Emerging Artist Commissioning Award

DEADLINE FOR POETS HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO JANUARY 31st!


Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia is thrilled to launch the Joyful Abundance: Emerging Artist Commissioning Program. Designed to support the work of emerging creative artists in the Greater Philadelphia area, The inaugural year of Joyful Abundance will provide commissioning awards to five composers and five poets in the emerging stage of their career.  While all applicants must be over 18 years old, we use the word "emerging" broadly, regardless of age.


Composers and poets will apply separately, and be paired by an expert panel of adjudicators. Each emerging composer/poet team will then create a new choral work of approximately 3-5 minutes in length for chorus and one additional instrument. To facilitate collaborative artistic relationships, each composer/poet pair will receive mentoring from professional composers and poets in the Philadelphia region.


No Application Fee. Each winner will receive $1,000, mentoring sessions with renowned composers and poets, a world premiere of their composition with Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia in Spring 2026, and a recording of their work for their own personal use.


Info Session

Recording of info session held on November 1st can be found here.

Complete the Application

Complete the application form no later than January 8, 2025. All applicants will need to submit the following:


  • A short biography statement,
  • Headshot (high resolution, appropriate for printing, does not have to be formal)
  • Two to three representative samples of creative/artistic activity
  • One letter of recommendation from an artistic partner or mentor familiar with your work
  • A short statement (1-2 paragraphs) about how and why being chosen would align with your personal creative goals
  • A very brief ‘dream statement’ (approx. 100-150 words) describing your initial ideas for the commission project
Selection Process

Your submission will be reviewed by an expert panel of poets and composers. Some of the city’s most celebrated composers have agreed to serve as adjudicators and mentors including Erin Busch, Andrea Clearfield, Rollo Dilworth, and Melissa Dunphy. Elizabeth Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief of The American Poetry Review, will invite a diverse panel of award-winning local poets to adjudicate. All applicants will be notified by February 15, 2025 of your application status

Award Acceptance

Winning composers and poets will be paired together into five groups of two. Winners will have until March 1, 2025 to accept the award. A public announcement will be made in April 2025.

Composition

Once awarded, each artist will receive three mentoring sessions with renowned Philadelphia area professional composers and poets to prepare the team for the collaborative commissioning project. Between April and November 2025, emerging artist pairs will work together to create a 3-5 minute choral work with one additional instrument of their choice.


Submission

Draft scores will be due to Mendelssohn Chorus by November 1, 2025. Artistic Director & Conductor Dominick DiOrio will provide suggested edits/revisions, if applicable, by December 1, 2025. Final engraved scores will be due to MCP by January 5, 2026. Each composer and poet will receive an $1,000 award once the final score has been received.


World Premiere

Rehearsals for the commissioned works will begin in Spring 2026, with the premieres in May 2026. Poets and composers will have an opportunity to speak at the performance about their collaborative work and all will recieve an archival recording for their own personal use.

FAQs

  • Is there an age limit?

    All applicants should be over 18 years of age. 

  • How do you define emerging artist?

    We define emerging artists as those in the beginning stages of their careers (broadly defined, regardless of age) who are still developing their professional accomplishments.

  • How do you define the Greater Philadephia region?

    The Greater Philadelphia region includes the Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia, and Montgomery counties; Mercer, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem counties in New Jersey; and, New Castle county in Delaware. 

  • I don't write poetry but I am a creative writer, may I still apply?

    Yes, all creative writers are invited to apply.

  • Is there an application fee?

    There is no application fee!

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