The Horizon Ensemble is excited to announce our second Call for Scores! We are accepting submissions for an orchestral piece of 8-15 minutes, which will be performed live on May 31, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts in the northeast United States of America. This piece will be included in our concert, “Bridges,” with music by Ruth Hertzman-Miller, Julian Gau, and Frank Bridge, featuring music about bridges: the Harvard Bridge, bridges between people, and Frank Bridge.The Horizon Ensemble can cover up to $150 for travel to the live concert performance. We’re excited for another voice to be part of it!
Submission Requirements
The Horizon Ensemble is an orchestra with about 45 to 55 members on each concert. Typically, our concert repertoire includes works written for double or triple winds and small or full brass sections. The orchestral work will be performed on the same concert as Frank Bridge’s The Sea, so we are allowing submissions with triple winds.
Other notes:
- Concertos will not be considered.
- String orchestra works are eligible.
- Works with electronics will not be considered.
- Works with choreography or performance-art elements are acceptable.
- Works with spoken text are acceptable, but the texts must be in the public domain, or the rights must be secured.
- For prepared instruments, limited preparation is allowed.
- If you anticipate using any hard-to-find props, you must provide them if chosen.
- Works that require singing by vocalists or choirs will not be considered.
Winds
Allowed:
- Up to 3 flutes
- Allowed doublings: Piccolo (2 at most), alto flute (1 at most)
- Up to 3 oboes
- Allowed doublings: English horn (1 at most)
- Up to 3 clarinets
- Allowed doublings: Bass clarinet (1 at most)
- Up to 3 bassoons
- Allowed doublings: Contrabassoon (1 at most)
For example, a piece including three flutes with the second and third doubling piccolo would be fine. A piece written for two flutes and one piccolo, written for three separate players, would also be fine. However, a piece with three bassoons where all three double contrabassoon would not be allowed.
Brass
Allowed:
- Up to 4 French horns
- Up to 3 trumpets
- Up to 3 trombones (2 tenor, 1 bass)
- Up to 1 tuba
Percussion
Allowed:
- Up to 1 timpanist
- We have a standard set of 4 timpani (23”, 26”, 29”, 32”).
- Up to 4 auxiliary percussionists. The following instruments are allowed:
- Snare drum
- Bass drum
- Crash cymbals
- Suspended cymbal
- Triangle
- Wood block
- Maracas
- Tambourine
- Slapstick
- Glockenspiel
- Ratchet
- Cabasa
- Tam-tam
- Cowbell
- Bongos (pair)
- Muyu
- Pengling
- Police whistle
- Guiro
- Wind machine (aeoliphone)
- Other small percussion instruments as needed. If you need more, please contact us at horizonensembleboston@gmail.com before submission to confirm their availability.
The following percussion instruments are NOT allowed:
- Vibraphone
- Xylophone
- Marimba
- Metallophone
- Tubular bells
- Full drumset (updated November 10)
Harp & Keyboards
Allowed:
- Up to 1 piano
- No 4-hands: just 1 player.
- Up to 1 harp
- Up to 1 organ (our performance space has a historic Welte-Tripp organ)
The following instruments are NOT allowed:
- Celesta
Strings
- Standard string sections: violin I, violin II, viola, cello, bass
- Scordatura is not allowed.
- Divisi are fine. However, know that the Horizon Ensemble usually has string sections of these approximate sizes:
- 5-6 first violins
- 5-6 second violins
- 4-6 violas
- 4-6 cellos
- 2-3 basses
- Therefore, passages with string sections divided into a high number of divisi (3 or more) may not be advisable.
If you have any questions, please email us at horizonensembleboston@gmail.com.
Recording Rights
The Horizon Ensemble will not retain any exclusive performance or recording rights to the piece. A video & audio recording of the live performance will be created. It will be posted on the Horizon Ensemble’s YouTube channel and also distributed to the composer.