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The Nancy Van de Vate International Composition Prize for Opera

The Nancy Van de Vate Prize for Orchestral Music, first awarded in 1996, will be continued on an annual basis as the Nancy Van de Vate International Composition Prize for Opera. The annual competition will be administered by the American music publishers, Vienna Masterworks (BMI) and Vienna Master Composers (ASCAP). The prize will be $1,000 and publication of the winning work. Women composers of any age or nationality may enter.

The prize is intended to recognize the difficulty women composers worldwide have in finding recognition for their operas and to encourage public production of their works. The award is for any kind of opera or music theater piece of more than fifteen minutes' duration. Shorter works may be submitted if they are part of a set of at least fifteen minutes' duration. Works submitted must be either unpublished or self-published. If the work is self-published, the winning composer must be willing to transfer the right of publication to Vienna Masterworks or Vienna Master Composers.

Submissions must be anonymous, and any work not meeting the criteria for anonymity will be eliminated from consideration. Scores should be identified by a pseudonym. A sealed envelope with the pseudonym on the outside should contain the composer's name, address, phone number, and email address. It should also include a short biography. If a cassette or other recording of the work is available, it should be included. If the piece has been heard in a professional or large public performance, it is not eligible. A workshop or reading performance is, however, acceptable. Please do not send unbound scores.

The postmark deadline for the 2003 competition is August 1, but early submissions are encouraged. The winner will be announced no later than October 1, 2003.

All scores submitted will be donated after the close of the competition to the International Library of Contemporary Music in Paris. A processing fee of $15.00 or €15,00 should be included with each submission. This may be in the form of a US $ check or cash.

Since the judging will take place in Europe, submissions should be sent to

Vienna Masterworks
Margaretenstrasse 125/15
A-1050 Vienna, Austria

If materials are sent from outside the European Community, please label the package as follows:

KOMPOSITIONSUNTERLAGEN KOSTENLOS NUR ZUM ZWECKE DES MEINUNGSAUSTAUSCHES. The box entitled „Gift" should be checked and the value designated as -0-. Packets not properly labelled will be refused, if there are customs charges.

Inquiries or requests for further information should be sent to

VMM@chello.at
or to the above address.

November 21, 2002

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