Writing a new work for orchestra or chorus is a major accomplishment, yet for many composers, it’s just the first step in bringing their music to life. A commissioned work customarily will get a premiere performance, but there’s no guarantee it will be heard again – unless the composer can find more opportunities to get it played.

Recognizing this ongoing issue, the Missouri Composers Project (MOCOP) once again in 2019 will offer performance opportunities for new, large-ensemble music written by Missouri residents.

Now in its ninth year, MOCOP is a collaborative effort involving the Mizzou New Music Initiative, the Columbia Civic Orchestra (CCO), the Columbia Chamber Choir, and the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation.

Each year, recently composed works are selected through a competitive, blind judging process and are performed by the CCO and Chamber Choir at a concert in Columbia. Each of the composers of the selected works also is awarded a $500 honorarium.

MOCOP’s 2019 competition has four categories: High School Choral and High School Orchestral, for Missouri composers currently in high school, and Open Choral and Open Orchestral, for Missouri composers of any age.

The CCO and the Columbia Chamber Choir will perform the selected works in a concert at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 10, 2019 at First Baptist Church, 1112 E Broadway, in Columbia.

Composers who wish to submit their work to MOCOP can find details on eligibility and instrumentation plus complete application materials online at http://mizzounewmusic.missouri.edu/mocop.

Applications must be submitted no later than Monday, December 3, 2018.

The Columbia Civic Orchestra is a volunteer group located in Columbia, Missouri, dedicated to providing enjoyment for its members and audiences with the presentation and preservation of high-quality symphonic music.

The Columbia Chamber Choir in a subset of the Columbia Chorale, which works to promote choral music of the highest artistic quality and to stimulate a greater community understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of choral music by presenting programs appealing to a wide cross-section of Missouri residents and visitors.