Rosalie Coopman Music Foundation — 40+ Composition Competition 2027

A composition competition built for people most competitions exclude: composers aged forty and over. Rosalie Coopman returned to writing late and did her strongest work then, and the foundation she left runs this award with Trinity Laban in Greenwich on that principle. What you get out of it is a professional rehearsal, performance and recording of your piece - the thing that is hardest to arrange for yourself.

You must be forty or over by the submission date, born before 1987, and resident in the UK, though nationality does not matter. One entry per composer. Past winners cannot enter in consecutive years; previous honourable mentions can. Early works are fine and the date of composition is irrelevant. The piece may have been performed before but must not have won anything.

Write for one of two line-ups: a chamber ensemble of flute (doubling alto flute and/or piccolo), clarinet, piano, one vibraphone player, two violins, viola and cello, using the full group; or a string quartet. Between seven and ten minutes, any style, no electronics. There is no entry fee. The winner receives £2,000; the winner and two honourable mentions are all performed by the Rosalie Ensemble at Trinity Laban during the spring/summer season and receive a certificate and a recording. Travel to London is at your own cost.

Everything goes by email to Trinity Laban's dedicated address, not to the foundation, and judging is anonymous - scores and audio must carry no trace of your name, including in Dropbox or SoundCloud account names. You send proof of identity, a score PDF, a link to an mp3 (MIDI accepted), and a second PDF with a short biography, a programme note of up to 100 words, a declaration the work has not been awarded before, and a photo. Readers judge on the score, not audio quality, and the judges may decline to give an award at all.