Call for New Works
The School of Music & Theatre at Heidelberg University and Heidelberg New Music Association are pleased to announce a Call for New Works written by artists currently attending high school in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, or Pennsylvania. Heidelberg’s Call for New Works encompasses works for choir, symphonic band, chamber ensembles, and soloists, as outlined in the category descriptions below.
The Call for New Works is part of the School of Music and Theatre’s Honor Festival, offering high school students the opportunity to perform with our Honor Choir and Band.
There are four categories in which a composer/playwright may submit works for consideration:
CATEGORY ONE - Heidelberg Concert Choir (Dr. Greg Ramsdell)
- Works written for SATB chorus, with or without piano accompaniment
- 3-5 minutes in duration
- English Language Text
- Difficulty level appropriate for collegiate students
- Works including fixed media or instrumental obbligato will be considered
- Premiered by the Heidelberg University Concert Choir or Heidelberg University Chamber Singers
CATEGORY TWO - Heidelberg Honor Band
- Works for flex band (3-5 wind parts, up to 4 percussion parts)
- 3-5 minutes in duration
- Difficulty level appropriate for medium to advanced high school students
- Works including fixed media will be considered
- Works may not include extended solos
CATEGORY THREE - Chamber or Solo Music
- Works can encompass any aspect of chamber music, mixing vocal, brass, woodwind, percussion, keyboard and theatrical elements.
- Available instruments in any combination from solo to sextet: flute/piccolo (2), clarinet (2), saxophones (4), trumpet (2), horn (1), trombone (2), euphonium (3), tuba (2), percussion (2), piano (2), or voice (SATB).
- 3-5 minutes in duration
- Difficulty level appropriate for an advance high school student
- Works including fixed media will be considered.
CATEGORY FOUR - Singer/Songwriter
- Original Song performed by the artist themselves
- 3-5 minutes in duration
- Instruments for live performance: limited backing band (drums, bass, guitar, and piano/keyboard)
- Works with backing track will be considered
Submission Details
- Artists may submit up to two works in the same or different categories
- All scores must be in pdf format
- All audio files (recording or MIDI) should be in either .mp3 or .wav format
- DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS December 1st.
Winners will be contacted by December 1, 2025. Selected works will receive workshop sessions with School of Music and Theatre Faculty Greg Ramsdell, and Ben Herrick alongside Heidelberg Composition faculty Matthew Kennedy. In addition, Winners will receive an honorarium of $200 and their works will be performed at the 2026 School of Music & Theatre Honor Festival Concert on January 19th, 2026.
Contact composition [at] heidelberg.edu (composition[at]heidelberg[dot]edu) with any questions