ISCM World New Music Days 2025, Portugal - Call for Works

Deadline: 11 April 2024 23:00

The Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland – the official Irish Section of the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) – invites CMC-represented composers, and former members of the Association of Irish Composers (AIC) to submit their scores for World New Music Days (WNMD) Portugal 2025.

ISCM World New Music Days festival is an annual international showcase of new music – representing contemporary work from across the globe, and in 2025 it will take place in Portugal from 30 May - 7 June. There are 14 categories for which submissions are invited to be presented at the festival. Priority will be given by the ISCM jury to works shorter than 10 minutes in duration, apart from the Youth Choir Category (no. 11), where the duration is no more than five minutes. Preference will also be given to works created after 2015 and works created after 2020 will receive the highest priority. The ISCM jury will particularly favour compositions that resonate with or contribute to the ISCM WNMD 2025 theme, Thirst for Change. For more information on the theme, please visit www.misomusic.me/iscm-wnmd2025-programme-theme.  

The Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland, as the official Irish member of ISCM, is entitled to select and submit 6 works that meet the specified categories and criteria for consideration by the ISCM international jury. One of these works is guaranteed a performance during the festival.

How to make a submission via the ISCM Irish Section

Please see below for further information on the requirements, categories and guidelines. 

Submit your application with all accompanying materials by 23:00, 11 April 2024 through our online form.

Submissions to the CMC ISCM WNMD call are free of charge.  All CMC-represented composers and composers who were members of AIC in 2022 are eligible to submit works for consideration in the Irish call.

PDF iconSee the full guidelines for submission along with the list of categories in the call here 

Application notes:​

  • All CMC-represented composers, and composers who were members of the Association of Irish Composers (the previous ISCM Irish Section) in 2022 are eligible to submit works.
  • Only one work per composer may be submitted, by either official submission or individual submission (see below for details of how to make an individual submission).
  • A panel will be convened by CMC to assess the applications. Up to six works across four of the categories will be selected by the panel.
  • Works that do not conform with the category requirements in regard to instrumentation or duration will not be considered. 
  • CMC strives to be representative of all society in Ireland in all of our activities, and inclusive of all social backgrounds, ethnicities, traditions, sexual orientations, genders, disabilities and religions. It is our aim to submit a balanced and representative shortlist of six high-quality works.
  • Works submitted to the previous call for the previous ISCM Festival (Faroe Islands) are not eligible.
  • Composers of works performed at the previous two ISCM Festivals are not eligible to apply.
  • Deadline for applications 23:00, 11 April 2024.

Late applications will not be considered. 

Queries: please contact Jonathan Grimes, jgrimes@cmc.ie​

Composers from England, Scotland and Wales:​

Any CMC-represented composers or composers who were members of the AIC in 2022 from England, Scotland and Wales are eligible to apply to their relevant national ISCM Section, bearing in mind that composers may only submit one work in total. 

Further information on these is available from our colleagues in Ty Cerdd (https://www.tycerdd.org/iscm-2025-call) and Sound and Music (https://soundandmusic.org/opportunity/iscm-british-section-world-music-days-2025-portugal-applications-open/).

Individual Submissions:​

Individual submissions may also be submitted by composers at their own expense. Individual submissions are not guaranteed a performance. Space in the festival for Individual Submissions is limited, but the festival will consider all submissions and perform those that can be included. For information on making an individual submission, please see the ISCM Website (https://iscm.org/individual-submissions/).

 

ISCM Irish Section Submission Form