ISCM Canadian Section Call for Works for ISCM World New Music Days 2026 in Bucharest, Romania May 23 – May 31, 2026
DEADLINE: August 3, 2025
The International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) Canadian Section is pleased to announce a call for works to select the Canadian Section’s submission for the 2026 ISCM World New Music Days taking place from May 23rd – May 31st, 2026 in Bucharest, Romania.
Submissions will be adjudicated by a jury consisting of composer and cellist Cris Derksen (ON/AB), composer and clarinettist Pierre Michaud (QC/NB), violinist and artistic director Rebecca Whitling (BC/AB), and one composer representative from the CLC’s National Council.
Six works will be chosen as the official Canadian Section, with a guarantee that at least one will be selected for performance in Romania. It is the goal of the jury to select works of excellent artistic calibre to be the Canadian Section’s submission to ISCM World New Music Days. The jury assesses the submissions together to ensure that the chosen works encapsulate the dynamic and diverse output of Canadian composers and sound artists working in a broad range of aesthetics, media, identities, and contexts.
Submissions are encouraged in a wide variety of styles, reflecting the plurality of sonic arts today. Diversity in all its forms (race, culture, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, physical ability, and age) will be a guiding factor. We particularly welcome applications from women, non-binary, trans, Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, as well as artists from traditionally under-represented populations.
In the selection process, the jury will give preference to pieces that are up to 10 minutes long, as well as to works created in the last 10 years, with maximum priority being given to the works created in the last 5 years. The submissions can include already premiered, performed, and yet-to-be-premiered works; the submitted pieces can be published or unpublished. Young composers (under 35) whose works are selected for performance in the WNMD could also be eligible for the ISCM Young Composer Award.
The Canadian Section Jury will take these above guidelines from the Festival Jury into consideration when adjudicating submissions.
For all works being submitted to the ISCM Canadian Section for WNMD 2026, it will be the responsibility of each composer to secure rights for the inclusion of that composer’s work in the ISCM Canadian Section promotional website.
By submitting works to this call, composers are agreeing that if their work is selected for performance/presentation, then they grant automatic permission for recording, broadcasting, and streaming the ISCM performance/ presentation of their work without additional financial liability to the ISCM or the ISCM WNMD 2026 organisers.
ELIGIBILITY
1. Composers with Canadian citizenship, permanent residency, or legal residency status in Canada are entitled to submit works to the jury of the ISCM Canadian Section. It is also possible to submit work(s) directly to the international jury of the ISCM by Individual Submission, conforming to the application fees and regulations of ISCM WNMD 2026.
Only one work may be submitted per composer, whether through the ISCM Canadian Section or by individual submission. The preferred means of submitting works by Canadian composers for consideration is through the ISCM Canadian Section. The ISCM Canadian Section will make every attempt to notify the public in a timely fashion of the ISCM Canadian Section jury’s selected works for World New Music Days 2026.
Individual Submissions should be received via the relevant ISCM 2026 Submission Form no later than 11:59pm CET on 1 October, 2025. Late submissions will not be considered. The Submission
Forms will be made available, and the links advertised on the ISCM website, from 15 May,
2025. Individual submissions can be made through this portal.
Note: Composers whose work is selected for the official ISCM Canadian Section submission must be members of the Canadian League of Composers. If you are not a member, you may still submit, but if your work is chosen, we will ask you to join the CLC before we submit your work. In this case, the CLC will waive the $75 membership fee for the first year for composers whose works are part of the ISCM Canadian Section official submission.
2. The ISCM Canadian Section will select six works for consideration by the 2026 ISCM World New Music New Days Selection Jury. These works must come from at least four available instrumentation/presentation categories.
3. Works by a composer whose piece(s) have been performed at the 2025 ISCM World New Music Days in Portugal are not eligible for submission.
4. Preference will be given to works composed after 2016, with highest priority given to works composed after 2021.
5. All works submitted to the ISCM Canadian Section for the Call for Scores for the 2026 ISCM World New Music Days must conform to the instrumentations (or subsets thereof in some cases) and durations of the available categories, as set out herein or in the Official Call for Works distributed by the ISCM Romanian Section. Please contact the ISCM Canadian Section (iscm@composition.org) or the CLC (info@composition.org) for more information about the eligibility of works written for subsets of the categories.
6. Failure to conform to this will, at the discretion of the 2026 World New Music Days international jury, disqualify the entire submission from the ISCM Canadian Section.
INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR SUBMISSIONS
The information/ materials required for each submitted work, both in Official and Individual Submissions, are:
1. The composer’s personal and contact information: given names; family name; name as it should appear in the programme; date of birth; gender; full mailing address; phone number; e-mail; website (if applicable).
2. Work information: title; submission category; accurate duration; composition year; information about previous performances and/ or if the work has been premiered or not.
3. Programme notes in English – maximum 150 words (possible file formats: odt, doc, docx).
4. Short biography of the composer in English – maximum 150 words (possible file formats: odt, doc, docx).
5. High-resolution digital photo of the composer (possible file formats: png or jpg).
6. Technical rider specifying the accurate instrumental set, equipment and means necessary for the performance of the submitted work (possible file formats: odt, doc, docx).
7. For categories 1-12: a PDF with the score and an audio file with a recording or a MIDI realisation (possible file formats: m4a, mp3, mp4, flac, wav, aiff). For recordings, please provide the date, venue, and names of performers.
8. For category 13, please submit sound files with the finished work (possible file formats: m4a, mp3, mp4, flac, wav, aiff). Please provide a stereo version for multi-channel works (up to 16 channels).
9. For category 14, please submit a project proposal/ description, sound files, image/ video files, a clear technical outline, and / or any other material allowing the jury to understand the work’s artistic and technical aspects and requirements.
- Image file formats: png, jpg.
- Video file formats: mp4 (normal quality), mov (Apple ProRes 422; high quality).
- Sound file formats: m4a, mp3, mp4, flac, wav, aiff.
- Please provide a stereo version for multi-channel works (up to 6 channels).
NOTE: Please ensure all the submitted documents and materials related to each work are labelled with the composer’s name and title.
SUBMISSION CATEGORIES:
1. SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (with or without soloist[s])
Possible soloists from the following instruments: flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, cimbalom
- The Romanian National Radio Orchestra (max. 3.3.3.3. – 4.3.3.1. – 3 perc. – piano – harp – 14.12.10.8.6)
- The George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra (max. 3.3.3.3. – 4.3.3.1. – 3 perc. – piano – harp – 14.12.10.8.6)
Doubling possibilities: 1 cor anglais, 1 bass clarinet, 1 contrabassoon
For this category, no electronic/fixed media is possible.
2. CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
The Romanian Chamber Radio Orchestra
(max. 2.2.2.2. – 2.2.0.0. – timpani (1 player) – piano – 6.5.4.2.1)
For this category, no electronic/fixed media is possible.
3. STRING ORCHESTRA (with or without stereo fixed media – “tape music”)
The Concerto Orchestra of the National University of Music in Bucharest (max. 8.6.5.4.2)
4. LARGE ENSEMBLE – 10-16 musicians (with or without stereo fixed media – “tape music”)
PROFIL Sinfonietta (max. 1.1.1.1. – 1.1.1.1. – piano – harp – 1 perc – 2.1.1.1.)
5. MEDIUM ENSEMBLE – 7-8 musicians (with or without stereo fixed media – “tape music”)
Ensemble Couleurs (fl, cl, 2 vn, vla, cello, pno, 1 perc)
6. SMALL ENSEMBLE (with or without stereo fixed media – “tape music”)
- ATEM Ensemble – 5 musicians (fl, cl, vn, cello, pno)
- LARSON Trio – 3 musicians (vn, cello, pno)
7. SMALL PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
Ensemble PULSAR(T) – 2-4 musicians
List of instruments: 2 Bass Marimbas (C2-C7), 2 Vibraphones (F3-F6, tuning 442), 2 Concert Bass Drums, 2 Xylophones (F3-C7), 2 Glockenspiel (G3-C6), 1 set of chromatic Crotales, 1 pair of Congas, 2 pairs of Bongos, 2 pair of Tom-Toms, Tam-Tam, unpitched gongs, small percussions
For this category, no electronic/fixed media is possible.
8. STRING QUARTET (2vn, vla, cello)
- Arcadia String Quartet
- Gaudeamus String Quartet
For this category, no electronic/fixed media is possible.
9. DUO (with or without stereo fixed media – “tape music”)
- Viola and clarinet
- Any duo combination between: flute (can double Piccolo, Alto, Bass Flute), clarinet
(can double Bb Bass Clarinet), violin, cello, piano
10. SOLO WORKS (with or without live electronics* / stereo fixed media – “tape music”)
From: flute (can double Piccolo, Alto, Bass Flute), clarinet (can double Bb Bass Clarinet),
violin, cello, piano
*Recommended DAWs: Reaper, Ableton Live or Max/MSP and an up-to-four-channel loudspeaker
system. Any additional plug-ins should be freeware and/ or be supplied by the composer.
11. SOLO CIMBALOM (with or without stereo fixed media – “tape music”)
12. CHOIR (a cappella or with piano accompaniment; possible small percussions)
- Madrigal Choir – SATB Choir (35 singers, with a division option of 6-12 voices)
- Madrigal Children Choir (24-30 children, with a division option of 3-4 voices)
13. AUDIO-VIDEO WORKS (up-to-eight-channel loudspeaker system)
Video file formats: mp4, mov
14. ELECTRONIC WORKS (up-to-eight-channel loudspeaker system)
To submit a work for consideration, please submit a complete application form, available here.
***Please note that submission via the above form requires an active Google account. In the event that you do not have one, please contact generalmanager@composition.org***
For general information on the International Society for Contemporary Music, click here.
For additional information specific to the ISCM Canadian Section, click here, or e-mail iscm@composition.org.
Sincerely,
Bekah Simms, President, ISCM Canadian Section
Gordon Fitzell, Vice-President, ISCM Canadian Section
