Orla Flanagan was appointed conductor of Mornington Singers in 2002. In recognition of her contribution to the choir and in appreciation for her dedication, the choir held a composition competition during the first half of 2014.
Mornington Singers is committed to the promotion of choral music, including the commissioning of new pieces. The competition format was intended to encourage new choral works and entry was open to all Irish composers and composers living in Ireland. The choir also wished to acknowledge Dr Flanagan’s place in the Irish choral community so prize-winning entries were dedicated to Orla.
The three prize-winning pieces were premiered by Mornington Singers at their winter concert on 22 November 2014 and the composers each received a cash prize. In addition, the choir read selected pieces at a workshop for singers, conductors and composers on 18 October 2014.
The three winning pieces were
- Dreaming, Mark Armstrong
- Under-Song, Seán Doherty
- Is uar geimrid, Eoin Mulvany
The following are the competition terms as published on our website at the time.
Entry criteria
The composition should be original and for a cappella SATB choir with up to eight divisi, that is, SSAATTBB. The piece may set a text of the composer’s choice, though composers are requested to note that the first performance of the winning pieces will take place on the feast of St Cecilia in a concert programme that will also include Britten’s Hymn to St Cecilia. The competition aims to produce new repertoire for mixed-voice amateur choirs of international competition standard and this should be reflected in the range and complexity of the piece.
Eligibility criteria
The competition is open to composers born or normally resident in Ireland. This competition is not open to members of the Mornington Singers or their immediate family members.
Submission
The anonymous entry should be submitted in pdf along with a separate document giving the composer’s name and contact details by email to composition@morningtonsingers.ie. Only one entry per individual is permitted. Proof of submission is not proof of receipt; we cannot take responsibility for entries lost or delayed in transmission.
Adjudication
A panel of independent adjudicators including Dr Orla Flanagan will read the entries and select the winners. Canvassing will result in disqualification. The judges’ decisions will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. If an insufficient number of compositions of requisite quality are submitted, we reserve the right not to award a prize or prizes. We also reserve the right to award a non-cash prize of equal or similar value at our discretion.
Prizes
The first prize is €600, the second €400, and the third €200. No more than one prize will be awarded to any individual composer.
Deadline and results
The closing date for receipt of entries is noon GMT on Monday the 30th of June 2014. The results will be announced in September 2014.
Rules and conditions
Entries must be original, must not have previously been published, broadcast publically, made available to a music publishing library or be subject to any agreement in relation to the aforementioned. Entries must not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party.
If you are adjudicated to be a prize winner, you grant Mornington Singers a perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive and royalty-free right to perform, broadcast, and record your entry and to reproduce the score for same purposes.
Where you go on to publish, broadcast or record your entry yourself or your entry is published, broadcast or recorded by a third party under licence, you further agree and will procure that the following inscription is included below the title: “Winner of the Mornington Singers Composition Competition for Dr Orla Flanagan”.
Prize-winning composers are expected to attend the concert on the 22nd of November 2014; attendance at the workshop on the 18th of October 2014 is optional but non-attendance will exclude their piece from the workshop programme.
We reserve the right to amend these terms or suspend the competition in the event of unforeseen circumstances or any other reason beyond our control. A failure on our part to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these terms is not a waiver of such a right or provision and cannot be deemed a waiver of any other term or condition or a subsequent breach of same. To the maximum extent permitted by law, we are excluded from liability for any loss, damage, claim or action of any kind arising in connection with this competition.
The submission of an entry constitutes your acceptance of these terms.