The Missouri Composers Project (MOCOP) is looking for new, large-ensemble music written by Missouri residents to be performed in a concert on March 20, 2022.

Now in its tenth 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 to bring attention to new large ensemble works written in the state of Missouri. By identifying composers and providing opportunities for the performance of their work, MOCOP showcases emerging talent from Missouri and shares it with the world.

Each year recently composed orchestral and choral works are selected through a competitive, blind judging process to be performed by the CCO and Chamber Choir (pictured) at a concert in Columbia and professionally recorded. Each of the composers of the selected works will also be awarded a $500 honorarium.

MOCOP’s 2022 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 Columbia Chamber Choir will perform selected works in a concert at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 20, 2022 at First Baptist Church, 605 Elm St, in Columbia. Since the 2021 MOCOP concert was cancelled because of COVID protocols, the 2022 concert will feature performances of this year’s winning compositions as well as the winning compositions from last year’s competition.

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 December 6, 2021.

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 is an ensemble of the Chorale Arts Alliance of Missouri, 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.