Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re relatively new to applying to calls for scores, you might also want to check out this blog post: Composition Applications for Beginners
The Calls for Scores
1.) What should I submit?
2.) I’m over 40./I’m wildly successful. Am I eligible?
3.) Do I have to live near San Francisco?
4.) What’s Kickstarter?
Applying
5.) Can I submit MIDI realizations instead of live recordings?
6.) How do I convert my bio/resume/score to PDF?
7.) How do I convert my audio to MP3?
8.) I’m having a problem with the submissions site.
1.) What should I submit?
For our commissioning project, it would help us most to see your favorite pieces that you’ve written, or the pieces you feel best represent your interests. They can be of any instrumentation. We want to get to know you as a composer, but we don’t necessarily need you to submit chamber works in order to do so.
For either call for scores, we’re open to a variety of styles and ways of working. When in doubt, apply!
2.) I’m over 40./I’m wildly successful. Am I eligible?
If you are either (a) under 40 OR (b) an emerging composer, you are eligible to apply. “Early career” can mean a lot of different things, and we recognize that all definitions are imperfect. The spirit of our eligibility requirement is that we hope to develop works with composers whose music excites us, and for whom this opportunity would be a helpful step in their careers. When in doubt, apply!
3.) Do I have to live near San Francisco?
Definitely not. We want to collaborate with you, but we can do that over e-mail, Skype, etc. Of course we’d love you to come out to the concert if you’re chosen, but that’s not required at all.
4.) What’s Kickstarter?
Kickstarter is a fundraising tool dedicated to artists seeking donations to fund proposed projects. Their site has much more information about it than we can include here, but the most important thing to note about it is that proposed projects have a deadline by which funding goals must be met, otherwise no donors are billed and no funding is received. Having a compressed deadline can encourage more timely donation, and we promise to make every effort to meet those goals, but please note that successful fundraising through Kickstarter is not guaranteed.
5.) Can I submit MIDI realizations instead of live recordings?
We understand that it’s not always feasible to get a live recording in time for an application, and we do accept MIDI realizations, but please keep in mind that MIDI realizations are always at a strong disadvantage in applications. MIDI mock-ups are not all created equal; any efforts to make the timbre/playback of a realization as realistic/expressive as possible are very appreciated on this end!
6.) How do I convert my bio/resume/score to PDF?
On Macs running OSX, select “Save to PDF” from your print dialog.
On PCs:
- A number of free applications exist that introduce a similar feature to Windows. Primo PDF is one possible option, but not the only one.
- Depending on your version of Microsoft Office, you may also be able to select “PDF” as a file format from Word’s “Save As…” menu, which should at least work for your resume/bio.
7.) How do I convert my audio to MP3?
There are many possible options, but one particularly common one is by using iTunes (which is made by Apple, but is cross-platform). A tutorial is available here. After converting the file, the new file could be in a number of different locations, depending on your preferences. If you’re unsure where your preferences have set your new file, you can Get Info on that track, which should show you the location of the file.
(Please note that, since audio files are quite large, our judges are not downloading files in order to listen to them; we’re streaming them online. That’s why we ask for MP3 specifically, but can’t accommodate other file formats.)
8.) I’m having a problem with the submissions site.
Please e-mail submissions@wildrumpusmusic.org. (This address forwards to Jen Wang, one of our co-directors, and Sean Dougall, our submissions site developer.) It would be really helpful to us if you could tell us your operating system and browser, and describe the problem you’re encountering.
Please do not e-mail your application materials as attachments unless asked to do so. (Our inboxes don’t have room for very many audio files!) We’ll likely attempt to track down and fix the bug and ask you to try again on the site. We can add your application into the database manually as a last resort if that doesn’t work out
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