays2025-portugal@misomusic.com.
* The works submitted in this category can include live or “tape” electronics for an up-to-four-channel loudspeaker system. For more details, please see the note below.
13. ELECTROACOUSTIC MUSIC (with or without video)
Miso Music Portugal’s Loudspeaker Orchestra (40-loudspeaker system)
Electroacoustic Works (up to 16 channels)
14. SMALL-SIZE AUDIO/ VISUAL INSTALLATIONS *
In collaboration with the MAAT – Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology in Lisbon.
* Image file formats: png, jpg · Video file formats: mp4 (normal quality), mov (Apple ProRes 422; high quality) · Sound file formats: m4a, mp3, mp4, flac, wav, aiff. Please provide a stereo version for multi-channel works (up to 6 channels).
NOTE for works with electronics
- The electronics of the submitted compositions for instruments and “tape”/ live electronics can use an up-to-four-channel loudspeaker system.
- The following DAWs are recommended: Digital Performer, Reaper, Ableton Live, and Max/ MSP or Supercollider for interactive applications.
- All above-mentioned software and any additional software or plug-ins must run on Mac OS (plug-ins should be freeware and/ or be supplied by the composer).
To submit a work for consideration, please submit a complete application form, available here.
***Please note that submission via the above form requires an active Google account. In the event that you do not have one, please contact generalmanager@composition.org***
For general information on the International Society for Contemporary Music, click here.
For additional information specific to the ISCM Canadian Section, click here, or e-mail iscm@composition.org.
Sincerely,
Rodney Sharman, President, ISCM Canadian Section
Bekah Simms, Vice-President, ISCM Canadian Section
