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THE 2025 SUBMISSION PERIOD WILL BE FROM JANUARY 1 TO JANUARY 31

UPDATE: There will be NO Competition in 2024.
The Competition will resume in 2025 and will then run bi-annually.

Our Competition is made possible by generous support from the Touba Family Foundation. 

The Lake George Music Festival has been an incubator for new music since 2011, and bi-annually hosts an international competition to promote its continued development and dissemination. Our mission is to discover the next generation of leading compositions and promote these works to the world at large.

We will pair the most promising works with our roster of exceptional performers, fostering long-lasting relationships between artists of the highest caliber. By promoting the movement that contemporary music is alive, inspirational, and relevant to every community, we are doing our part to connect Lake George with the evolution of this tradition.

GUIDELINES

ELIGIBILITY

Composers of any nationality and age are eligible. Previous winners (finalists/honorable mention ok) and current students of any panelist may not enter.

GUIDELINES
  • An original work of chamber music composed after January 1st, 2020.
  • a complete work – no single movements of multi-movement works will be accepted.
  • performance duration must not exceed 25 minutes
  • scored for 3 to 8 players (not including a conductor, if applicable).
  • written for the following instruments: violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute, piccolo, oboe, english horn, b-flat clarinet, A clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, bass trombone, piano, percussion.
  • pieces scored for percussion must follow these additional guidelines.
  • any combination of the above instruments is acceptable, however only two of the same instrument may be included; example: maximum of 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 percussionists, piano four hands, etc; with exceptions being a maximum of one bass trombone. Works scored for up to 4 violins, violas, and cellos are acceptable. Works for two or more pianos are not acceptable.
  • instrument doublings must adhere to the instrumentation restrictions, example: no alto flute, no contrabassoon.
  • works may be written for amplified instruments, prepared piano, and off stage instruments.
  • works may include non-interactive electroacoustic elements (e.g., CD playback, video).
  • composer-performers and composer-vocalists are encouraged to apply
AWARDS AND CURRENT WINNERS

One or two winners will be selected to receive a $500 prize + a live performance of their work at the Lake George Music Festival.

The winning composer(s) will also be invited to Lake George as “composer in residence” to work with the musicians performing their piece. If the winner chooses to attend, an additional $500 stipend will be offered to cover travel and lodging.  Attendance at the festival is encouraged but not required.

Several honorable mentions will also be announced; these works will be kept in the LGMF music library for future programming considerations.

The current results have been announced! Click HERE >>

PANELISTS

Previous panel members have included: Ted Hearne, Lowell Liebermann, Jonathan Bailey Holland, David T. Little, Adam Schoenberg, Juri Seo, George Lewis, Steven Mackey, Alan Pierson, Jennifer Higdon, Du Yun, David Lang, Robert Honstein, Donnacha Dennehy, Sheridan Seyfried, David Ludwig, Nick DiBerardino, Wang Jie, Loren Loiacono, Pascal le Boeuf, Steven Snowden, and Libby Larsen.

HOW TO APPLY

The 2025 submission period will be from January 1st to January 31st.
Application form details will be made available at that time.

The application form will ask for the following:

  • A .pdf file of the composition score. Multi-movement pieces should be submitted together as one combined .pdf file.
  • An Audio or Video Recording. Recordings must be complete (no excerpts). Both live recordings and MIDI are acceptable. If submitting MIDI please take the time to create an audio file which sounds as realistic as is possible. Composers submitting a piece for electronics/amplified instruments must submit a live performance or studio recording (not MIDI). Multi-movement pieces should be submitted together as one combined submission. Please edit out any tuning/clapping.

All steps outlined must be completed and submitted in their entirety by the deadline. No exceptions can be made whatsoever. If you wait until January 31st, we cannot guarantee any issues that arise during the submission process, staff review, including missing or incorrect documents, will be resolved by the application deadline. Consequently, LGMF urges you to submit immediately.

APPLICATION FEE $10

Payment will be taken when completing the application.

  • Submissions do NOT need to be anonymous.
  • Receipt of submissions and application fee will be acknowledged by return email.
  • Previously performed works are acceptable.
  • Previous competition finalists re-applying must submit a different piece each year.
  • Composers may submit a maximum of two (2) submissions, but must do so in separate form submissions.
  • International applicants, please translate all text to English.
  • Scores/Recordings of pieces with multiple movements should be sent together as one file (do not submit individual movements separately).
  • No third-party submission sites such as Dropbox or WeTransfer will be accepted. No email submissions will be accepted.
  • Please do not send any additional materials.
  • Application materials must be submitted electronically through our submission form; no postal mail submissions will be accepted.
  • Due to the large number of submissions, feedback regarding individual submissions will not be given.
  • The winning composers must agree to provide parts in order to guarantee a performance of their winning work.
  • Submissions that do not strictly follow the guidelines, or are submitted before or after the submission period will be disqualified.
  • Results are typically posted by late April each year.
  • For technical assistance and information on application fee waivers, please contact Acceptd technical support. Questions about repertoire or other submission related details please contact us at info@lakegeorgemusicfestival.com

  |   info@LakeGeorgeMusicFestival.com