Conway Hall Sunday Concerts is pleased to invite young composers to submit a work for piano trio to The Clements Prize 2023. Up to 8 submissions will be selected, and will be performed by the Fidelio Trio at the final round in Conway Hall’s Main Hall at 6.30pm on 5 November 2023.
The winner of the first prize will receive £3,000, presented by Conway Hall’s Director of Music.
Alfred J. Clements (1858-1938) was the organiser and secretary of the South Place Sunday Concerts (predecessor of Conway Hall Sunday Concerts) from their inception in 1887 until his death. In the first half of the twentieth century the competition bearing his name encouraged the composition of new chamber works, establishing a tradition which set Conway Hall right at the centre of British contemporary music.
Scores submitted for previous competitions from the Conway Hall Archive will also be available via the Conway Hall website and a selection exhibited before the final round of the competition.
Call for Scores:
- We welcome the submission of new works for piano trio (violin, cello and piano). Only these three instruments should be used – no electronics or extended techniques are permitted. The works do not need to be written specifically for this competition, and should have been composed within the last 10 years.
- The submitted work must be no longer than 10 minutes in duration.
- Composers must be 35 years old or under on 26 February 2023.
- The scheme is open to UK and non-UK applicants.
- We particularly would like to encourage a diversity of applications from under-served communities and under-represented backgrounds, including composers who are:
- women/non-binary
- from ethnic minority backgrounds
- living with a disability
- members of the LGBTQI+ community
- If you would like to be part of the competition but have other barriers to your participation, please contact us to discuss at simon@conwayhall.org.uk.
How to apply:
- Composers are required to submit:
- A PDF of the full score (A4)
- PDFs of the three parts as individual documents (A4), formatted to facilitate easy page turns
- A recording of the work either as an mp3 or as an electronic file (from Sibelius or similar software)
- We are unable to accept printed copies.
- Composers selected for the final round on 5 November 2023 must be available to attend an afternoon workshop with the Fidelio Trio, the evening performance and prize presentation.
Process:
- A shortlist of compositions will be drawn up by Conway Hall’s Director of Music and a composer of standing in September 2023 and all composers will be notified of the result. We will also send brief feedback to all applicants.
- The final round will take place on 5 November 2023, 6.30pm at which all shortlisted compositions will be performed by the Fidelio Trio in front of a panel of composers, musicians and concert promoters.
- In addition to the first prize of £3,000, there will be an audience prize of £250. All other finalists will receive £100 for participating.
The deadline for submission is Friday 15 September 2023, 5pm BST.