CMC PRAIRIE GRANTS
CURRENT COMPOSER OPPORTUNITIES:
Composition Contest 2025
Cochrane Music Society is pleased to announce
our 1st Concert Band Composition Contest!
This competition is designed for emerging composers. Musicians from across Alberta who meet the eligibility criteria are welcome to submit their original music for a chance to win.
We are so grateful for the sponsorship of this project by the Town of Cochrane, Long & McQuade and Music Direct!
Prizes
1st Prize: Commission of $2,000.
The winning composition will be performed at the CMS Spring Showcase Concert.
2nd Prize: Acknowledgement of Accomplishment, Judges’ Assessment
3rd Prize: Acknowledgement of Accomplishment, Judges’ Assessment
Competition Dates
Applications Open June 1, 2025
Applications Close October 1, 2025
Selection Announcement no later than December 1, 2025
Premiere Performance of Winning Composition on or about May 9, 2026
Eligibility
The contest is open to Alberta residents who meet the following CMS Emerging Composer Guidelines:
• There is no age restriction.
• May have had some works published and performed and received regional awards but have not yet established a reputation in the field.
• Have not received national awards or grants for composing concert band works.
• Have not won first prize in any previous contest for the work to be submitted.
• Have not received a previous Cochrane Music Society commission.
Summary of Application Requirements
*See Competition Rules For Complete Information*
• Submitted work must be 5-6 minutes in length, band level Grade 3-4 with typical concert band instrumentation, and original. The use of AI to generate any part of the composition is not permitted.
• One entry per person.
• Applicant must submit completed application form (see below) with attachments:
– Anonymized Score for full concert band with accompanying program notes.
– Recording – mp3 or WAV soundfile
– Biography
– Curriculum Vitae – Optional
– Publicity Photo of Self – Optional
• Incomplete and late applications cannot be submitted.
Judging
The jury panel comprises respected members of the musical community. The judging of scores and music will be accomplished “blind”. Judges will not have access to composer applications or resumes during the submission review process. The decision of the jury is final.
Notification
• Selection of the commissions will be completed no later than December 1, 2025.
• All official competition communications will be by email.
• To receive their award, the winning composer must sign and fulfill the Cochrane Music Society Composition Contest Commission Agreement
Retention of Materials
CMS will not retain any submission materials, except the winning entry, after the commission has been awarded.
Questions?
Email cochranemusicsociety@gmail.com
APPLY HERE
Beginning Band Composition Competition
Dr. Wendy Zander, Competition Coordinator
CALL FOR COMPOSITIONS
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Brandon University Student Music Educators’ Association and the 20th annual Da Capo Conference in the School of Music at Brandon University, we welcome submissions of compositions written for beginner band students.
The Composition
Competition Details
Submissions
Composition Context
The Composition:
Submissions must
- be an original composition for band written since August 1, 2023 that has not yet been commercially available (website, publisher, distributor, etc).
- be written at a difficulty level of 0.5 (based on the 0.5-6 grade level system). Secondary consideration will be given to compositions at Level 1.
“Defining the Wind Band Grade System” by David Marlatt (Eighth Note Publications) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZC8BgZu3MLLw8DL1yPvqXRSEBwbNEtOj/view
and *Bruce Pearson’s “Selecting Music for the Young Band” are an outstanding resource.
*(in Teaching Music Through Performance in Beginning Band, Volume 1, ed. Richard Miles and Thomas Dvorak. Chicago, IL. GIA Music, pp. 45-60.)
Competition Details:
The Competition is open to submissions from Canadian citizens and residents.
The deadline to submit is 12:00 AM (midnight) CST on November 1, 2025.
The composer of the winning compositions will receive a prize of $750 for first place, $350 for second place, and $150 for third place.
All copyright, mechanical rights, and royalty rights remain with the composer. The winning composers will provide the Competition Coordinator with a digital copy of the score and parts to be distributed to members of the Westman Band Directors Association for their program use. Winning works will be performed at the 2026 Da Capo Conference.
All applicants will receive an announcement of the winner by email and the results will be posted, including on the Brandon University School of Music website.
Should the jury consider none of the submitted compositions to be level-appropriate or meritorious, prizes will not be awarded.
Composition Advisory Committee: Kaylee Carlson, Veronica Casigay, Graydon Cramer, Erin Dodds, Brooklyn Friesen, and Kaylynne MacDiarmid.
Submissions:
- Submissions (score and file names) should be saved by title to maintain anonymity. Please submit .pdf score, recording (mp3), and an on-line completed submission form. https://forms.gle/UASvKdkcsVavPRqp9
Live recordings are encouraged, but MIDI realizations are acceptable. PLEASE COMPRESS AUDIO FILES TO MINIMIZE FILE SIZE. Submissions should be e-mailed to BUSMEA@brandonu.ca with a subject line of “Composition Competition Submission.”
- Recommended Instrumentation
Flute
Oboe
Clarinet
Bass Clarinet
Alto, Tenor, and Baritone Saxophone
Bassoon
Trumpet
Horn
Trombone
Euphonium (Bass Clef)
Tuba
Double Bass
Percussion
Unpitched
Pitched
Composition awards are provided with financial support from the Westman Band Directors Association and Competition Coordinator.
Composition Context:
The Composition Competition is a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Brandon University Music Educators Association (BUSMEA) and the 20th anniversary of BUSMEA’s Da Capo Conference.
Brandon University Music Educators Association (BUSMEA)
BUSMEA, founded in the School of Music in 1986, is an association managed by a music education student Executive Council. With member support, Council organizes professional development opportunities to supplement course work and educational experiences for students enrolled in the faculties of Music and Education. Engagement with BUSMEA advances members’ keystone leadership skills in communication, organization, budgeting, and fundraising, among others.
Da Capo Conference
The Da Capo conference is a one-day professional development event, planned and prepared by the BUSMEA Council. It includes workshops and seminars designed to enrich the learning of music educators, music administrators, students in music and music education as well as high-school students. The conference builds and sustains relationships between pre-service and in-service educators by engaging prairie educators as mentors and experts. On January 16-17, 2026, Da Capo will celebrate its’ twentieth iteration with a special two-day event honoring these values and connections.
Westman Band Directors Association (WMBDA)
The WMBDA supports quality instrumental music education in Western Manitoba through professional development opportunities and the nurturing of a network of stakeholders. They endeavor to provide meaningful opportunities for bands and educators to grow and build community. The WMBDA
- delivers an annual Junior and Senior Honour Band each February in cooperation with the Brandon University School of Music. This event brings in conductors and ensembles to share in our learning and performance.
- organizes an annual meeting and professional development event in June.
- All band directors in the region are WMBDA members and associate membership is available to anyone in the area with a Manitoba Band Association membership in good standing.
- Our members support the Brandon University Student Music Educators’ Association
BUSMEA and WMBDA members are committed to providing high quality music instruction. Designed to stimulate the creation of accessible and engaging Canadian repertoire for beginner band, the composition competition is an investment in musicians who are, like pre-service teachers, at the beginning – Da Capo – of an important adventure.
CMC Ontario – Concert Series
Deadline / rolling
Click here for info
Starting in 2023, The Ontario Region of the Canadian Music Centre is offering up to six $1,000 sponsorships each year, available to Associate Composers and new music performers, ensembles, and presenters, to produce a concert featuring at least 50% of music by Ontario Associate composers, allocated regionally in the following areas:
- Eastern Ontario (Ottawa, Kingston)
- Southern Ontario (Hamilton, Kitchener, Niagara)
- Western Ontario (London, Windsor)
- Central Ontario (Peterborough, Barrie, Owen Sound)
- Northern Ontario (North Bay, Sudbury, Manitoulin)
- Northwestern Ontario (Thunder Bay, Sault-Ste-Marie, Kenora)
CMC ON will promote the concerts via the CMC Ontario eBlast, our website, and social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). In return we ask that the concerts are billed as co-presentations providing equal billing to CMC ON on programs, website page about the concert, and any promotional materials using our logo. After the event, CMC ON will solicit a statement about the benefit of the support. Where possible, someone from CMC ON will attend.
While offering a source of new funds to areas historically deprived of new music performances and our help promoting concerts under this umbrella, this new paradigm of working has the potential to increase the number of concerts CMC ON presents each year, broaden our presence across the province, help us meet new people doing creative things, and help us better fulfill our provincial mandate and mission.
A specific number of sponsorships will be allocated to each area annually. Applications will be reviewed by staff as they are received until the funds for each area are committed.