Mizzou International Composers Festival Application

Festival Application Submission Guidelines

Complete the online application process here. Applying to MICF is free.

Follow the Online Application Guidelines:

  • Upload three scores of original works with contrasting instrumentation. If you have a piece scored for a large ensemble (orchestra, sinfonietta, string orchestra, wind ensemble, etc.), please include that work as one of the three submitted scores.
  • Upload recordings of the same works. Live recordings are preferred but MIDI recordings are accepted.
  • Upload a CV/Resume (two-page maximum)

Applications are due by November 5, 2023.

    Application Deadline:
    November 5, 2023

    Apply now!

    The Mizzou New Music Initiative is excited to announce the 15th Annual Mizzou International Composers FestivalJuly 22 – 27, 2024 on the campus of the University of Missouri.

    Eight composers from around the world will be selected through a portfolio application process to compose a work to be performed by the internationally acclaimed new music ensemble, Alarm Will Sound. Composers will take part in discussions and lessons with guest composers (announcement coming soon); take part in workshops with Alarm Will Sound and receive a professional live recording of the premiere performance of their work.

    The eight selected resident composers will be expected to compose a work for Alarm Will Sound’s complete instrumentation (see below) lasting up to 8 minutes in duration. Each selected resident composer must submit a finished preliminary score by April 2024 for review by Alarm Will Sound, and professionally-prepared scores and parts of the final work are due by May 2024. Festival tuition, room, and board for each selected composer will be provided through the generous contributions of the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation. Selected composers will need to pay for transportation to and from Columbia, MO.

    Festival tuition, room, and board for each selected composer will be provided through the generous contributions of the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation. Selected composers will need to pay for transportation to and from Columbia, MO.

    We acknowledge that COVID makes future conditions difficult to predict. If it is not safe to host the festival in-person on our campus, we will offer resident composers a virtual experience: presentations, lessons, and workshops over Zoom; an online reading/recording session by Alarm Will Sound; and live-streamed concerts. The festival is exploring hybrid online/in-person options as well.  

    Alarm Will Sound's Instrumentation

    • Flute/Piccolo
    • Oboe/English horn
    • E-flat Clarinet/B-flat Clarinet
    • B-flat Clarinet/ Bass Clarinet
    • Bassoon
    • Horn
    • Trumpet
    • Trombone/Bass Trombone
    • Percussion: Two players with standard multi-percussion, mallet percussion, and drumkit.
    • Piano
    • Violin 1
    • Violin 2/Viola
    • Viola
    • Cello
    • Double Bass