2nd WASBE International

Composition Contest

Introduction

The World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensemble (WASBE) International Composition
Contest is an initiative sponsored by WASBE that is open to composers from around the world. The
concept is to encourage both young and experienced composers to write original compositions of
high artistic merit for the school/educational band, as well as works for community bands. WASBE
has a vast, world-wide network, and the organization has been promoting the participating and win-
ning compositions and composers of the 1st WASBE International Compositions Contest, organizing
performances world-wide with WASBE members, band directors, and ensembles.

With the International Composition Contest, WASBE’s aim is to connect composers, band directors,
and concert performances. Additionally, WASBE aims to promote the works and performances of the
works on the internet and to connect the works with publishers interested in the new repertoire. In
short, WASBE is dedicated to completing the musical cycle of the works: creation/composition, per-
formance, and the promotion to all WASBE members of the works and composers, and the events
involved.

1. Objectives

a) encourage composers to write new music of high artist merit, taking into consideration the pres-
ence of the ensembles in all fields of modern life;
b) encourage composers to seriously consider wind music, style and form, in its different iterations;
c) promote a close connection between composers and band directors;
d) promote a relationship between all musicians, both amateur and professional, in relation to the
creation and performance of music of various cultures and traditions;
e) implement the full circle of new compositions: creation, performance, and publication;
f) promote the full exchange of musical cultures through its main agents.

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 2. Categories

2.1. Category One: Works for Band Grades 2 and 3; Duration: 6-10 min.
2.1.1. Required Instrumentation Lists:

Grade 2: Grade 3:
Flute Piccolo
Oboe Flute 1
Clarinet 1 Flute 2
Clarinet 2 Oboe 1
Bass Clarinet Oboe 2
Bassoon Eb Clarinet - optional
Alto Saxophone 1 Clarinet 1
Alto Saxophone 2 Clarinet 2
Tenor Saxophone Clarinet 3
Baritone Saxophone Alto Clarinet - optional
Trumpet 1 Bass Clarinet
Trumpet 2 Bassoon 1
F Horn 1 Bassoon 2
F Horn 1 Alto Saxophone 1
Trombone 1 Alto Saxophone 2
Trombone 2 Tenor Saxophone
Euphonium or Baritone bass clef Baritone Saxophone
Baritone treble clef Trumpet 1
Tuba Trumpet 2
Percussion: Timpani, Bells, Chimes, Trumpet 3
Vibes, Snare/Bass Drum, Cymbals, F Horn 1
Auxiliary instruments F Horn 2
Reduced scores (piano reductions) for F Horn 3
use in rehearsals are welcome. F Horn 4
Regional or folkloric percussion Trombone 1
instruments are welcome, but there must Trombone 2
also be an optional substitute instrument Trombone 3
belonging to the standard symphonic Euphonium or Baritone bass clef
instrumentation. Baritone treble clef
Tuba
Percussion: Timpani, Bells, Chimes, Vibes,
Marimba, Snare/Bass Drum, Cymbals, Auxil-
iary instruments
Piano - optional
Regional or folkloric percussion instruments
are welcome, but there must also be an optional
substitute instrument belonging to the standard
symphonic instrumentation.


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2.2. Category 2: Works for Band Grades 4 and 5; Duration: 8-14 min.
2.2.1. Required Instrumentation Lists:

Grade 4: Grade 5
Piccolo Piccolo
Flute 1 Flute 1
Flute 2 Flute 2
Oboe 1 Oboe 1
Oboe 2 Oboe 2
English Horn - optional English Horn
Eb Clarinet Eb Clarinet
Clarinet 1 Clarinet 1
Clarinet 2 Clarinet 2
Clarinet 3 Clarinet 3
Alto Clarinet Alto Clarinet
Bass Clarinet Bass Clarinet
Bassoon 1 Bassoon 1
Bassoon 2 Bassoon 2
Alto Saxophone 1 Soprano Sax - optional
Alto Saxophone 2 Alto Saxophone 1
Tenor Saxophone Alto Saxophone 2
Baritone Saxophone Tenor Saxophone
Trumpet 1 Baritone Saxophone
Trumpet 2 Trumpet 1
Trumpet 3 Trumpet 2
Trumpet 4 Trumpet 3
F Horn 1 Trumpet 4
F Horn 2 F Horn 1
F Horn 3 F Horn 2
F Horn 4 F Horn 3
Trombone 1 F Horn 4
Trombone 2 Trombone 1
Trombone 3 Trombone 2
Euphonium or Baritone bass clef Trombone 3
Baritone treble clef Bass Trombone
Tuba Euphonium or Baritone bass clef
Piano Baritone treble clef
Percussion: Timpani, Bells, Chimes, Tuba
Vibes, Marimba, Snare/Bass Drum, Piano/Harp
Cymbals, Auxiliary instruments Percussion: Timpani, Bells, Chimes, Vibes,
Regional or folkloric percussion Marimba, Snare/Bass Drum, Cymbals, Auxil-
instruments are welcome, but there must iary instruments
also be an optional substitute instrument Regional or folkloric percussion instruments
belonging to the standard symphonic are welcome, but there must also be an optional
instrumentation. substitute instrument belonging to the standard
symphonic instrumentation.


Note: It is recommended that composers be familiar with the musical language and tradition of the
category to which they apply and with that category’s grading system. The instrumentation suggested
here is that of the American Band College Music Grading Chart by Dr. Cynthia Hutton.

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2.3. Category 3: Works for Symphonic Winds; Duration: 8 to 14 min.; Difficulty: Grade 5 and 6
2.3.1. Required Instrumentation List:
Piccolo
Flute 1
Flute 2
Oboe 1
Oboe 2
English Horn
Eb Clarinet
Clarinet 1
Clarinet 2
Bass Clarinet
Bassoon 1
Bassoon 2
Trumpet 1
Trumpet 2
Trumpet 3
F Horn 1
F Horn 2
F Horn 3
F Horn 4
Trombone 1
Trombone 2
Trombone 3
Bass Trombone
Tuba
Piano/Harp
Percussion (4 players): Timpani, Bells, Chimes, Vibes, Marimba, Snare/Bass Drum, Cymbals,
Auxiliary instruments.

NOTES:
1. The above instrumentation should be the same as the winds of the symphonic orchestra with a
single musician for each respective part.
2. Regional or folkloric percussion instruments are welcome, but there must also be an optional sub-
stitute instrument belonging to the standard symphonic instrumentation.
3. The percussion parts must be able to be executed by 4 musicians: 1 timpanist and 3 percussionists.

2.4. Category 4: Works for Solo Instrument with Wind Band Accompaniment; Duration: 8-14 min.
Solo Difficulty: Grade 5; Ensemble Difficulty: Grade 3-4
2.4.1. Required Instrumentation List:
See the instrumentation for Category 1, Grade 3 and Category 2, Grade 4

NOTES:
1. The solo part music must be for a woodwind or brass instrument found in the standard symphonic
band instrumentation: Piccolo, Flute, Oboe, English Horn, Eb Clarinet, Bb Clarinet, Bass Clar-
inet, Bassoon, Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Bb
Trumpet, Horn in F, Tenor Trombone, Bass Trombone, Euphonium/Baritone, or Tuba.
2. If the difficulty of the solo part is beyond a Grade 5 in difficulty, the composition will be disquali-
fied.

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2.5. A qualifying composition should be original and unpublished at the time of the Composition
Contest. If it receives the first prize, it must remain unpublished for the year following the
competition (this includes both publishing through a publisher and/or self-publishing). The compos-
er is free to write a composition, according to the categories specified below, and independent of any
music commission. Submitted compositions may not have received the first prize in another com-
position competition.

2.6. Compositions may be multi-movement as long as it does not exceed established duration regula-
tions.

2.7. All submitted compositions must be sent with a written note (not to exceed 30 lines of text) con-
taining an explanation of the musical material used, general compositional ideas about the work, and
the grade of the composition.

2.8. All scores should be submitted under a pseudonym for the jury. Scores containing the com-
posers names will be disqualified.

3. Applications

3.1. Digital applications should be sent to Mr. Markus Mauderer: wasbeoffice@gmail.com

3.2. There is an application fee of USD $30.00 per entry/composition

3.2. Required application materials:

3.2.1. Application form filled out with the following information:

-first name and surname of the composer
-place and date of birth
-country of nationality and country of citizenship
-address, telephone number, and email address
-title and duration of the composition
-intended category of entry
-brief commentary about the composition (see section 2.7)
-composer’s curriculum vitae and photo
-declaration that the submitted work is the original, unpublished work of the composer
-receipt proof-of-payment of USD $30.00 paid through the WASBE website

3.2.2. 1 (one) copy of the composition in full score digitalized in PDF format. Manuscripts
will not accepted.

3.2.3. 1 (one) mp3 recording of good quality of the instruments indicated in the score.
Live recordings are always preferred, but if a live recording is not available, a high-
quality digital mock-up utilizing acoustic instrument samples is acceptable.

3.2.4. A PDF scan of the composer’s passport or related identification.

3.3. There is no limit to how many categories a composer may enter nor to how many works they
may enter in each category, but there is a USD $30.00 entry fee for each entry submitted. This entry

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fee is final and will not be reimbursed. It is paid through www.wasbe.org and a copy of the issued re-
ceipt must accompany the entry (see 3.2.1)

4. Results

4.1. Entering the competition implies compliance to the aforementioned rules.

4.2. Scores that do not comply with the outlined rules will be disqualified from the competition
without reimbursement.

4.3. Composers selected after the elimination stage of the competition are required to prepare a full
set of performance materials and send them by May 15, 2019, in PDF format to

wasbeoffice@gmail.com

4.4. The organizer of the competition reserves the right to make changes in the course of the compe-
tition if unpredicted circumstances or random incidents occur or if it is impossible to continue
the competition with the established course of action.

4.5. The organizer reserves the right to process personal data of the participants in connection with
the organization of the competition.

4.6. The contest is not responsible for any mistakes or misprints in the score and parts of the selected
compositions.

5. Contest Phases

5.1. Phase One: Elimination. In this stage, 5 (five) finalist compositions in each category will be
selected for the final round. The deadline for submitting the composition is April 12, 2019 (category
1-3) and February 08, 2019 (category 4)

5.2. Phase Two: Finals. This stage of the competition will take place during a live concert in con-
junction with the WASBE International Conference. The pieces will at that time be juried by those
selected by the WASBE Board of Directors.

5.3. A list of selected compositions from Phase One will be listed on the WASBE website
(www.wasbe.org). It is the full responsibility of the composers to follow the information available on
the WASBE website.

6. Prizes

6.1. WASBE will organize concerts on all continents for the first 3 (three) compositions classified in
the final stage. The ensembles belonging to WASBE will perform the compositions in a special
World Event, promoting the winners to the world, as well as interviewing the composers for the
WASBE YouTube channel and will interview band directors and musicians about the compositions.
With this motion, WASBE will exercise one of its most important goals: “Promoting the new reper-
toire for wind and percussion instruments” all around the world.

6.2. WASBE will charge WASBE members a symbolic fee of USD $20.00 to purchase the materials
(through www.wasbe.org); WASBE will retain USD $10.00 and will pay USD $10.00 to the com-
posers. This will last for the space of one year.

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6.3. All pieces selected as finalists will have the option of first refusal to be published as part of the
new WASBE series that is being launched through Murphy Music Press (http://murphymusicpress.-
com/) after the one-year period mentioned in 6.2.

6.4. Phase Two: Finals will not result in a tie.

6.5. WASBE will issue a Certificate of Participation to all participants.

6.6. The jury reserves the right to not select winners at the Finals if the judging committee finds that
some of the compositions do not have the necessary artistic and/or technical level to be among the
top 3 winners.

7. Jury

7.1. The jury will consist of members of the WASBE Board of Directors, former presidents, and a
select group of highly qualified professionals.

7.2. The WASBE President serves as the president of the jury, and is in charge of all of the competi-
tion’s procedures and will ensure the autonomy and fulfillment on the voting process.

7.3. All the jury’s decisions are final and not open to appeal.

7.4. The jury for Phase One is a committee comprised of four members selected from the WASBE
Board of Directors and former presidents. This committee selects the works for the final round.

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Dario Sotelo
WASBE President

Attachment: Application Procedures

1 - Pay the USD $30.00 per score
2 - Receive an identification number
3 - Along with the identification number, send all documents, the information form described on item
3.2.a, and the score in PDF format
4 - Do not forget that the score should only have the PSEUDONYM.

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