The Boston New Music Initiative | Network of Contemporary Music Composers, Performers, and Conductors

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Call for Scores for BNMI's Thirteenth Season

The Boston New Music Initiative is excited to announce the first Call for Scores for the thirteenth season! The call, "Literary Elements" is looking for works related in some way to the written word. It could be inspired by a work of literature, set a work of literature to music, or include literature in narration. For this call, literature means any written work in any language. The call will be open soon! Click here for more information.

Quarantune Snacks

The Boston New Music Initiative will be presenting another series of Quarantune Snacks in January! The previous presentation of short livestream concerts was part of the virtual Boston New Music Festival. Visit the youtube playlist to see what you missed!

The Boston New Music Initiative is excited to announce its inaugural Living Music Summit. This event is a series of concerts, workshops, industry roundtables, and networking events designed to promote all aspects of BNMI’s central mission of supporting and advancing the careers of its members in the field of new music. Starting with a series of virtual events and culminating with a live weekend of events in June 2021, the Living Music Summit aims to make a measurable and lasting impact on both the regional and international new music communities.

The fourth of the virtual Salon Series will take place on February 25 at 7:30pm Eastern Time. BNMI members will have the opportunity to introduce themselves as composers and present their works in a panel-style discussion with other composers and general audience, with moderation by BNMI staff. Presenting is free for full members or $5 for associate members. A maximum of 3 presenters can register (a waitlist option will be available). Attendance for the general audience (i.e. without presenting) is free, but will be capped at 15. Click here to register. Questions can be sent to info@bostonnewmusic.org.

We will also be hosting a virtual panel on social media and web presence for composers and musicians on March 6 at 5pm Eastern. We will have two special guests, Rachel Abrams, a mezzo-soprano and social media coordinator for Hartford Opera Theater, and Taylor Rossi, a flutist and marketing and web-design specialist. Each will give a brief presentation in their area of expertise. We will then open the floor to questions and discussion on using the internet and social media as a musician in today’s world. The panel will be hosted via Zoom, and will require advanced registration in order to attend. Attendance is free for full members and $5 for associate members. Registration will open in February, but mark your calendars now! Please direct any questions to info@bostonnewmusic.org.

9th Annual Commissioning Competition

The Boston New Music Initiative's 9th Annual Commissioning Competition is now closed. Thanks to everyone who submitted. The winner will be contacted in April 2021.

6th Annual Young Composers Competition

The Boston New Music Initiative would like to congratulate Benjamin Beckman, the winner of our Sixth Annual Young Composers Competition. His work, light pours through the quiet interstices and we measure this transient world, will be performed by BNMI in June of 2021. We also would like to congratulate Wen Ziyang whose work, Immerse in Mountain 5, received an Honorable Mention.

8th Annual Commissioning Competition

The Boston New Music Initiative is very excited to announce the winner of our 8th Annual Commissioning Competition! Our judging panel was extremely impressed with the quality of the works submitted. Paul Novak's piece "as the light begins to drift" was selected by an outside panel of industry professionals from an anonymous pool of over 100 very wonderful compositions. Novak's music rejects grandiose narratives, and is driven by a love of small things: miniature forms, delicate soundscapes, and condensed ideas. His compositions, which explore the subtleties of instrumental color and draw influence from literature, art, and poetry, have been performed throughout the United States and abroad. In Fall 2020, Paul will begin his PhD at the University of Chicago. BNMI is looking forward to working with this accomplished young composer!