2026 Call for Scores

The 3rd edition of our annual Call for Scores.

We thank all composers for sharing their work with us. We are truly grateful to each and every applicant and only wish that we could have recognized even more outstanding submissions. The level of this year’s entries was exceptionally high, making the selection process particularly challenging but we are pleased to have reached a unanimous decision.

Results

Following the overwhelming success of the first two editions, the Art Music Society is excited to announce the 2026 Call for Scores for compositions to be included in our 2026-27 concert season. Concerts will take place in the DC metropolitan area and performers will include both rising as well as established local and international artists featuring selected compositions alongside fundamental works from the Western canon.

Our Call for Scores is open to composers of all ages, genders, nationalities, religions, and backgrounds, and is designed to identify skilled and accomplished creators with an original voice, presenting works that showcase an exquisite compositional technique and deliver a uniquely rewarding experience, for both audiences and performers.

Selected works will be professionally recorded, accompanied by program notes, and shared with composers for inclusion in their portfolios. Select recordings will be released on all major streaming platforms. In addition, select composers will be offered the opportunity to publish their works through the Art Music Society, where they will be included in our New Artists catalog.

Additionally, one composer will be chosen and commissioned to write a set of three short pieces, which will be designated as required repertoire for our upcoming rising artist competition, with a commission of $750.

Type

Call for scores (Collaborative works, Solo works, Lied)

Eligibility

Open to everyone

Application Deadline

Deadline has passed.

Quick Links

Download the Call for Scores PDF

Call for Scores PDF

Scroll down to view application guidelines

View our panelists

Past editions

Submission guidelines:

Open to all composers, without restrictions.

The work should be

a) a chamber music composition for one of the following settings:

- piano trio (violin, cello, piano)
- piano quartet (violin, viola, cello, piano)
- string duo for violin and cello
- string trio for violin, viola, and cello
- duo for violin and piano
- duo for viola and piano
- duo for cello and piano

b) a solo work for either piano, violin, viola, cello, or unaccompanied soprano or mezzo-soprano

c) a lied for soprano or mezzo-soprano and piano

Between 2 and 9 minutes in duration
Composed on or after January 1, 2020
Works featuring prepared piano are ineligible.
Both single and multi-movement works are eligible; however, individual movements from larger works are not.
Individual songs from song cycles are eligible (one per submission).
Submissions must be original works, not arrangements.
Recorded, awarded, published and/or broadcast works are eligible.
A written permission or license is required for vocal works that make use of texts not in the public domain.
For selected works that are already published, the Art Music Society will purchase performance materials.

Submission deadline:

The submission deadline is April 30, 2026.

Application process:

Interested composers should submit a PDF score and audio (preferred) or video recording (studio, live, or VST-rendered) via our form. In absence of recordings, notation files (Sibelius, Finale, etc.) will be accepted. To ensure anonymity, neither the PDF score nor recording should contain any kind of identifying information beyond the title and catalog number (if applicable).

Application Fee:

The application fee is $25 per submission. Each composer may submit multiple entries. 100% of application fees will be used to cover performance costs (exclusively performances that will feature works selected through this contest), such as honoraria for performers and venue rental. A limited number of fee waivers will be granted—please contact us via email at calls@artmusicsociety.org to see if you qualify.

Selection process:

Scores will be examined by a panel of renowned professionals, which will include composers, performing artists, theorists, and musicologists, selecting works that:

Showcase a unique voice.
Make a bold statement, bringing to life something original and memorable.
Blend well with the remaining works on the concert program.
1. Concerts of the AMS Chamber Music Series feature a blend of works from the canon, mainly piano trios, duos featuring piano and either violin or cello, as well as vocal works with piano accompaniment.
2. Programs will include at least one major collaborative work (please see the 2024-25 season program as reference).
3. Each concert might feature more than one selected New Composition.

Miscellaneous:

The panel’s decisions are final.
Due to the foreseen large number of applications, we might be unable to provide feedback to composers whose works will not be selected.
Selected composers are kindly invited to attend performances featuring their works, albeit at their own expense.
Please refrain from contacting us after the application deadline. We will notify selected composers directly by June 1, 2026.

2024-25 concert programs:

Reference concert program 1

David Lancaster: Canzone Sospesa (winner of the 2024 Call for Scores)
Arturo Marquez: Lejanía interior (Inner Distance)
Samuel Zyman: Sonata for Cello and Piano
Manuel Ponce: Estrellita (My Little Star), Mexican Serenade (arranged by Jascha Heifetz)
Manuel Ponce: Sonata for Cello and Piano

Reference concert program 2

Astor Piazzolla: Primavera Porteña from Four Seasons of Buenos Aires (arranged for viola, cello, and piano)
Robert Schumann: Fantasiestücke, Op. 73
George Enescu: Concertstück
Johannes Brahms: Clarinet Trio in A Minor, Op. 114

Reference concert program 3

Angela Elizabeth Slater: Shades of Rain for Piano Trio
Eric Estrada Valadez: Northampton’s Little Chilango for Violin and Piano (winners of the 2024 Call for Scores)
Johannes Brahms: Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 2 in F Major, Op. 99
Dmitri Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor, Op. 8

Reference concert program 4