Submit Work for VOX
We are currently not accepting applications for Vox 2012. please check back soon for further information.
ABOUT
VOX gives composers of US citizenship the opportunity to present to the public excerpts of operatic works, un-staged, as read by members of the New York City Opera orchestra and soloists. Works, which have yet to receive a professional United States premiere, are eligible to apply. Completed works and works-in-progress will be equally considered, provided an excerpt of at most 20 minutes in length accompanies this application. If applying for Vox Second Look, please indicate on the application form and see eligibility below.Vox Second Look: Works are eligible for Vox Second Look if only one professional production has occurred and no future productions are planned at the time of application. All application requirements are the same, but applicant must indicate on the application form that the work should be considered for Vox Second Look.
All entries will be reviewed carefully by a panel comprised of opera professionals and members of City Opera’s artistic and production staff.
Required Material for Application
Score materials:• Piano/vocal score representing the strongest 20 minutes of your piece (3 copies)
• Full score of the same 20 minutes (3 copies), or, if the piece being submitted is not yet orchestrated, an full score from another piece to demonstrate orchestration skill (3 copies)
• Piano/vocal score of the full piece, or as much as is currently written (1 copy)
• Full score of the full piece, or as much as is currently written (1 copy)
Synopsis or treatment of your work:
• Summary/Synopsis of the work as a whole (3 copies)
• Detailed summary/synopsis of the 20 minutes selected (3 copies)
Biography/CV of the composer and the librettist (3 copies)
Recording of submitted material: live recording, midi-demo (not encouraged), or composer play through of the 20 minutes selected (3 copies)
History of the work’s development and the artistic goals of the creative team (3 copies)
Proof of underlying rights if the source material is not in the public domain (1 copy)
Self-addressed stamped envelope if return of material is requested. Do not send postage only; return packaging must also be included. Please note that submitted scores will not be kept on file or in archives at City Opera, and materials that are not accompanied by a return envelope will be destroyed shortly after notification of the judges’ decision. If you do not need your materials returned to you, please indicate this on your application form. If you live in the NY area and would like to pick up your materials, please indicate this on your application form.
City Opera Forces
The maximum ensemble size usually available for VOX is that of a chamber-sized orchestra
Additional and non-traditional instruments required for specific excerpts will be considered but not guaranteed. These numbers are intended as guidance in considering a work’s suitability for VOX; this is not a guarantee of what will be available for this year’s festival. For works selected with chorus for VOX 2012, there will be at least a quartet of voices formed to suggest the chorus writing.
Criteria for Entry
All members of the jury make recommendations based on the following criteria:• Creator defines the work as an opera with music and words serving a theatrical purpose.
• Score and libretto are stage-worthy and crafted with dramatic savvy.
• Submitted material shows technical skill in composition for vocal writing and instrumental ensemble.
• The creators have a unique voice with the potential to enrich the operatic literature.
• The topic and subject matter of the opera are exceptional, relevant, and well suited to a music-theater form.
• The composer/librettist team will benefit from hearing their work with a full orchestra and soloists (unless applying for the Vox Second Stage).
• The material is performable based on the resources available to the project.
• The work contributes to a wider diversity of styles and perspectives sought out for the festival as a whole.
All entries will also have to meet the following eligibility:
• The competition is open only to composers who are US citizens or composers currently living in America with plans to stay in the country on a long-term basis (proof required).
• The work may not have had a professional stage premiere (unless applying for Vox Second Look); if a stage premiere is anticipated, it must be scheduled for after the VOX workshop dates.
• Works of all ensemble sizes will be considered but should not exceed the size of the New York City Opera orchestra (listed below).
• Instrumental requirements beyond the forces listed below may be considered but not guaranteed.
• Traditional and non-traditional operatic forms and musical styles are welcome.
Upon Acceptance
Accepted works will be presented subject to the following conditions: Composers must generate a cast list and orchestration list, 10 piano/vocal scores, three full conductor scores, and instrument parts which correspond to the selected excerpt in the proper number, paper size and format by the deadlines published at the time of acceptance. Specific guidelines for these materials will be distributed upon acceptance. Composers, and not New York City Opera, are solely responsible for the copying and the correctness of all score materials. Composers will receive a stipend to defray the costs of generating scores and parts. Composers must provide 5 copies of a study CD of the selected excerpt for soloists and music staff, and must release New York City Opera from liability related to any recordings of the rehearsals or reading of their work. New York City Opera reserves the right to alter casting and orchestration where deemed necessary by the music and/or administrative staff by reason of personnel or other constraints. In the event of future presentations or productions of the selected work, a credit citing the participation of New York City Opera and VOX in the development of the work must be included in publicity and program materials. City Opera encourages nationwide submissions, and travel stipends will be provided for non-local participants. Appearance fee stipends will be given to all members of the writing teams.Frequently Asked Questions
I live in the New York area. Can I pick up my materials after the judges’ decision has been made rather than send a self-addressed envelope?Yes, you can opt to pick up your materials rather than have them sent back to you. If you would like to pick them up, please indicate this on your application form.
Does the submitted selection need to be 20 consecutive minutes of music?
The excerpt you submit to VOX does not need to be fully consecutive. However, it should not be an overwhelming number of non-consecutive segments. Three or four arias, or a couple of non-consecutive scenes would be good excerpts. You should not send ten 2- or three-minute segments.
The selection I would like to submit has chorus parts. Will there be a chorus available for the VOX performance?
What we have done in the past for choral sections is to have one singer per voice part sing these sections.
My piece is scored to include some specialty instruments. Will these be available? My piece is scored to include electronics. Is this acceptable? My piece has accompanying video projections. Can I use them for the VOX performance?
We will make every effort to satisfy these requests. We have in the past performed pieces using both electronics and video projections, as well as specialty instruments. If a particular instrument is not available, we will work with you to find a replacement.
I have applied to previous VOX seasons, or have already had an opera performed at VOX in a previous season. Can I apply again?
You are definitely welcome to apply to VOX multiple times, even if you have had a piece performed at VOX in the past. Each year we try to find not only the best new works to present, but also a group of selections that work together as a whole. A piece you submitted for consideration last year may look different among the applications for this year. You are only eligible to apply to VOX with the same piece for a maximum of three years.
My piece has had a performance, reading, or workshop already. Am I still eligible to apply?
If your piece has already been performed somewhere, please include with your application a description of how this performance was a workshop, reading, or academic performance, or how your piece has changed since the initial performance.
I have an full score for my piece. Do you still want me to send the piano/vocal score?
Yes. If you have both the full and piano/vocal versions of your score, please send 4 copies of each for the submitted excerpt, and 1 copy of each full score.
I have a piano/vocal score written for my piece, but have not yet orchestrated it. Is this okay?
If you have not yet orchestrated the submitted excerpts, please include 3 copies of a score from something else you have written to demonstrate full skill. Please note, though, that full materials will be required by July for accepted submissions.
I have an full score for my piece, but do not yet have a piano/vocal score prepared. Is this okay?
If you do not yet have a piano/vocal score, sending in the full score materials will be sufficient. Please note, though, that piano/vocal materials will be required for accepted submissions.
Can I send just the return postage without a box or envelope?
Please send return postage on a box or envelope. With the number of submissions we receive, we need to be able to just slip materials into an envelope and send them off.
My selected excerpt includes some spoken dialogue. Is this acceptable?
Spoken dialogue in your excerpt is acceptable, and has been done in past VOX seasons. However, the final decision of whether or not to use extensive passages of dialogue in the final performance will be made between NYCO and the composer/librettist closer to the date of performance, based on casting, rehearsal time, etc. If the dialogue is not performed, the audience will be given the omitted passages as part of a libretto handout.