Sonic Boom 2024 – Featured Artist Call for Scores

Vancouver Pro Musica Presents

Sarah Kwok – Solo Viola

Featured Artist for Sonic Boom 2024

Call for Scores

Overview

Vancouver Pro Musica is pleased to invite all BC composers to submit new works for our Featured Artist for Sonic Boom 2024: Sarah Kwok (solo viola). Selected works will be presented as part of the 2024 Sonic Boom Festival March 15 to 17, 2024.

Deadline for submissions is Friday, December 8, 2023 at 11:59pm.

Sarah Kwok, in collaboration with Rita Ueda, our Sonic Boom 2024 Composer-in-Residence, will present a fall workshop and will read and provide feedback on the selected works to their composers during a reading session several weeks before the final concert (see Important Dates below). Both the workshop and the reading session are open to the public. Composers will receive an archive recording of the premiere performance of their piece following the Sonic Boom Festival concert.

 

About Sarah Kwok

Born and raised in Vancouver, Sarah began her musical training at an early age with the Suzuki method and has most recently completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of British Columbia, studying with David Harding. She also studied at the University of Toronto, where her teachers were Steven Dann and Scott St. John.An active freelancer, Dr. Kwok performs with the Vancouver Symphony, the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, the Vancouver Island Symphony and the Okanagan Symphony, and has played in concerts presented by the Chutzpah Festival, Sonic Boom Festival, and Music on Main. Sarah is a founding member of the Elysian Trio, with flutist Paul Hung and harpist Vivian Chen, and has also appeared with Turning Point Ensemble, Erato Ensemble, and the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra. She was part of Duo 101 Collective, the ensemble-in-residence at Simon Fraser University’s School of Contemporary Arts, and has participated in the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute, the St. Lawrence String Quartet Chamber Music Seminar, the Berwick Academy, and a residency program at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.

Application Guidelines

We welcome submissions from BC composers of all styles and genres. To submit a score for this Call, complete the online form at the bottom of this page. Payment may be made through Paypal, or by cheque mailed separately. Only submission forms completed through this website will be considered.

Requirements

Submissions must be scored for solo viola. Your submission must include a score for a piece no more than 10 minutes in length (pieces 6-8 mins preferred).

Although notated scores are preferred, graphic scores are possible.

Pieces may include live electronics as an accompaniment to the soloist. Any electronic component must be reasonably simple to set up and use, and the complexity of the electronics may be a factor in the selection process. We can provide one or two microphones for the performance, as well as two loudspeakers in a stereo configuration. Composers must supply their own computer and audio interface (with at least two mic inputs and two outputs) for the performance. Composers are also expected to operate the live electronics patch for their work. If pieces with electronics are selected, their composers are required to attend the reading session and rehearsals. Composers may need to source and transport their own live electronics equipment for rehearsal purposes, as the microphones and loudspeakers for the performance may not be available on the rehearsal dates.

All submissions must also meet the following requirements:

  • Submitting composers must be residents of BC.
  • Submissions must be received by 11:59 pm on Friday, December 8, 2023 
  • Accompanied by cash or cheque sent by mail. The fee for submission is $18. Fees help support the presentation of new works.
  • Works must have been composed within the past three years.
  • Works must not have been previously performed at a Vancouver Pro Musica concert.
  • All submitting composers are strongly encouraged to have attended the fall workshop presented by Sarah (see Important Dates below)
  • Composers of selected pieces will be expected to attend the reading session of their work, and the soundcheck and concert at which their composition is premiered.

  • Checklist
    Submissions must include:

    • The composer’s name, address, and e-mail address.
    • Application fee ($18). We recognize the diversity of our submitting composers and the wide range of financial situations that each deals with. If you require accommodation, please contact the VPM administration at [email protected] prior to submitting your score.
    • Fee payments can be made via Paypal or cheque by mail. Please make cheques payable to:
      • Vancouver Pro Musica Society
        PO Box 78077 RPO Grandview
        Vancouver, BC V5N 5W1
    • Two copies of the score. One copy of the score should be anonymous, for adjudication of submissions. (Please read How to Prepare an Anonymized Score PDF)

    Announcement and Presentation of Works Selected

    All submitted works will be adjudicated by an anonymous jury. Vancouver Pro Musica will contact all the submitters by Friday, December 22, 2023. This event is intended to be as inclusive as possible. However, the number of submissions, potential production costs, time constraints, and other practical concerns may require that not all submitters will have a work selected.  These considerations may not permit the selection or the performance of all submissions.

    Composers whose piece is selected for the Featured Artist concert must be ready to provide all required performance materials to the Artist in good time for rehearsals prior to the final concert. Composers whose works are presented will receive an archive recording of their work for non-commercial purposes.

    All composers who submit—regardless of whether or not their piece is selected as part of the Sessions—automatically become members in good standing of Vancouver Pro Musica, exempt from membership dues for one year.

    Important Dates

    • Sunday, October 29, 2023 at the VSO School of Music (843 Seymour St., Vancouver, B.C.) in the Arthur H. Willms Salon (2nd Floor). Workshop presented by Sarah Kwok.
    • Friday, December 8, 2023 at 11:59pm: Score submission deadline.
    • Friday, December 22, 2023: Submitters notified of selection results.
    • Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024,  from 10:00am-12:00 pm. Readings of selected scores.  Location: VSO School of Music Willms Salon (2nd Floor) (843 Seymour St., Vancouver, B.C.
    • Concert date: Saturday, March 17th, 2024, 7:30pm  at VSO School of Music – Pyatt Hall (843 Seymour St).

Submission Form

Sonic Boom 2024: Submission Form - Featured Artist Sarah Kwok (solo viola)

"*" indicates required fields

Confirm Category*
Does your piece require live electronics?*
Confirm that your primary residence is located in B.C.*
Your primary residence, or main residence, is the dwelling in which you usually live, typically a house or an apartment.
Your Email*
How did you find out about this Call for Scores?

Max 150 Words (1100 characters)

Information about your submission

Must not exceed 8 minutes in length
Max 150 Words
Filenames for named Score submissions must adhere to the following format: your First Last name_Piece title.pdf (example: "Jane Doe_A Lullaby.pdf")
Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 63 MB.
Anonymous Copy of Score (required for Jury Adjudication). Filenames for anonymous score submissions must adhere to the format: Anon_Piece title.pdf
Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 63 MB.

Payment Details

Method of Submission Fee Payment*
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