soundfestival
2021 Composers’ Day: Writing for Double Bass
Saturday 23rd October
Call for composers
The 2021 soundfestival annual Composers’ Day takes place on Saturday 23 October in central Aberdeen. The composing theme for the day is writing for endangered instrument the double bass.
The day will consist of talks by leading composers Luke Styles and Pascale Criton. The aim of the day is to give opportunities for composers to improve technical skills in contemporary composition for the double bass as well as developing general compositional ideas.
The renowned double bass player Florentin Ginot will be joining us in the afternoon to lead a masterclass and he will select new pieces to workshop as part of this session. The masterclasses will be open to members of the public. We are inviting composers to submit repertoire for this element of the day.
Scope:
- Your piece must be for solo double bass
- Your piece should be no longer than five minutes long
- You can write something new, or send in an unperformed work from your existing repertoire
How to Apply
- The deadline for applications: 20 September 2021.
- Please complete an application form: https://forms.gle/LU9ts8mW2ZtYuVzc6
Please note that you must be able to attend the masterclass in Aberdeen on Saturday 23 October. Please note it costs £12 to attend the day.
We will let you know if your composition has been selected for masterclass by 30 September 2021.
If you have any questions or need further information please contact us by emailing:
Selection process
sound is committed to working with and supporting composers from under-represented sections of the population. To enable this, there is a two-stage application process: an initial selection is made, and then this is narrowed down in a second stage selection process. If you are a female, disabled and/or BAME composer, you can self-select to be put forward automatically to the second round if you want. The selection panel will be made up of Florentin Ginot and a representative of sound (either a staff member or the Chair).
Notes to composers applying
Selection for new music opportunities is inherently subjective and the criteria used can differ from project to project. We are frequently over-subscribed and often the quality of applications is extremely high from a wide range of composers, which usually means making difficult decisions.
Reasons for selecting one composer over another are not always to do with skill level or experience. We may, for example, be looking for the right fit for us as an organisation at a particular point in time e.g., we may be looking to develop specific strands or activity or genres of music.
For development opportunities that happen in a group setting, it may be that we need to take into consideration the coherence of that group e.g., we may prefer to have composers of a similar experience-level. We thus sometimes end up turning down composers with more experience or skills, or giving opportunities to composers who we feel would benefit most from a particular opportunity at that stage in their career, and faced with difficult choices we may sometimes turn down composers who may have already benefitted from a number of opportunities in the past.
We would however encourage composers to apply for any opportunities that interest them and for which they fit the specification, and not be discouraged if they are not selected for a particular opportunity, as it does not mean that they are not “good” enough. Please do continue to apply for any opportunity that interests you!
This opportunity is part of our soundcreators programme, which focuses on nurturing creative talent. soundcreators is funded by Creative Scotland, the PRS for Music Foundation, the Idlewild Trust, Hugh Fraser Foundation, the Leche Trust and Aberdeen City Council.
