On 18. January 2024

NOVALIS CONCEPT in Osijek announces

OPEN CALL for new compositions and composition workshop at 7th edition of Novalis Festival


❖ THE GOAL OF THIS OPEN CALL

Novalis Concept in Osijek (Croatia) encourages composers and performers of contemporary music with this open call. Six (6) international composers under the age of 35 will be selected. The composers will each write a new piece for the Novalis festival, and will have an opportunity to work with composer-mentors Jessie Marino, Marko Ciciliani, and Mladen Tarbuk. All of the new compositions will be distributed and performed by guest ensembles and soloists including Papandopulo Quartet, Switch Ensemble, Duo Tudor & Režić and Aleksander Gabrys. The composer attendees will receive one individual lesson with each composer-mentor, and their newly written works will be premiered during Novalis Festival. The festival will take place in Osijek between 9th and 11th of October 2024.


The concerts will be professionally audio and video documented, broadcast on Novalis YouTube channel. There is no participation fee. After the selection process, participants will be required to pay a workshop fee of 580€ or $637. This fee will cover the costs of individual lessons and accommodations for five nights during the festival. Participants are required to attend the festival in person and are responsible for all personal travel expenses. Bank information for both the competition and workshop fee is as follows:

Hrvatska Poštanska Banka, Jurišićeva ulica 4 - 10000 Zagreb - Croatia
IBAN:HR59 2390 0011 1009 0244 3, BIC: HPBZHR2X


❖ REQUIREMENTS OF THE OPEN CALL

To complete this application, you will need to provide the following documents:

  • • Biography or CV; (make sure that your full legal name and the date of birth are clearly visible);

  • • Two (2) representative scores with corresponding recordings. [For pieces that do not have a score, provide alternate supplementary materials];

  • • Description of the new composition that the applicant plans to compose and that corresponds with the theme of the Novalis Festival.


Please send all materials to the following email address: novalis.festival@gmail.com
*NOTE: Please limit the size of each document to 10MB or provide a link to stream or download!



The project proposal has to comply with the following criteria:

  1. 1. The proposal should reflect the theme of the festival - “Ecology” (see theme below);

  2. 2. The length of the proposition should not exceed 3000 characters or 500 words;

  3. 3. The average duration of the proposed piece by composers should not be over 6 minutes;

  4. 4. The proposal needs to be a genuinely new work and not a modification of previously created, publicly performed, published or awarded composition;

  5. 5. The instrumental formation of the new work by composers should be left open. The jury will decide, based on the experience of the applicant, which formation will be given as an assignment.

  6. 6. Electronics are allowed, noting that the applicant is responsible for the operation/execution of their desired electronic patches and that the proposition for the tech rider needs to remain reasonable (e.g. one microphone per instrument and two/four speakers).


While we want you to feel as free as possible when writing your proposals, bear in mind that we will not be able to match each detail of your propositions as written and that participants might be asked to make some adjustments. Once selected, the composers will have until early August 2024 to complete and submit the scores and parts to Novalis Festival.


This competition is open to all composers that have turned 18 and have not turned 35 prior to October 9th 2024, regardless of nationality and gender. We will do our best to promote the diversity of our participants, respecting the quality of portfolios as our main criterion. A maximum of one submission per applicant is allowed.

❖ THE INCENTIVE

An award for the best piece, the "J. J. Strossmayer Prize", which includes the prize of 350€, will be awarded on the final day of the festival.

❖ THE COMPETITION JURY

Novalis Concept in Osijek appoints the jury consisting of the guest mentors and performers to evaluate submissions. The jury will select 6 composers. The decisions of the jury are final and non-negotiable.

❖ NOVALIS FESTIVAL THEME FOR 2024

For 7th edition of Novalis festival, we decided to go with the universal theme of Ecology.


Ecology is crucial in today’s world because it studies the relationships between organisms and their environments, helping us understand how ecosystems function. This knowledge is vital for sustainable resource management, biodiversity conservation, and addressing environmental challenges like climate change. Promoting ecology through art involves creating awareness and inspiring action. Music has the power to convey messages and emotions, making it a potent tool for raising ecological awareness and fostering a sense of environmental responsibility. Several ecological challenges persist in today's world, including climate change, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, pollution (air, water, and soil), overconsumption of resources, and habitat destruction. Addressing these challenges is crucial for the well-being of both ecosystems and human societies. Sustainable practices, conservation efforts, and international cooperation are essential components in tackling these ecological issues. Novalis, located in Osijek by one of Europe's largest wetlands (Kopački rit), is aware of how quickly climate change is altering our immediate environment and wants to encourage conversation on this all-encompassing topic.

For this reason, Novalis Concept has decided to make "ecology" the theme of our upcoming festival. We invite composers and performers to write a project proposal in the form of a short essay that includes their own view of the term “ecology ". What does ecology mean to you? What role does it play in your daily practice and in your personal viewpoint of the world? How can music/arts contribute to this dialoque?

In the hope that this topic will be inspiring to you, we wish you a lot of success with this application.

❖ COMPETITION DEADLINE – 24. MARCH 2024

The results of this open call will be published in March 2024 on the festival website: www.novalisconcept.hr

Only the winners of the competition will be personally notified by email.

❖ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For any questions or more information regarding this open call, you can write to us at: novalis.festival@gmail.com