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On this page: First
Music and
First
Art.
First
Music
"The
most impressive record for
championing new music of any
ensemble
in the United States." --The
New York Times
The
25th season of new works by the nation’s most outstanding
young composers.
Steven
Mackey,
Advisory Committee Chair,
Orchestral/Chamber
Rufus
Reid,
Advisory Committee Chair,
Jazz
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| “When
it comes to making new music a natural part of the concertgoing
experience, few orchestras in the United States can match
the record of the New York Youth Symphony.” |
| --The
New York Times |
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| “
. . . commissioned works rehearsed and performed by some
of the most talented young instrumentalists and conductors
around.” |
--Aaron
Jay Kernis
First Music 1 |
First
Music, the New York Youth Symphony's highly acclaimed commissioning program, has awarded nearly 100 commissions to
America’s best young composers since 1984. The winner
of numerous awards and accolades, this ongoing project introduces
traditional audiences, as well as the musicians themselves, to
new trends in music. Three awards are given seasonally for orchestral
compositions and one each for chamber, jazz, and choral works. Steven Mackey, Professor of Music at Princeton University, succeeds John Corigliano as chair of the First Music Advisory Committee for orchestral, chamber and choral music. Rufus Reid, a leading string bass player with over 250 recordings in his discography, chairs the advisory committee for jazz.
The annual deadline for submission of materials
to be considered for a FIRST MUSIC commission for the following
season is December 31. See guidelines
below.
First
Music is made possible, in part, by a generous grant of the
Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust,
with additional support from
the Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University.
First
Music Guidelines
The applicant must be a U.S. citizen (or non-citizen lawfully and
permanently residing in the United States) whose birthdate is
not earlier than May 25, 1979.
Orchestral: Selected composers will be awarded a commission
of $1,500 each and premières by the New York Youth Symphony in Carnegie Hall. The
commission includes a stipend for travel to New York City. The
commissioned works must be previously unpublished and
unperformed.
Chamber: The selected composer will be awarded
a commission of $1,500. The Director of the Chamber Music Program in conjunction
with the awardee will determine the instrumentation of the commissioned
piece. The commissioned work must be previously unpublished and
unperformed, and it will be premièred by members of the Chamber Music Program in Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall.
Jazz: The selected composer will be awarded
a commission of $1,500. The work must be previously unpublished and
unperformed, and it will be premièred by Jazz Band Classic in the Allen Room of Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Application
The
application must include within a single package the
following materials:
-
one-page
résumé (not biography); include full name, address,
telephone, and e-mail address;
-
one-page
listing of previous works and performances, if any;
-
one
score (orchestral, chamber, or jazz) representative of applicant's work, unmarked
and with no composer identification, printed on 8.5x11" paper;
-
one CD, similarly unmarked, containing:
- a five-minute
excerpt from Item 3, with location of the excerpt marked
in the full score, and
- a full recording of Item 3
Do not list the name(s) of the performer(s);
-
proof
of U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residency: copy only
of birth certificate, passport, or U.S. permanent residency
permit, as applicable. (Note that a driver's license, social security card, or student ID does not constitute proof of citizenship or permanent residency.)
Additional Guidelines:
- The score submitted for consideration may be an orchestral, chamber, or jazz work.
- Each application will be considered in either the orchestral/chamber category,or the the jazz category, as indicated (see below).
- Applicants may submit only one work in the orchestral/chamber category, and one in the jazz category per year. A separate application packet must be prepared for each work.
- Applicants may not submit more than one work in a single category (i.e. do not submit separate chamber and orchestral applications).
- Jazz works submitted for consideration must be original compositions for standard big-band instrumentation; arrangements of pre-existing works are not acceptable.
- The audio portion of the application may be produced
on a MIDI synthesizer.
- To secure the return of scores and recordings, applicants may include a self-addressed stamped envelope in the application packet. Packets which do not contain a SASE will be discarded immediately after judging. The New York Youth Symphony is not responsible for lost or damaged materials.
- All applications are judged anonymously and according to merit.
Applications for the orchestral/chamber commissions should be sent to:
New York Youth Symphony
FM25 Orchestral/Chamber
850 Seventh Avenue, Suite 505
New York, NY 10019-5230
Applications for the jazz commission should be
sent to:
New York Youth Symphony
FM25 Jazz
850 Seventh Avenue, Suite 505
New York, NY 10019-5230
First
Art
Seymour Chwast,
Advisory Committee Chair,
First Art
Just
as FIRST MUSIC commissions the nation’s best young composing
talent, FIRST ART seeks to give the same opportunity to emerging
artists and illustrators. Each season, an artist is selected
to produce a work for possible use in the New York Youth Symphony’s promotions.
First
Art is made possible by a generous grant from
The Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation.
Advisory Committee Chair Seymour
Chwast, a regular illustrator for The New York Times, The New
Yorker, and numerous other periodicals, is the founding director
of The Pushpin Group in New York City.
The annual deadline is January 31 for submission of materials
to be considered for a FIRST ART commission for the following
season. See Guidelines
below.
First
Art Guidelines
The
applicant must be a U.S. citizen (or non-citizen lawfully and permanently
residing in the United States) whose birthdate is not earlier
than May 25, 1985.
The
selected artist will be awarded a commission of $1,000 to produce
a visual illustration celebrating the spirit of
music. The following styles will be considered: drawing, painting, graphic art, and photography. The
work to be commissioned must be previously unpublished and not
publicly viewed, and will become the
property of the New York Youth Symphony. Acknowledgment of the
artist will be made whenever the artwork is used.
The artist will be expected to work in cooperation with the
New York Youth Symphony Executive Director to produce an acceptable
work. The artist will be provided with samples of all pieces
using the artwork.
Application
The application must include within a single package the following
materials:
-
one-page
résumé (not biography) including the name of the art school
or college and a listing of applicable art courses taken;
be sure to include full name, address, telephone, and e-mail
address;
-
six
samples of artwork in any flat medium not larger than 14”
x 17” (copies, color and black-and-white prints, slides, and CDs are acceptable);
- proof
of U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residency: copy only
of birth certificate, passport, or U.S. permanent residency permit. (Note that a driver's license, social security card, or student ID does not constitute proof of citizenship or permanent residency.)
Applications for the First Art commission should be sent to:
New York Youth Symphony
First Art 12
850 Seventh Avenue, Suite 505
New York, NY 10019-5230
Return
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Find out more about:
Orchestra,
Chamber Music, Jazz,
Making Score, and
Apprentice
Conducting.
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