LMU New Music on the Bluff '22 Call for Music
ANOUK DYUSSEMBAYEVA | DECEMBER, 27 / 2021
Photo by CJ Toscano on Unsplash
Students currently enrolled in either high school/secondary education or in a two-year undergraduate degree program (junior college or community college) are invited to submit one or more pieces or songs for Loyola Marymount University's New Music on the Bluff '22, a new music festival to be held on the LMU campus April 29-30, 2022. Applications are due electronically on January 31st, 2022, at 11:59 pm Pacific time.
Eight applicants will be selected to have a piece performed in a concert in LMU's Murphy Hall on April 30th. The concert will be broadcast live on the internet and on LMU's radio station, KXLU 88.9 Los Angeles. The eight selected finalists will receive individual private composition lessons with festival faculty. The finalists, as well as all applicants, will be invited to two private masterclasses with festival faculty, where faculty will review and discuss selected student pieces, as well as a one-hour session with faculty guitarist Martha Masters discussing writing for guitar. Additional activities will include opportunities for participants to get to know one another and exchange ideas about creating music.
The masterclasses will be conducted by Mu-Xuan Lin, Assistant Professor at Chapman University, and Isaac Schankler, Assistant Professor of Music at Cal Poly Pomona. The individual composition lessons will be given by Mu-Xuan Lin, Isaac Schankler, Mark Saya, Professor of Music at Loyola Marymount University, and David S. Carter, Assistant Professor of Music at Loyola Marymount University.
The finalists' pieces will be performed by LMU faculty, including potentially Martha Masters (guitar), Wojciech Kocyan (piano), Ken Aiso (violin), Valeria Morgovskaya (piano), Rik Noyce (flute), Marisa De Silva (soprano), and Aaron Smith (percussion). The exact performer lineup will depend on which pieces are selected.
Eight applicants will be selected to have a piece performed in a concert in LMU's Murphy Hall on April 30th. The concert will be broadcast live on the internet and on LMU's radio station, KXLU 88.9 Los Angeles. The eight selected finalists will receive individual private composition lessons with festival faculty. The finalists, as well as all applicants, will be invited to two private masterclasses with festival faculty, where faculty will review and discuss selected student pieces, as well as a one-hour session with faculty guitarist Martha Masters discussing writing for guitar. Additional activities will include opportunities for participants to get to know one another and exchange ideas about creating music.
The masterclasses will be conducted by Mu-Xuan Lin, Assistant Professor at Chapman University, and Isaac Schankler, Assistant Professor of Music at Cal Poly Pomona. The individual composition lessons will be given by Mu-Xuan Lin, Isaac Schankler, Mark Saya, Professor of Music at Loyola Marymount University, and David S. Carter, Assistant Professor of Music at Loyola Marymount University.
The finalists' pieces will be performed by LMU faculty, including potentially Martha Masters (guitar), Wojciech Kocyan (piano), Ken Aiso (violin), Valeria Morgovskaya (piano), Rik Noyce (flute), Marisa De Silva (soprano), and Aaron Smith (percussion). The exact performer lineup will depend on which pieces are selected.
Specifications for Pieces/Songs
Out of the eight finalists, five pieces for live performers will be selected; three pieces for fixed media (two-channel electroacoustic or electronic) will be selected.
Pieces for live performers may be scored for any of the following:
Pieces should be between three and 10 minutes long.
Pieces for live performers may include an electroacoustic/electronic element if the setup for the performer is relatively simple.
Pieces/songs may be in any genre or style.
Pieces for live performers may be scored for any of the following:
- Violin solo or violin-piano duo.
- Classical guitar solo.
- Piano solo or duo (one piano, four hands or two pianos).
- Soprano solo, soprano-piano duo, or soprano-guitar duo.
- Flute solo, flute-piano duo, or flute-guitar duo.
- Percussion solo (see below regarding specific available instruments), percussion-guitar duo, or percussion-piano duo.
Pieces should be between three and 10 minutes long.
Pieces for live performers may include an electroacoustic/electronic element if the setup for the performer is relatively simple.
Pieces/songs may be in any genre or style.
To Apply
- Complete the application form: https://forms.gle/5b5g4TFXfeVmvuC4A
- If your piece is for live performers, the application form will ask you to either provide a link to your score or e-mail it and, optionally, provide a link to a recording or MIDI rendition of it. Recordings or MIDI renditions of pieces for live performers are encouraged but not required. If you are submitting a piece scored for multiple instruments, please include instrument parts in the same PDF as your score. Make sure that any links you provide will remain available to the judges for the duration of the judging period.
- If your piece or song is for fixed media (electroacoustic or electronic), the application form will ask you to provide a link to the audio.
- You may submit any number of pieces/songs, but you must complete a separate application form for each piece. With the payment of a single $10 application fee, you may submit any number of pieces.
- The application fee should be paid here
- Enter your payment receipt number in the Google application form.
- If the application fee would be a financial hardship for you, e-mail us at newmusiconthebluff@lmu.edu with an explanation, and we can potentially waive the fee
Notes
- All applicants (whether selected as one of the eight finalists or not) will be invited to attend the two master classes and the session with Martha Masters on writing for guitar. They will also have a meet & greet with David S. Carter and other LMU faculty. Members of this larger group of participants will have the opportunity to submit questions for the master class faculty and Martha Masters.
- The master class led by Mu-Xuan Lin will address works for live instruments. The master class led by Isaac Schankler will address electroacoustic and electronic works or works/songs that otherwise involve music technology.
- Students currently enrolled in four-year (bachelor's) or graduate degree programs are not eligible.
- Submit any questions to newmusiconthebluff@lmu.edu.
Available Percussion Instruments
Applicants submitting a piece for solo percussion may write for solo vibraphone, solo timpani (4 drums, with pedals: 32", 29", 26", 23"), or multiple percussion with no more than 8 of the following instruments (include setup map):
If you have questions about other possible instruments, contact Aaron Smith: aaron.smith@lmu.edu
- Bongos
- Conga
- Snare drum
- Piccolo snare drum
- Toms (no more than 4)
- Pedal bass drum
- Small bass drum
- Temple blocks
- Wood blocks (no more than 3)
- Log drums (no more than 2)
- Triangle
- Small to medium tam-tam (no more than 2)
- Suspended cymbals (no more than 2)
- China-type cymbal
- Cowbells (no more than 2)
- Bell plates (no more than 2)
- Glockenspiel
- 1 or 2 small, hand-held instruments (e.g., claves, shaker, etc.)
If you have questions about other possible instruments, contact Aaron Smith: aaron.smith@lmu.edu
About Loyola Marymount University
Founded in 1911, LMU is a top-ranked university rooted in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions. We are committed to fostering a diverse academic community rich in opportunity for intellectual engagement and real-world experience. We enroll an academically ambitious, multicultural, and socioeconomically diverse student body. We recruit, retain, and support a diverse faculty committed to excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, and creativity. Our three campuses are rooted in the heart of Los Angeles, a global capital for arts and entertainment, innovation and technology, business, and entrepreneurship.
Information provided by David Carter
