"2 Agosto" International Composing Competition

The Thirtieth Edition of the “2 Agosto” International Composing Competition is announced. It is promoted by the “Teatro Comunale di Bologna”, by the “Associazione tra i Familiari Vittime Della Strage Alla Stazione di Bologna del 2 Agosto 1980”, and by the “Comitato di Solidarietà alle Vittime delle Stragi”.

The Competition will award the following three prizes:
First Prize: € 6,000; Second Prize: € 3,000; Third Prize: € 2,000.
The winning scores will be performed live in Bologna, Piazza Maggiore, on August 2nd, 2024, during the commemorative events in memory of the victims of the slaughters. The concert will be radio live broadcasted on RADIO3, and catch-up TV on RAI5.

The Competition is open to musicians of all nationalities, who were born after the 31st December 1989.

The XXX Edition of the International Composing Competition “2 Agosto” is dedicated to scores for orchestra (maximum instrumentation allowed as per bullet point 6), without the addition of solo instruments.

Competitors are requested to bear in mind that one of the main aims of the Competition is the live performance of the winning scores in Bologna, Piazza Maggiore. Therefore, the Jury will not consider either score unsuitable for open-air performance – even if through an appropriate amplification.

Scores must not last more than nine minutes.

The maximum instrumentation allowed, on pain of exclusion from the competition, is the following: 2 flutes (2nd can be a piccolo), 2 oboes (2nd can be a cor anglais), 2 clarinets, 1 bass clarinet, 2 bassoons (2nd can be a contrabassoon), 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 2 trombones, 1 bass trombone, 1 tuba, 3 saxophones (2 altos and 1 tenor), 1 timpanist, 4 percussionists, and strings (12-10-8-6-4).

Scores must be anonymous and must not contain any mark of identification. The scores could have been published, but in this case, competitors will have to remove any editorial marks.

There must be no prior performance of the scores.
It is expected of competitors to submit a personal declaration attesting to the fact that the work has never been performed before.

Participants are not requested to send audio files of the score presented at the Competition.

Details are available at web pages:
https://2024.concorso2agosto.it/competition-announcement/