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NewMusicSA (South African new-music advocacy organisation and ISCM section) and ZAM Zentrum für Aktuelle Musik (a German platform for adventurous musics) are inviting project proposals for a concert of innovative transcultural music with one of the world's leading ensembles for contemporary music, Ensemble Modern (and possible guest soloists).
We are seeking proposals for works for chamber ensemble of up to 18 musicians (smaller ensembles are encouraged) with a duration of roughly 10-20 minutes (exceptions possible).
The selected composers will each receive a commission to compose a work to be premiered by Ensemble Modern (Germany) on 31 May 2023 in Cologne, Germany.
The concert will open the Oluzayo - African Music Futures Festival – curated by Thomas Gläßer, Joseph Kamaru, Lukas Ligeti, Nonku Phiri, and Ignacio Priego –, a unique festival in the orbit of the European Conference on African Studies, hosted by the University of Cologne.
It is planned to repeat the concert as part of a festival - soon to be announced - in Johannesburg, South Africa, in late November or early December 2023.
The composers/works should relate to Africa and/or African music traditions in some way.
In order to be eligible for selection, composers must fulfill at least ONE of the following criteria:
(1) be a citizen or resident of a country in Africa south of the Sahara (i.e. all African countries and adjacent island nations are eligible except Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco);
(2) propose a work that has a concrete and tangible connection to African music traditions, and/or responds in some noticeable way to African music theories or practices.
Project proposals should explain how one or both of these criteria is/are being fulfilled.
There are no other prerequisites or limitations for eligibility. There is no submission fee.
// Instrumentation & Notation
Ensemble Modern: 1 flute, 1 oboe, 1 clarinet, 1 bassoon, 1 horn, 1 trumpet, 1 trombone, 2 pianos/keyboards, 2 percussion, 2 violins, 1 viola, 2 celli, 1 contrabass, 1 sound designer/engineer. Proposals not utilizing the full ensemble are expressly encouraged.
Notations can be unconventional, but pieces must be realizable within the constraints of the modest rehearsal time (ca 3-4 days for the complete program). Live electronics and/or African musical instruments, played by the composer or others, can be included -  in that case the proposal must explain how these additional forces will be financed and performed.
Deadline for proposal submissions: extended until Wednesday 28 September 2022, 23:59 Central European Time
Selected composers informed: Monday 3 October 2022
Composers´ confirmation of  participation & commissioning contract: by Monday 10 October 2022
Works due (full scores & parts as pdf files): Friday 31 March 2023
Rehearsals: Late May 2023 in Frankfurt and/or Cologne, Germany
Premiere: 31 May 2023 in Cologne, Germany
Planned repeat performance in late November or early December 2023 in South Africa
Project proposals can be submitted in English, German, French, or Portuguese and must include:
(1) Scores, recordings (need not be professional quality, MIDI mockups acceptable), and program notes of two existing works by the composer with some relevance to the proposed project (in concept, instrumentation etc.).
(2) Composer biography (maximum 500 words).
(3) Description of the proposed composition project including conceptual/aesthetic and practical considerations (ca. one page). This can be supplemented by lists, diagrams, or score fragments, if desired.
Please submit proposals by email to the address oluzayo.festival@gmail.com. Recordings should be posted online (on Soundcloud, Vimeo, or any other location for which a link can be provided), and links to the recordings included in the proposal submission. Please make sure the recordings are not password-protected and remain accessible online until at least 31 December 2022.
The selection will be made by a panel consisting of at least one representative of the Oluzayo Festival´s curators, at least one representative of Ensemble Modern, and one to two outside experts. The panel's decisions are final and cannot be contested.
“Oluzayo - African Music Futures” (Cologne / Johannesburg 2023) is funded by:
the TURN2 Fund of the Kulturstiftung des Bundes (German Federal Cultural Foundation). Funded by the Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien (Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media).