Huntsville Master Chorale 

10th Annual Choral Composition Contest

Contest theme: Lasting Memories 

The winning piece will be premiered at our April 23 & 25, 2027 Concert: Love, Music, Memory: Sing Anything. 

Text: Only original settings based on the provided text, “The Light We Bring,” by Joanna Caldwell will be considered. The text is available here. This lyric is the winner of our recent Poetry Contest.

Eligibility: Open to current US Residents. 

Deadline: Submissions received after November 30, 2026 will not be considered.

Level: The winning composition must be at a technical level that makes performance possible by a volunteer adult choir of 40 voices that rehearses about 2 hours once a week. 

Voicing: Voicing should be SATB. Extensive solo passages are discouraged. Some divisi will be allowed. Moderate tessitura and harmonic language should be used for all parts (Sopranos C4-G5, Altos G3-D5, Tenors C3-F4, Basses G2-D4). 

Accompaniment and Length: Compositions may be a cappella or accompanied by piano, or piano with minimal additional instruments. Compositions should be at least 3 minutes but not more than 10 minutes. 

Submission Details: 

Previous Exposure: Our goal is to encourage and give exposure to new choral works. Although compositions do not need to be newly created, if compositions have a well established online presence, or have been published, they will not be considered.  

Submission formats: 

• Electronic submissions (PDF) are required. 

• Audio files in MP3 format are strongly encouraged. 

• Scores must be clear and ready for duplication and performance, using one of the standard music printing programs (PDFs generated by Finale, Sibelius, Dorico, etc.). 

• If composers submit their work written by hand, it should be clearly legible. 

• Please remove all identifying marks from submitted scores as the judging will be conducted anonymously. The names of all participants will be held in confidence during the adjudication. 

• A completed copy of the form below must accompany each submission. No more than two compositions will be accepted from a single composer.

• We encourage all entrants to include a brief narrative (100–300 words) detailing the composer’s creative process, structural choices, harmonic framework, and approach to the text-setting on the form below.. 

Permitted and Prohibited Uses of Technology: This competition celebrates the unique depth of human creativity and artistic intent. All entries must be the original work of the submitting human composer. 

• Permitted Tools: The use of standard digital notation software (such as Sibelius, Dorico, MuseScore, or Finale) is fully permitted for the purposes of manual note entry, formatting, transposition, score playback, and engraving. 

• Prohibited Tools: The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), automated algorithmic composition tools, large language models (LLMs), or machine-learning applications to generate musical themes, melodic lines, harmonic structures, SATB counterpoint, orchestration, or lyric text is strictly prohibited. Submitting material generated in whole or in part by these technologies will result in immediate disqualification. 

Verification Materials: All entrants must submit a brief narrative (100–300 words) detailing the composer’s creative process, structural choices, harmonic framework, and approach to the text-setting. 

Right of Audit and Disqualification - The judging panel and competition administrators reserve the right to audit any submission. Finalists may be required to provide chronological drafts, rough sketches, or previous version exports to verify a human-driven creative workflow. 

By submitting an entry, the composer explicitly warrants that the work is entirely of their own human creation. The competition administration reserves the sole right to disqualify any entry that shows clear evidence of algorithmic automation or fails to provide requested verification materials. All decisions made by the administration and judging panel are final and binding. 

Evaluation: The winning composition will be selected by a panel of guest judges, members of the Huntsville Master Chorale and the Chorale's Artistic Director. This evaluation will consider the quality of the piece, and its suitability for a successful performance by Huntsville Master Chorale. The winning piece and composer will be announced by email and social media platforms by January 1, 2027. Decisions made by the judges are final. Should the compositions submitted not meet the standards set forth, the Huntsville Master Chorale reserves the right to withhold the award. 

Copyrights: The Huntsville Master Chorale shall retain unlimited performance and mechanical rights of performances and recordings made by the Huntsville Master Chorale. The composer shall retain all other copy, performance, and mechanical rights to their works. 

Award: $1000