ESYO - SPAC Student Composition Contest
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The Empire State Youth Orchestra (ESYO) and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) are excited to announce the first ESYO-SPAC Student Composition Contest for students in grades 6-12 who reside in Albany, Essex, Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Rensselaer, Warren, and Washington counties. The winning composition will be performed by the ESYO Symphony Orchestra, conducted by ESYO Music Director Etienne Abelin, on the mainstage at SPAC on Sunday, June 1, as part of SPAC’s annual "Adirondack Trust Company Festival of Young Artists" community event!
SUBMISSION DETAILS
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Compositions must be submitted by 5pm on Friday, January 24, 2025
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All applicants must in grades 6-12 and reside in one of the following NY counties: Albany, Essex, Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Rensselaer, Warren, or Washington.​​
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The length of each composition must be between 5 and 8 minutes.
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Adding choral parts to your submitted piece is a possibility! If interested, please contact Linsey Reardon at lreardon@spac.org for further details.
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Scores must be complete and finished when submitted.
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Each applicant must provide a digital PDF of their original score. (Please do not include the composer's name on the PDF so that the piece can be reviewed anonymously.)
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The work must be newly composed so that this performance is considered a “world premiere”.​​
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Submissions that meet the above requirements will be reviewed by panelists with the following criteria:
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Creative approach: Your composition should exhibit a unique artistic voice. A connection to the festival theme, “Wonder”, is strongly encouraged. Be bold! All musical styles are welcome.
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Playability: Your piece should be composed for the ESYO Symphony instrumentation (3, 2, 2, 2 – 4, 3, 3, 1, timp., 3 perc., piano, strings), and it should not extend beyond a reasonable skill level for a youth orchestra.
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Presentation: Your submitted score should have clear and complete notation, as well as a clear communication of musical ideas. Non-conventional notation is welcomed.
AWARD DETAILS
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The composer of the selected piece will be presented with an Outstanding Artist Award on the SPAC stage along with a $500 check to support their future artistic endeavors.
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The composer will be mentored by Chris Fisher-Lochhead during the months of Feb-Apr. During this period, they will receive valuable input and guidance leading up to the performance at SPAC, as well as assistance with potential needs with instrumentation, orchestration, etc.
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The score and parts for the ESYO Symphony Orchestra will be due on Monday, April 7.
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The selected composer will be expected to attend orchestra rehearsals to provide and receive valuable feedback at the Brown School on April 23 starting at 6:30pm, as well as a second rehearsal to be determined on one of the following Wednesday evenings: Apr 30, May 4, or May 14.
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ESYO and SPAC may decide, with the composer’s permission and input, to add the element of dance to the selected piece for the SPAC performance.
Festival Theme
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The 2025 theme is
WONDER
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The 2025 Festival of Young Artists theme "Wonder" is inspired by the work of 24th U.S. Poet Laureate, Ada Limón. Her poetry inspires us to find beauty and meaning in our surroundings and in everyday moments. Limón urges us to maintain a sense of awe and curiosity even when hope seems distant, and she reminds us to appreciate the many wonders of life that foster resilience and discovery.
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"We, too, are made of wonders, of great
and ordinary loves, of small invisible worlds,
of a need to call out through the dark."
- Ada Limón, In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa
Click here to read and hear Ada Limón’s In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa
Questions?
Please contact Linsey Reardon at lreardon@spac.org
The Adirondack Trust Company
FESTIVAL OF YOUNG ARTISTS
99 South Broadway
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
518-587-3331