Call for Application: THE NIEUW ENSEMBLE TURKISH COMPOSERS’ COMPETITION 2012

THE NIEUW ENSEMBLE TURKISH COMPOSERS’ COMPETITION 2012
The Nieuw Ensemble of Amsterdam organizes a competition for Turkish composers. This event is part of the Turkey Now! Festival 2012, which marks the 400 years of relations and cultural exchange between Turkey and the Netherlands. All composers who have a Turkish citizenship and were born after 1 January 1977 are invited to write a work for the Nieuw Ensemble and send their scores before 1 March 2012. All entries will be evaluated by an international jury. The selected works will be premiered by the Nieuw Ensemble on 17 May 2012 in the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, Amsterdam. A second performance will take place in The Hague. Authors of the selected works will be invited to Amsterdam and hosted by the NE to attend the rehearsals and the premiere.

A DIALOGUE WITH TURKISH COMPOSERS
The Nieuw Ensemble – one of Europe’s top ensembles for new music – is renowned for its collaboration with composers from musical cultures such as those in China, Brazil and the Middle East. The inspiring results of these interactions led to a new initiative: the Nieuw Ensemble Turkish Composers’ Competition, a first step in a dialogue between Turkish composers and the NE. The Nieuw Ensemble has a unique instrumental structure, using plucked instruments such as mandolin, guitar and harp in combination with wind, string and percussion. The lack of literature for this line-up challenged the NE to build its own repertoire, in collaboration with composers from different countries and generations. More than five hundred pieces have been written for the ensemble, including works by Franco Donatoni, Elliott Carter, Unsuk Chin, Tan Dun, Brian Ferneyhough, Misato Mochizuki, Salvatore Sciarrino and Tristan Murail.

The Nieuw Ensemble and its artistic director Joël Bons were awarded the Prince Bernhard Fund Music Prize for their ‘markedly lively and adventurous programming which can be described as groundbreaking, both in the literal and figurative senses of the word’. Principal conductor is Ed Spanjaard.

More information: www.nieuw-ensemble.nl