GUIDELINES

DORIS DUKE JAZZ ENSEMBLES PROJECT

NEW WORKS: CREATION AND PRESENTATION

Grant Period: July 2008–June 2010

Completed applications are due in CMA’s offices

on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time

(This is an in-office deadline, NOT a postmark deadline.

Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.)

This program is made possible through the generosity of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

OVERVIEW

The New Works: Creation and Presentation Program provides funds for the creation and presentation of original music in the jazz idiom.

WHO MAY APPLY?

Professional jazz ensembles led by a composer/performer, or cooperatively run, are eligible. Although only one member of an ensemble is to be designated on an application as the composer, the program recognizes that all ensemble members make individual and collective contributions to the compositional process.

Eligible ensembles must:

  • be based in the U.S. (composers must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents);
  • range in size from two to ten members;
  • have a documented history of performing together with an ongoing core of musicians;
  • have given a minimum of 10 public performances within the past two years;
  • perform original music of which improvisation is an integral aspect;
  • be an Organization-level member of Chamber Music America (membership must be paid by the time of application, and grant recipients must maintain their CMA membership for the duration of the grant period);
  • have no overdue final reports for any CMA grant program;
  • have no overdue financial obligations to CMA.

Note: Ensembles may not apply to both CMA’s Commissioning Program and the New Works: Creation and Presentation Program in the same year. In addition, the program does not fund:

  • applications submitted by newly formed ensembles;
  • applications submitted by entities other than the composer (e.g., presenters, managers, recording companies, etc.);
  • previously composed works;
  • commissions by composers who are not core ensemble members.

PREVIOUS NEW WORKS GRANTEES

Composers and/or ensembles with current CMA New Works: Creation and Presentation or Commissioning Program grants must wait one full year after the completion of their grant period before re-applying to the program. For example, a grantee that has completed a New Works grant in 2007 must wait until 2009 before applying again.

PROPOSED COMPOSITIONS

The proposed workshould:

  • be of substantial length (such as a work comprising multiple sections or movements);
  • include improvisatory elements and other ensemble input integral to the work’s full realization;
  • be completely written for grantee’s ensemble by June 30, 2009;
  • be recorded and submitted in CD format as part of the final report. (The recording submitted will be used for CMA archival purposes only; grantee retains all rights to the work.)

PROPOSED PERFORMANCES

  • The finished work must be publicly performed by the grantee’s ensemble at least twice in the U.S. by December 31, 2009 (with the same personnel, instrumentation, and size of ensemble designated on the grant application).

CD WORK SAMPLE

Applicants must provide:

  • a representative recording demonstrating the applicant’s ability to compose for the ensemble, the ensemble’s cohesiveness and sound/concept, and improvisational quality;
  • a brief written description of the CD work sample;
  • a list of instrumentation and personnel performing on the recording.

Please see the New Works: Creation and Presentation Program application for details.

REVIEW CRITERIA AND ADJUDICATION PROCESS

Applications are reviewed by an independent panel of professionals (jazz composers, performers and presenters) versed in current compositional trends and performance practices. The panel will not include composer/musicians who work outside the jazz idiom, CMA staff or CMA board members.

The panel process consists of three rounds, as outlined below.

Round One

In a “blind” review (applicants and performers are not identified to the panel), the panel evaluates the ensemble’s composition and performance, as demonstrated by the submitted CD only. Panelists score all submissions in this initial round. Composer/applicants are encouraged to put their strongest material at the beginning of the CD.

Round Two

The top-scoring applications (approx. 30–40 ensembles) from the previous round undergo additional blind listening, plus an evaluation of the written descriptions of the proposed new works.

The panel will rate the following:

  • quality of the composition submitted on the work sample (35%)
  • ensemble performance (25%)
  • group and individual improvisation (25%)
  • merit of the proposed new work (15%)

Round Three

The top-scoring applicants from the previous round are finally evaluated according to considerations affecting the success of the project as a whole, including the ensemble’s performance history and the potential to take the work to a wide audience.

GRANTRANGE

Grants of up to $15,000 are available for ensembles ranging from 2 to 10 members.

Funding will be awarded as follows:

Composer Fee: $6,000 (includes commission and composer’s performance fee)

Ensemble Fee: $1,000 per ensemble member (excluding the composer)

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

  • 50% of the Composer Fee is awarded after receipt of signed agreement;
  • Ensemble Fee is paid after receipt of written confirmation for both of the required performance engagements;
  • Remaining 50% of the Composer’s Fee is paid after receipt of final report.

COMPLETING THE APPLICATION

CMA will not accept late, incomplete, hand-written, faxed, or emailed applications. The application form can bedownloaded from the CMA website at

CMA MEMBERSHIP

New Works: Creation and Presentation Program applicant ensembles must be CMA Organization-level members. All applicants and their ensemble members are encouraged to take advantage of CMA’s full range of services, programs, and membership benefits.

If you have questions about CMA membership or your membership status, please visit or email Jane Kunzweiler, Membership Manager, at .

CONSULTING SUPPORT

CMA is committed to helping members present themselves well to the independent peer review panel. Consultations may be scheduled with CMA program staff to assist members in the application process.

AWARD NOTIFICATION

July 2008

STAFF CONTACT

Susan Dadian, Program Director

Chamber Music America

305 Seventh Avenue, Fifth Floor

New York, NY10001

(212) 242-2022, ext. 13



Chamber Music America, the national service organization for the ensemble music profession, was founded in 1977 to promote artistic excellence and the economic stability of the field, and to ensure that chamber music, in its broadest sense, is a vital part of American life. With a membership of over 8,000, including musicians, ensembles, presenters, artists’ managers, educators, music businesses, and advocates of ensemble music, CMA welcomes members representing a wide range of musical styles and traditions. In addition to its funding programs, CMA provides its members with consulting services, access to health and instrument insurance, conferences, seminars and several publications, including Chamber Music magazine and a website,