Competition Announcement:

Application Deadline:  Postmarked by June 15, 2013.

Twin Cities Women’s Choir (TCWC) seeks original, unperformed compositions from emerging female composers for SSAA choir – either a cappella or with piano accompaniment – that speak to the theme of Illuminations:  A journey that may include embracing the darkness along with celebrating the return of light.  The composer of the winning piece will receive a cash prize of $1000, an archival recording of the premiere performance in December, 2013, in Minneapolis, MN, and a possible commercial recording on a future TCWC CD.  

Detail:

The Twin Cities Women’s Choir is pleased to announce a choral competition for an emerging female composer in continuation of our mission to affirm the voices of women.  Emerging female composers are eligible and encouraged to submit their works for consideration.  “Emerging” is defined as someone who is not well known as a choral composer on the national level. The composition should be suitable for our annual Illuminations Concerts.  These concerts are held each December and reflect upon darkness and the return of light to our lives—literally and metaphorically. 

Prize: 

$1000; live premiere with 2 performances of the work in December, 2013, in Minneapolis, MN; archival recording; and may be featured on a TCWC CD.

Submission Criteria:

• Applicants must be an emerging (someone who is not well known on the national level) female composer
• All submissions must be an original composition for SSAA choir, a cappella or with piano accompaniment.  Occasional division of the SSAA parts is acceptable.
• If text is not original, proof of public domain or author’s/publisher’s written permission for use of text is required. 
• Text may be secular or one that could be welcomed in many faith traditions.    Should be suitable for our annual Illuminations Concerts.
• Performance time of the work should be approximately 3 minutes in length.
• All submissions must not have been commissioned or previously performed.
• Do not send original manuscripts.  Please submit 3 clearly legible copies of the score, on 8x11 paper, unbound.  Illegible copies will not be considered.
• Scores will be returned if a stamped (with adequate postage), self-addressed envelope is included with your submission.
• Scores submitted without a complete application packet will not be considered.
• The U.S. postmark deadline for entry is June 15, 2013.
• The winner will be announced no later than September 1, 2013.
• The TCWC reserves the right to not award a prize.
• The decision of the judges is final.

Send all scores and application packets to: 

Pat Teiken, Executive Director,
Twin Cities Women’s Choir,
1672 Mackubin Street,
St. Paul, MN 55117.

APPLICATION PACKET:

Required:

• Composer’s name, phone number and mailing address
• Composer’s email address (all communications, including announcement of winner, will be via email)
• 3 legible copies of the score
• Proof of permission to use the text, if not original text or proof in the public domain.
• Biography of composer
• A self addressed-stamped envelope if you want scores returned.

Optional, but encouraged:

• List of composer’s previous choral works and performances
• CD recording of the composition, i.e. midi, piano performance of score, etc.

• January 2013 Newsletter

• December 2012 Newsletter

Thank you!

Last Thursday's Give to the Max day was a great success, thanks in large part to your support.

Throughout the day, a total of 4,381 non-profits, universities, and K-12 schools received 53,339 individual donations totaling $16,391,9905!

TCWC raised $3,527, $27 more than our goal of $3500. This year’s donations for Give to the Max Day will go towards commissioning a new song about Minnesota by a Minnesotan composer. The new composition will be sung by the choir at its Divas & Desserts concert in May 2014. TCWC plans to make this a yearly fundraising event to help expand the library of women's choral music and support women composers. To date, the TCWC has commissioned 25 pieces throughout its 16 year history.

We truly appreciate your support and could not have done this without you!

• Fall 2012 Newsletter

A few years ago the Twin Cities Women's Choir was fortunate to be chosen as part of the Emma 25.  Each year Emma donates their email marketing services to 25 non-profit organizations.  This was and continues to be an amazing gift for the Choir. Recently we were asked to write a short blurb about what Emma means to the Choir.  They will share this information with non-profits considering applying for this donation:

The Twin Cities Women's Choir has a very small staff of 4 part time people.  An Executive Director, who is the only Administrative staff and the rest are Artistic staff: Artistic Director, Assistant Artistic Director and Accompanist.  Having Emma "join" our staff has transformed our communications with our singers (150), volunteers (105), audiences (3,000) and donors making it fast and efficient.  It is easy for volunteers to enter names, emails and addresses into our data base and simple to categorize and sort the names.  The Choir has  templates to use for both our Newsletters and NewsNotes.  Emails are easy to send and we can also print labels from our list if we wish to do a snail mailing.  Help from the Emma staff is excellent and responses are very prompt to any request we have had about using Emma.  Thank you for choosing us as one of your non-profits.  We could not  afford to purchase your services and we appreciate all that you do for us.

Emma 25 is now gearing up to to invite another round of nonprofits to apply for the program this season.  The announcement about this will go out in November.  Please let any other non-profits about Emma and encourage them to apply for this free email marketing service. 

Emma helps organizations everywhere communicate & market in style.
Visit Emma online at http://www.myemma.com

The Twin Cities Women's Choir combines the world's passion for music with a passion for transforming lives and building stronger communities.

Pat Teiken
TCWC Executive Director

Greetings,
 
I would like to congratulate Mary Bussman for having been nominated and selected as a Woman of Distinction by Century College.
 
Century began its Women of Distinction awards in 2005 to highlight the accomplishments of women in our society, and also to celebrate that more women gain access to higher education through community/technical colleges than through any other type of post-secondary institution.
 

Marie Bergerson was the lucky silent auction winner of lunch with Mary Bussman and Pat Teiken.  They lunched at WA Frost.

TCWC members (Barb Gacek and Sue Harris) joined together to sponsor a hole at the Gophers Women Basketball Golf Fundraiser!  These two members sponsored for both 2011 and 2012!