THE DAVID P. ('60) AND SUSAN W. WOHLHUETER JAZZ ENSEMBLE COMPOSITION CONTEST

Poster for 2023-24 Jazz Composition Contest, featuring guest artist Alexa Tarantino

Alexa Tarantino, guest artist for the 2023-24 contest

THE 2023-24 CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. STAY TUNED FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WINNER! -MT

The Ithaca College Jazz Ensemble is pleased to announce the 13th composition contest! The guest artist for this year’s contest is multi-woodwind performer Alexa Tarantino who will perform the winning piece(s) with the Jazz Ensemble.

The contest has been created to encourage composers to write for big bands and to give Ithaca College students the experience of evaluating and performing new music. Students participate in the judging of the contest. 

This year, the contest prize for the winning composer is $1500 (US). The entry fee is $25 (US) and the submission deadline is March 1, 2024 at 5PM EST. The IC Jazz Ensemble plans to perform the winning piece in concert with Alexa Tarantino as guest soloist on April 27, 2024 at 8:15PM in Ford Hall at the Whalen Center for Music. The concert will also be live streamed and archived for later viewing.

A complete list of winning pieces and composers from previous years can be found at:

https://www.ithaca.edu/academics/school-music-theatre-and-dance/music-ensembles/instrumental-jazz/composition-contest/previous-winners

JUDGING CRITERIA

Judges will use six primary criteria to assess submissions: quality, suitability, tradition, accessibility, appropriate level of difficulty, and professional notation. See contest rules for complete contest rules, details on judging criteria, and the submission procedure:

https://www.ithaca.edu/academics/school-music-theatre-and-dance/music-ensembles/instrumental-jazz/composition-contest/contest-rules

QUESTIONS

General contest questions can be addressed to Mike Titlebaum, Director of Jazz Studies at mtitlebaum@ithaca.edu.

IMPORTANT NOTE

Please send questions before February 26, 2024. Questions received after that date may not be answered before the contest deadline. In any correspondence, do not include any specific aspects about your piece, because doing so may breach confidentiality of the judging process.

We’re looking forward to hearing your music!

~Mike