Conferences

The Christian Fellowship of Art Music Composers is announcing a Call for Scores and Papers to be performed and presented at the Annual Conference to be held October 10-12, 2024, at Houghton University in Houghton, NY.

Composers may submit up to two (2) total compositions (length not to exceed 12 minutes each) and/or two (2) total paper proposals in any category. Composers must be current members of the Christian Fellowship of Art Music Composers. If you are not currently a member, you may join here (for as little as $1) Selected composers are required to attend the entirety of the conference. The registration fee for the entire conference is $100 ($50 for students) Our conferences are a wonderful opportunity for fellowship and encouragement, even for those whose work is not selected. We encourage any interested composers to attend.

Score and paper submissions are due May 20, 2024.
Submit through this form

Guidelines for score submissions:

1) A score in PDF and an MP3 (either a recording or a MIDI realization) must be included for each piece submitted.

2) There is a time limit of 12 minutes duration for each composition submitted. Shorter pieces may have a better chance of being chosen. Individual movements of larger works are acceptable.

3) Compositions will be selected based on several factors including, but not limited to, availability of performers (chamber) and performability by the large ensembles.

4) Selections will be made by August 15, 2024. Notifications will be sent via email.

5) Selected composers must submit parts in PDF and register for the conference by September 1, 2024. All selected composers are required to attend the conference. If a selected composer does not register by September 1, 2024, the composer’s work(s) will be dropped from the program.

6) Students who would like to participate in a masterclass with a guest composer, please indicate this interest in your submission. Questions can be directed to .

7) Composers may submit to one or more of the following categories (up to 2 total submissions.)

• Chamber Choir—12-14 singers, SATB, a cappella, divisi acceptable, anywhere from 1-3 singers per part
• Houghton Wind Ensemble—standard instrumentation
• Houghton Choir, SATB, a cappella or with piano accompaniment; divisi acceptable
  Any additional instrumentalists must be provided and paid for by the composer, unless chosen from list below.
• Chamber Ensemble, up to 4 performers (available instrumentation listed below.)
• Composer-provided performers

Available Chamber Ensemble Instrumentation: (including subsets of the following)
Please contact David Clem at to inquire about additional instruments/voices.
Piano (could be collaborative—so + any of the instruments listed)
Tenor, Mezzo Soprano, Soprano, Guitar (any style), Flute (up to 2), Saxophone

Guidelines for Paper Proposals:

1) Papers should, in some way, address the conference theme – Coming Home and Going Forward. While papers addressing our conference theme will be given priority, applicants are encouraged to submit abstracts for papers addressing any facet of the intersection of faith and musical arts, including papers exploring music theory, musicology, and theology of music.

2) Please provide a 400–600-word abstract outlining the scope and purpose of your topic, and its relevance to this conference.

3) Papers must fit into a 20-minute presentation spot (including pertinent audio/visual material), and 8-10 minutes for Q&A will be allowed immediately following each presentation.

4) Submissions will be reviewed by a committee of composers and academics. Selections will be made by August 1, 2024.