Zemlinsky 2024

Composition Competition

Music for Piano Trio

Mrs. Louise Zemlinsky endowed the Alexander Zemlinsky Prize for Composition at the University of Cincinnati in 1990 to promote the music of young composers from around the world.

The Alexander Zemlinsky Prize for Composition serves three purposes:

To perpetuate the memory of Alexander Zemlinsky.
To discover new works that are truly original and have the power to communicate with and engage a broad audience.
To promote and encourage young composers from around the world.

Prize Details

Three prizes will be given as follows:

First Prize: US$5,000 cash prize, plus the world premiere performance by the LINCOLN TRIO of the winning work for piano trio (violin, cello, and piano) plus a recording of the work by the Lincoln Trio.

Second Prize: US$3,000 cash prize.

Third Prize: US$2,000 cash prize.

Terms of the Awards: For the first prizewinner, 50% of the cash prize will be awarded upon announcement of the prizewinners; the remaining 50% will be awarded upon the receipt of scores and parts. For the second and third prizewinners, the entire prize will be awarded upon the announcement of the prizewinners.

Adjudication: Adjudication will be completed according to the TIMELINE below.

The Lincoln Trio

Performers

FANFARE Magazine hailed the celebrated Chicago-based Lincoln Trio, Desirée Ruhstrat, violin, David Cunliffe, cello, and Marta Aznavoorian, piano—as "one of the hottest young trios in the business."

Errollyn Wallen

Composer, United Kingdom

Errollyn Wallen is a multi award-winning Belize-born British composer and performer. Her prolific output includes twenty-two operas and a large catalogue of orchestral, chamber and vocal works which are performed and broadcast throughout the world.

Igor Shcherbakov

Composer, Ukraine

Igor Shcherbakov is a well-known Ukrainian composer, musical and public figure, teacher, Professor of the Ukrainian National Academy of Music, President of Kiev Composers Union (1999-2010).

Bright Sheng

Composer, USA/China

Bright Sheng is respected as one of the foremost composers of our time, whose stage, orchestral, chamber and vocal works are performed regularly throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

Eligibility Instructions for Submission

Composers of any nationality born after April 1, 1989 may apply.

Applications will be accepted between August 14, 2023 and April 1, 2024.

Eligible composers will submit one score of 10-15 minutes for piano trio only (no other instruments, no solos or duos, no electronics, ONLY works for the complete piano trio of violin, cello, piano either published or unpublished; use of non-traditional effects utilizing the inside of the piano are not allowed). Recordings of this work, while not necessary, are encouraged. A MIDI recording is acceptable in lieu of a live performance.

The work may NOT have received any previous prizes or awards, or been previously performed, since the winning work will receive its world premiere by the Lincoln Trio. The work must have been written after 2018.

A new Zemlinsky Prize in Chamber Music will be introduced in 2024. With well endowed first, second and third prizes, the winning composer will create a new work to be professionally premiered by the Lincoln Trio and recorded in Cincinnati.

ENTRIES OPEN AUGUST 14, 2023.

ENTRIES CLOSE APRIL 1, 2024.

ENTER HERE

Semi-Finalists Announced

Announcement of twenty semi-finalists whose scores will be forwarded to our international panel of composers.

Learn More30/04/2024

SEMIFINALISTS

Chatzidimitriou, Roxani; Day, Kevin; Dickinson, Caleb; Hebel, Martin; Hightower, Addison; Kang, Siyuan; Koh, Cheng Jin; Li, Kevin; Lindvall, William; Mangoni, Henrique F; Minnini, Eugenio; Rodríguez, Javier Iha; Sabzghabaei, Daniel; Slater, Angela Elizabeth; Song, Xingyue; Tang, Liuqing; Ugay, Liliya; Webster, Benjamin; Wills, Dominic; Wu, Sam

15/05/2024

Finalists announced

FIVE finalists will be announced on or before September 12, 2024. Click Learn More to see the five selected finalists.

Learn More12/09/2024

FINALISTS

Finalists for the Zemlinsky Chamber Music Composition Prize

Learn More14/09/2024

Winners Announced and Promoted

The three winners will be announced and promoted from this date.

Learn More05/12/2024

Aya Yoshida

First Prize Winner

First Prize for her work DOUBLE FACE. Aya will compose a new work for orchestra and ballet to be premiered in Cincinnati during the 2020/2021 season.

Tomasz Skweres

Second Prize

Second Prize for his work "über das farbige Licht der Doppelsterne..."

Joel Järventausta

Third Prize

Third Prize for his work Cantus.

Ulrich Kreppein

First Prize 2013

SPIEL DER SCHATTEN (The Play of the Shadows)

Aaron Travers

Second Prize 2013

FAIRYTALE

Miguel Farías

Third Prize 2013

ECOS DE UN COLOR (Echoes of a Color)

Enrico Chapela

First Prize 2005

INGUESU

Narong Prangcharoen

Second Prize 2005

RESPIRATION OF THE SUN

Cynthia Lee Wong

Third Prize 2005

SINFONIETTA

Katsuji Maeda

First Prize 1999

REFLECTIONS

Moritz Eggert

Second Prize 1999

NUMBER NINE I-III

Kelly-Marie Murphy

Third Prize 1999

UTTERANCES

UC College-Conservatory of Music
PO Box 210003, Cincinnati OH, 45221-0003, USA