2026 HNMA New Music Festival And Symposium | Call For Scores And Presentations

Submission Deadline: October 15th, 2025, 11:59pm EDT.

The Heidelberg New Music Association and School of Music & Theatre will be holding the 1st Biennial New Music Festival and Symposium on March 26th - 28th, 2026. The festival will consist of five concerts and research presentation sessions, featuring the work of composers and scholars selected through a call for scores and paper proposals. Selected composers will attend the festival in person, collaborate with performers, network with other participants and the Heidelberg community, and hear their compositions. Selected scholars will give presentations on any topic related to contemporary music, music composition, or composition pedagogy. The festival concerts will feature performances by Heidelberg faculty, student performers, university ensembles, and featured guest artists. The keynote composer for the Inaugural Festival will be composer Stacy Garrop.

Composers can submit up to two works total and can select from 11 categories for submission.

Participant Eligibility:
1. Composers and scholars of any nationality and age are encouraged to apply.

2. Selected participants are expected to attend the festival in person. Heidelberg New Music Association may be able to provide modest travel or lodging funding for selected participants who do not have access to funding assistance from institutions or other sources on a case-by-case basis.

3. No more than one current student of Heidelberg University may be selected as a winner for any of the categories.

4. A maximum of two Heidelberg alumni will be selected for the festival.

5. The 11 categories for Call for Scores that are open for submission are listed below. Category 12 is for Call for Presentations.

6. Selected Composers and Scholars will be notified no later than November 15th, 2025.