The Mizzou New Music Initiative has set the dates, named the Distinguished Guest Composers, and is now accepting Resident Composer entries for the 2025 Mizzou International Composers Festival (MICF). The 16th annual MICF will take place Monday, July 21 through Saturday, July 26 2025 at the University of Missouri School of Music in Columbia, MO.
MICF will once again feature concerts of music by contemporary composers performed in front of live audiences, along with in-person workshops, master classes, and other events. Saturday night’s grand finale will present the world premieres of new works from each of the Festival’s Resident Composers, performed by Resident Ensemble Alarm Will Sound, conducted by Artistic Director Alan Pierson. Admission to all 2025 MICF concerts will once again be free.
The Distinguished Guest Composers for the 2025 Festival will be Hilda Paredes and Judd Greenstein. Compositions by Paredes and Greenstein will be performed by Alarm Will Sound during the Festival, and they will present master classes, teach, and consult with the 2025 Resident Composers. An upcoming MNMI News release will highlight Paredes’ and Greenstein’s careers.
MNMI began accepting applications for Resident Composers to take part in the 2025 MICF on August 30. Submissions will close on Oct. 20, 2024, at 5 p.m. CDT.
Eight composers from around the world will be selected through a portfolio application process that includes MNMI and Alarm Will Sound members. Applicants will not be charged an application fee. Results will be announced before the end of the year.
During the Festival, the resident composers will receive composition lessons from Paredes and Greenstein and will present lectures about their work. They will also be commissioned to write a piece for Alarm Will Sound and will workshop their compositions with the ensemble during the Festival. The new compositions will have their world premieres during the final MICF concert and will be professionally recorded and shared with the composers and digital platforms.
The eight selected resident composers will be expected to compose a work for Alarm Will Sound’s complete instrumentation (see below) lasting up to eight minutes in duration. Each selected resident composer must submit a finished preliminary score by April 2025 for review by Alarm Will Sound. Professionally prepared scores and parts of the final work are due by May 2025. Festival tuition, room, and board for each selected composer will be provided through the generous contributions of the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation. Selected composers will need to pay for transportation to and from Columbia, MO.
Alarm Will Sound’s Instrumentation
- Flute/Piccolo
- Oboe/English horn
- E-flat Clarinet/B-flat Clarinet
- B-flat Clarinet/ Bass Clarinet
- Bassoon
- Horn
- Trumpet
- Trombone/Bass Trombone
- Percussion: Two players with standard multi-percussion, mallet percussion, and drumkit.
- Piano
- Violin 1
- Violin 2
- Viola
- Cello
- Double Bass
To submit an application, please visit https://newmusic.missouri.edu/micf/mizzou-international-composers-festival-application.
A complete schedule of events, times, dates, and venues for the 2025 Mizzou International Composers Festival will be made available at a later date. For more information, please visit http://composersfestival.missouri.edu/.
