Opportunities

2026 Akropolis Chamber Music Institute

The Akropolis Chamber Music Institute (ACMI) is a week long summer festival held at and in partnership with Interlochen Center for the Arts from June 7-13, 2026. ACMI invites creative composers, innovative performers, and rising ensembles to come together for a rigorous week of chamber music, world premieres, and professional development.Approximately 4 composers, 16 individual instrumentalists, and 2 resident ensembles will be accepted to ACMI 2026. The composers-in-residence at ACMI will create a new work for Akropolis which will be extensively workshopped at ACMI and premiered during our 26/27 season, as well as a new work for the ACMI instrumentalists which will be premiered at ACMI. Tuition is $1,800, financial assistance available. 

ELECTROWAVE Electroacoustic Music Festival 2026 Call for Scores

ELECTROWAVE, the Rocky Mountain Electroacoustic Music Festival hosted at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS), seeks original electroacoustic works from composers living in Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming or Utah for a “FRONT RANGE WAVES” Special Feature Concert during the 2026 ELECTROWAVE Festival, taking place March 6-8 at the Ent Center for the Arts on the UCCS campus.

Fivemind Reeds 2026 Call for Scores

Fivemind Reeds is proud to announce their 2026 Call for Scores! Composers of any nationality, any age, and at any stage of their career are invited to submit works for reed quintet (oboe/English horn, Bb clarinet, saxophone/also saxophone, bassoon, bass clarinet) for consideration for a featured spot in Fivemind Reeds 2026/27 season.

Composers Concordance 15th Annual Composition Competition

Composers Concordance, a presenting organization for contemporary music with a 42-year history of cutting-edge concert programming in NYC, announces its 15th Annual ‘Generations’ concert and composition competition. The program will feature music of Lynn Bechtold, Dan Cooper, Gilbert Galindo, Howie Kenty, Lukas Ligeti, Joseph Pehrson,
Gene Pritsker, Will Rowe, and Maria Tegzes, as well as two competition winners: one composer age 25 or younger, and another composer age 65 or older. Competition winners are requested to attend the concert, which will be held on Saturday, March 21st, 2026 at 6:30pm at The Stonewall Inn: 53 Christopher Street, New York City. Inability to attend the concert will not disqualify entrants, and virtual attendance is possible.

NuovoSound Ensemble 2026 Inaugural Call for Scores

The NuovoSound Ensemble is thrilled to announce our inaugural call for scores, with the winning scores to be performed at our free Spring 2026 concert on April 26th, 2026, to be held at the Robert Carr Chapel in Fort Worth, TX. For our upcoming Spring 2026 concert, we desire to perform three (3) works by living and emerging composers based anywhere in the world. For this call, we will select two (2) winners who are currently pursuing or intending to pursue a bachelors, masters, or doctoral degree in music at any accredited institution, and additionally (1) winner who has not yet begun higher education (e.g., still in High School).

Arizona Flute Society 2026 Composition Competition

The Arizona Flute Society is currently accepting submissions for their 2026 Composition Competition. This year’s competition is open to works for solo flute, flute and piano, or flute and electronics (electronics may be fixed or live). Submissions may include works for C flute, piccolo, alto flute, and bass flute. There is no duration requirement, and works may be new or previously existing The competition is open to composers of all ages and nationalities. The winner will receive $250 and will be featured on the AFS website and social media platforms. The composer will retain all other rights to their composition, and all performance and recording rights will revert back to the composer 1 year after the date of the winner’s announcement.

Thessaloniki Art and Music Summit 2026

The Thessaloniki Art & Music Summit (THAMS) is an international composition program organized by Ablaze Records and Global Arts United, offering selected composers the opportunity to work closely with the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra in one of Greece’s most vibrant cultural centers. THAMS 2026 runs from May 24–June 6 in Thessaloniki, Greece and is focused exclusively on composition. Participants will work intensively with orchestra musicians, conductors, and faculty through rehearsals, reading sessions, and public performances, culminating in two orchestral concerts with the superb Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra. Composers’ pieces will be recorded and will retain all rights. Tuition is 4,250 euro; scholarships up to $2,000 are available. 

Sounbox Ventures Residency Call for Scores

Soundbox Ventures seeks scores for solo or small chamber ensemble of short works around or under 10 minutes recently completed or already premiered for a CD recording as part of a residency in Shanghai, China from August 1–14, 2026. The theme of the CD is a multi-volume “diary of glimpses in Shanghai” featuring the experimentation and voices of each composer participant. The residency in Shanghai includes rehearsals with performers, mentorship sessions, seminars on portfolio development and professional practice, and professional audio/video documentation culminating in a professionally released CD in China. Tuition is $3,000; need-based tuition financial aid is available with possibility of full scholarship.

Cincinnati Camerata’s Kummer Award for Composition

Cincinnati Camerata invites composers of any age or nationality to submit an original work to our annual choral composition competition. Our newly renamed Cincinnati Camerata’s Kummer Award for Composition honors the late Stan Kummer, whose family has generously offered to sponsor the competition to continue his legacy of support for enriching musical outlets like Camerata. The winner will receive a cash prize of $500.

The NMGCS V International Composition Competition

The National Music & Global Culture Society (New York) announces the NMGCS V International Composition Competition to recognize outstanding new full-scale musical works inspired by Azerbaijani folk songs. First prize receives $2,000; second prize receives $1,000; and third prize receives $500. All winners receive a certificate of excellence and a performance of their work at the Lincoln Center, Bruno Walter Auditorium in New York, USA.

Chicago a capella HerVoice Competition and Mentorship Program

Chicago a cappella seeks submissions for HerVoice, a competition and mentorship program for women composers. A partnership the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, this opportunity is open to composers of all ages who self-identify as female, from anywhere in the world. Women composers whose career is in its early stages and women composers of color are particularly encouraged to apply. The winners will each receive a $500 stipend for work with mentors and ensemble.

Juventas New Music Ensemble

Juventas is seeking chamber works, for a program centered on immigrant stories. This theme may be interpreted in the broadest sense, including both contemporary narratives and ancestral journeys. Submitted scores may utilize any combination of the following instruments: soprano voice, flute, clarinet, horn, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, percussion, piano. 1–4 applicants will be selected and have their work premiered in Fall 2026 in Cambridge, MA. $15 application fee per submitted work. 

Impulse New Music Festival 2026 Composition Summer Program

Impulse New Music Festival seeks collegiate to early-career composers to apply for its 2026 summer program. Selected composers will write a new work for one of our Festival Chamber Trios or ensemble-in-residence, Brightwork (pierrot + percussion), study with composition faculty, work directly with musicians of the assigned ensemble, and have their work premiered at the 2026 Festival Concert. Tuition is $2,450 for the full summer program, $950 for the study program. Limited scholarship support may be available. 

soundSCAPE Composition and Performance Exchange

soundSCAPE Composition and Performance Exchange gathers early-career participants and world-class faculty artists in Blonay, Switzerland to support young composers through the commissioning and performance of their works. Students of all backgrounds and nationalities are encouraged to apply. Open to composers, performers, and sound engineers ages 18 years and up. Come study with our faculty of contemporary artists at the top of their field in a warm and welcoming creative environment at the Hindemith Music Centre. The 2026 Festival runs from July 1–10, 2026. Tuition is $1,600; accommodation fees available. 

Chineke! 2026-2027 Composer in Residence

Chineke! is looking to appoint their inaugural Composer-in-Residence for the 2026/27 season to work with the orchestra and further their long-standing commitment to commissioning new music by Black and ethnically diverse composers. The resident will receive commissions for at least 3 new works for chamber ensemble and symphony orchestra over the course of the season and have their music performed and championed by Chineke! through the course of the residency and beyond. 

Artists Respond: Safety In Neighbors

Artists Respond is a Springboard for the Arts program that supports artists to create modest, community-rooted projects that rapidly respond to community issues and opportunities. Past rounds have focused on social isolation, equitable rural futures, environmental stewardship, rural-urban solidarity, and economic justice through guaranteed income. Artists Respond: Safety in Neighbors activates the local: neighbors, block clubs, apartment buildings, whisper networks, and local businesses, and asks artists to make it easier for neighbors to find resources, solidarity, and each other. Selected artists or artist teams will receive a stipend of $1,500 to design and carry out a small community-rooted project.

MacDowell 2026-2027 Artist Residencies

Since its founding in 1907, MacDowell has imbued its spaces with a deep and abiding respect for artists and their creative work. In the 21st century, this fundamental kindness is sustained by the curiosity, generosity, and goodwill circulating within the resident community. MacDowell encourages applications from artists representing the widest possible range of perspectives and demographics. Fellowships are two to eight weeks and for composers includes a private studio with baby grand piano, housing, and three meals per day. Studios are comfortably furnished with the artists’ needs in mind. Artists are responsible for materials and travel expenses: financial assistance is available to artists in residence based on demonstrated financial need. Applications open on January 15. 

Music for Unity 2026 International Composition Competition

Music for Unity, in cooperation with The National Association of Composers/USA–Los Angeles Chapter (NACUSA-LA) and the All-Armenian Students Association (All-ASA), presents the 2026 International Composition Competition, “Homecoming: Return to Artsakh.” Composers are invited to submit an original piano trio based on an Armenian folk tune from Artsakh, with a duration of 4–6 minutes. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis until February 15, 2026. 6 finalists will be selected. Prizes include $500 for finalists and $1,500 for first place. Finalists will be announced on March 10, 2026. The grand opening of the competition will take place on May 15, 2026, followed by the competition finale on May 16, 2026, in Glendale, California. 

The Mandel Institute for Nonprofit Leadership Fellowship

The Mandel Institute for Nonprofit Leadership Fellowship is a 2-year program that supports artists who are advancing the boundaries of culture and galvanizing action on a range of social issues through their work. 15-18 Fellows will join a rigorous learning community of artists who instigate work that is courageous, boundary-breaking, intellectually curious, and rooted in the richness of Jewish history and culture. The fellowship includes: 1) an intensive curriculum comprised of five in-person seminars, bi-monthly virtual meetings, and an individualized course plan to develop skills and knowledge; 2) dedicated work with an advisor to advance creative work or research; and 3) a $40,000 stipend over 2 years, which will support time in the fellowship’s educational program and independent work on a creative project. All travel expenses are covered minus meals. 

3rd Annual Kreitler Commission Competition

Summermusik with resident ensemble Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra in partnership with Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh, Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle (NC), and Reno Chamber Orchestra announce the third annual Kreitler Commission Competition. This blind competition is open to composers of any nationality and age. The winning composer will receive four performances of the winning work during the 2027-2028 season with a premiere in Cincinnati, OH, USA in August 2027; a professional video recording of the premiere performance; cash prize of US$10,000; travel stipend up to US$750 for travel expenses to attend rehearsals and the concert in Cincinnati; and lodging during the duration of the Cincinnati residency.