Students need not enter the mentoring program in order to participate in the contest! Simply complete the entry form below by April 19, 2013 along with a recording of the piece. Entries will be notified by email if selected as finalists. Take a moment to read the entry details below.

Click on the red title to go to the Extended Learning website. Then click on Register Here!
Registration deadline is January 15, 2013.

Contact Dr. Sara Hagen
sara.hagen@vcsu.edu
1-800-532-8641 Ext. 3-7270

J. David Moore (b. 1962) has had works performed and recorded all over the world. He has degrees in composition and choral conducting from Florida State University School of Music and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. In the years following his studies, David founded and directed two professional a cappella ensembles, Cincinnati-based The Village Waytes and St. Paul's award-winning Dare To Breathe. He has won numerous grants and awards through the American Composers Forum, the McKnight Foundation, and the Jerome Foundation. An active educator and clinician, David has coached vocal ensembles and served as composer-in-residence at elementary, middle and high schools throughout the midwest. He is a member of ASCAP and the American Composers Forum.

January 15 deadline for students and teachers off campus to register for online mentoring
January 17 Online Workshop with J. David Moore 7-8 pm CST on "Getting Started"
February 1 Deadline for first drafts
March 1 deadline for second drafts
March 20 Possible on campus workshop with J. David Moore (TBA)
April 1 deadline for third drafts
April 19 SUBMISSION DUE DATE 11:59 pm via email or postmarked
May 1 Workshop with J. David Moore for all participants (time TBA)
May 2 Workshop for finalists 4-5 pm at VCSU; concert rehearsal and setup 5-6 pm; pre-concert talk 7:15 pm; concert 7:30 pm

Students need not register for the mentoring program to participate in the Composition Contest! All finalists will be invited to perform "live" or via pre-recorded DVD/video if at a distance by Monday, April 22. All participants are invited to the event at Valley City State University on Thursday, May 2, to meet Mr. Moore and to perform their final pieces in an afternoon teacher/student workshop in which the performances will be shared and discussed.

The concert will be held in Froemke Auditorium at 7:30 p.m, streamed "live" on the Internet. Awards will be made immediately following the performances.


There are a few rules for entry:

Any style, any medium is accepted at this concert. Composers are responsible for the performances of their submissions. The auditorium is equipped with a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround system and LCD projector to a movie-theater quality screen. A grand piano is permanently located on stage.

All participants in the mentoring program will be invited to perform their works at a concert on May 1, where they will have the opportunity to be shared at an informal teacher/student workshop. All others will be notified if accepted to perform at the competition concert on May 2.

The entry form may be photocopied and distributed as needed. Email submissions are preferred. A written score is not required, but is recommended. A recording of the piece *must* accompany the submission. The recording may be computer file (.mp3, .wav, .mid, .mpeg, .mov, or .avi). Hard copy DVDs are preferred.

If there are any questions, please contact Sara Hagen (sara.hagen@vcsu.edu) or 1-800-532-8641 ext. 3-7270.

All recorded entries become the property of VCSU and will not be returned. All rights remain with the composer. Finalists will be notified by email by Thursday, April 25, 2013.

Left to Right: Mimi Brown, Danielle Scheel, Meghan Battest, Dr. Sara Hagen

See the whole concert at http://vcsu.edu/media

The 2010 VCSU Composition Competition and Concert was an outstanding event this year with five high school finalists and nearly 40 collegiate entries. The High School finalists were: Chelsie Babcock, Beulah; Meghan Battest, Beulah; Mimi Brown, Wahpeton; Ryan Fraase, Maple Valley; Danielle Scheel, Griggs County.

Winners in the high school competition:
1st place: Mimi Brown, Intentional Chaos: The Lonely Note, piano solo
2nd place: Danielle Scheel, Searching, vocal solo with piano
3rd place: Meghan Battest, Summer Lasts Forever Locked in Reality, vocal solo with guitar and piano

Winners in the Collegiate Competition:
Classical Genre: Angela Sawtelle, Rondo, clarinet and piano: Kori Buchanan, Aviv, soprano solo and piano
Pop Genre: Vincent Olson, Lips Touch, guitar and vocals

Winners in 2008: (R-L)1st - Emily Black, Williston; 2nd - Ryan Fraase, Buffalo; 3rd - Tyson Rost, New Rockford.

The Valley City State University Department of Music held its Seventh Annual Composers Competition and Concert on Thursday, May 1, 2008 in Froemke Auditorium in Foss Music Hall. The competition was open to North Dakota high school students in grades 9-12 and to VCSU students, faculty and staff. The event was originated and organized by Dr. Sara Hagen, Director of Music Technology, as an outlet for students in the music theory, creative sound production, and garage band classes to perform their original works. Since its inception in 2002, the event has grown to include a high school competition, a mentoring program, and cash and scholarship prizes totaling $950 to winners in the following events: high school winner, first and second prizes; collegiate classical and pop categories.

Fourteen world premieres were performed at the concert in a wide range of styles, including chamber instrumental groups, mixed vocal and instrumental groups, saxophone quartets, a saxophone solo, piano solos, and one of VCSU's garage bands performing their original tune. Judges for the event were Dr. Curt Hill, associate professor of mathematics at VCSU (and an alumnus of the music theory program), and Mr. Dale Conrad, music instructor at Litchville-Marion Schools, also an alumnus of VCSU.
Participants in the high school event included: Emily Black, Williston; Donovan Dobler, Tower City; Nikki Edmiston, Thompson; Ryan Fraase, Buffalo; and Tyson Rost, New Rockford.

Winners received cash and a matching Friends of Music scholarship to use as a full-time student at VCSU. They were:
Emily Black, $150 for her piece entitled, 'Listen' performed by Emily on piano and vocals, her mother, Andrea Black on vocals, and her brother, Ian, on cello; Ryan Fraase, $100 for his piano solo, 'Uplifting Contentment'; and Tyson Rost $50 for his multimedia presentation 'I Don't Care' in which he sang with an accompaniment prepared on computer, but which is scored for full jazz band. Black and Rost were also winners in last year's competition. Rost will attend VCSU in the fall as a music business major.

Participants in the collegiate competition were: Amber Olsen, Mandan; Micki Buchholz, Oakes; Ali Jensen, West Fargo; Mariah Westerhausen, Jamestown; Ashley Heinz, Enderlin; Casey Behm, Tower City; Sean Richie, North Pole, AK; Stephanie Bina, Aneta; Heidi Kirsch, New Leipzig; Sam Wagner, Casselton; Dana Drevecky, Valley City and Kelsey Wilhelm, Kindred. Winners were awarded $150 cash: Ashley Heinz for her piano solo 'The Bermuda Fury' in the pop category and 'Let's Seeö' a saxophone quartet by Stephanie Bina in the classical category.

Jocelyn Hagen, a composer from Minneapolis, MN, was hired as a mentor for all participants, who were encouraged to send Hagen a draft of their composition as it was taking shape. Hagen would review the work and offer suggestions for possible directions and ideas for the pieces, which helped the students gain expertise and expand their creative options. In addition, Ms. Hagen met with the high school participants at a sharing concert in the afternoon prior to the concert, reflecting on the process of finalizing compositions and bringing them to the concert stage.

Due to the flood of 2009, the Composer's Concert was cancelled and could not be rescheduled.

This photo shows the Foss Music Building completely surrounded by dikes. We sustained minimal damage and we'll be ready for the 2009-2010 school year.

Sara Hagen, Ph.D.
Director of Music Technology
Music Theory and Education
1-800-532-8641 ext. 3-7270
sara.hagen@vcsu.edu