Call for entries and terms and conditions Composition Contest 2025
Presentation
The Orfeó Català announces the fifth edition of the International Choral Composition Competition of the Orfeó Català, focused on the new creation of choral music with a high level of demand, suitable for both amateur and professional choirs.
The winners of the composition competition will be announced during the summer of 2025.
The winning works will be premiered as part of the Festival of Choral Music, which aims to support choral creation at an international level and at the same time recover and disseminate the Catalan choral heritage in a common space for the entire Catalan choral family, represented by the Orfeó Català and the Catalan Federation of Choral Entities.
The next Festival of Choral Music will take place on March 1, 2026 at the Palau de la Música Catalana. The Festival of Choral Music, organized by the Orfeó Català, is inspired by the event known as the Festival of Catalan Music, which was held at the Palau de la Música Catalana between 1904 and 1922. A festival of similar format and prestige to those that, in those times, also had the Barcelona Floral Games.
Call
The International Choral Composition Competition of the Orfeó Català is free to participate, with no age or origin limit, and does not entail any cost in the form of registration fees.
Modalities and characteristics
A1. COMPOSITION of choral music for mixed choir, with a maximum duration of twelve minutes and a maximum of eight voices (plus occasional divisions).
A2. COMPOSITION of choral music for equal voices (female choir), with a maximum duration of seven minutes and a maximum of four voices (plus sporadic divisions).
A3. COMPOSITION of choral music for children's choir (white voices), with a maximum duration of five minutes and a maximum of three voices (plus sporadic divisions).
- The works submitted must be original, unperformed and not previously awarded in any other competition. Adaptations or versions of previous works by the same authors that have already been premiered or published will not be accepted.
- Works already submitted on more than two previous occasions to the same contest will not be accepted.
- Works may be a cappella or have a maximum of three accompanying instruments.
Candidates
The works must be submitted before January 31, 2025, using the online registration form for the International Choral Composition Competition of the Orfeó Català that is available:
The requirements to apply for the Composition Competition are as follows:
- Fill in the application form
- Attach a copy of the work in PDF digital format.
- Send a MIDI file of the work (MP3 format) or video (MP4, WMV, AVI format).
Works presentation
Works must be submitted with numbered pages. They must be legible, clear, without mistakes or amendments.
The heading of each work can only include: the title, a pseudonym (replacing the author's name) and the modality to which it is submitted.
Authors may submit more than one work and compete in more than one category of the contest, with a maximum of two works per category. Works that have been submitted in parallel to the X International Choral Composition Awards of Catalonia of the FCEC, organized in parallel to this competition, will not be admitted to the competition.
It is necessary to fill in an entry form for EACH work submitted.
For more information: [email protected]
Winning works
The jury will select one work for each modality. It may also declare any of the prizes void if it considers that the works do not meet the quality requirements to be awarded.
Veredict
The jury will issue its verdict in a private ceremony and, subsequently, will make it public in July 2025. The verdict, which will be previously communicated individually to the winners, will be published on the Palau de la Música Catalana and FCEC websites; in the “Revista Musical Catalana” of the Orfeó Català and in the FCEC's magazine “AQuatreVeus”; in the bulletins or magazines of the European Choral Association - Europa Cantat (ECA) and of the International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM).
Prizes
- Maria Font de Carulla Award for the best choral composition for mixed choir: 2,500 euros.
- Prize for the best choral composition for equal voices: 1,000 euros.
- Prize for the best choral composition for children's choir: 1,000 euros.
- Special mention for the best work on a Catalan text: 500 euros.
The prizes include the premiere of the work at the Festival of Choral Music, the publication of the score by the Catalan Federation of Choral Entities and the recording of the premiere performance by Catalunya Música.
The official announcement of the verdict will take place at the extraordinary closing concert of the cycle.
Jury
- Silvia Gil-Pérez, directora del Cor de Cambra Femení Scherzo
- Pilar Paredes, sotsdirectora del Cor Vivaldi
- Joan Magrané, compositor
- Josep Ollé, compositor
- Josep Vila i Jover, director del Cor de Cambra de Granollers
- Pablo Larraz, director de l’Orfeó Català, del Cor Jove de l’Orfeó Català i de l’Escola Coral
- Xavier Puig, director del Cor de Cambra del Palau de la Música, president del jurat
Publishing rights
The Fundació Orfeó Català-Palau de la Música Catalana and FCEC reserve the exclusive right to publish the winning works for a period of ten years from the date of the verdict. This will not affect the intellectual property rights, which will belong to the author for all other purposes.
The Fundació Orfeó Català-Palau de la Música Catalana reserves the right to keep a copy of each work submitted for its own archives and may be disseminated by the Fundació Orfeó Català-Palau de la Música Catalana and the FCEC, unless the author expressly wishes to do so, who must communicate this in writing, attaching it to the works, or later within the aforementioned period.
Acceptance and interpretation of the rules
Participation in this Competition presupposes the acceptance of these rules. The interpretation and any aspect not foreseen in these rules will be resolved by the organization, after consulting, if necessary, the members of the jury.