The Columbia Civic Orchestra and Columbia Chamber Choir seek orchestral and choral works for the 2026 Missouri Composers Project (MOCOP) competition, with the goal of promoting music for larger forces written by Missouri composers. Works can be submitted in one of four categories:
Open Orchestral (up to 10 minutes in duration)
Open Choral (up to 8 minutes in duration)
High School Orchestral (up to 10 minutes in duration)
High School Choral (up to 8 minutes in duration)
The open categories include any composer, of any age, who is either a resident of Missouri or whose submitted work was written while the composer was living in Missouri. The high school categories include any composer enrolled in grades 9-12th in a Missouri high school. Instrumentation for orchestral submissions should not exceed: 2+pic, 2+EH, 2+B.Cl, 2, 4, 3, 3, 1, Timp+2 perc, strings. Choral works must be scored for standard SATB (with or without piano).
One winner will be chosen from each of the four categories. The composers of the selected works will receive a performance and professional recording of their winning work by the Columbia Civic Orchestra (directed by Stefan Freund) or Columbia Chamber Choir (directed by Emily Edgington Andrews), as well as a $500 honorarium. Winning composers must be present during the premiere of the work in order to receive their cash award, and MNMI is not responsible for travel costs.
Winning pieces will be performed on March 8, 2026 at 7:30 PM at Broadway Christian Church. The concert is FREE and open to the public. A dress rehearsal with the composers present will take place in the church from 2:30-6:15pm that afternoon. Columbia Civic Orchestra Music Director Stefan Freund and Columbia Chamber Choir Artistic Director Emily Andrews, along with several guest conductors, will conduct the concert.
Previous MOCOP winners are not eligible to apply.
Application Materials
PDF score (with no name or other identifying marks)
Recording (MP3, WAV, AIFF) or MIDI Realization of the work
More information and details about past winners: https://newmusic.missouri.edu/mocop.