Harvey Gaul Composition Competition

PNME in performance

The 2013 Harvey Gaul Composition Competition winner is Dan Visconti.

Dan receives a $6,000 commission from The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, to be premiered during our 2014 or 2015 season.

Honorable mentions have been awarded to Amy Beth Kirsten, Kyle Duffee, and Viet Cuong.

The next round of the competition will be held in 2015, with the entry form made available in Fall 2014 on this website.


Contest Rules

  1. Contestants must be U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents with a valid green card. No age restriction.
  2. Online entries only will be accepted.
  3. All entries must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time on January 1, 2015 (entry form will be available on this site in Fall 2014).
  4. An entry fee of $20, payable through PayPal, must accompany each submission.
  5. Winners will be notified in Spring 2015 (most likely in March).
  6. Judges may not make an award if they deem that no entry is worthy.
  7. All files submitted must be clearly marked with the composer's name.
  8. Files will not be returned and will be deleted upon completion of the contest.

Questions?

call: 412-889-7231 or email: contactpnme@gmail.com

History

The Harvey Gaul competition was established in memory of Pittsburgh composer and conductor Harvey Gaul, who was Director of Music at Calvary Episcopal Church in Shadyside for many years in the 1920's and 30’s. Following Gaul’s sudden death in 1945, the "Friends of Harvey Gaul" was established to, "perpetuate the name and remembrance of the humanitarianism of Harvey Gaul, the furtherance of music and other arts, and the promotion of musical education and appreciation"

In 1980, The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble took over administration of the contest and became its sole sponsor. PNME is honored to continue recognizing the contributions of Harvey Gaul by commissioning new works by composers of the highest caliber and professionalism. The biennial competition is held in odd-numbered years, and the winning compositions performed in the following even-numbered years.

Recent Harvey Gaul commissions include Ned McGowan's Radiance, Pierre Jalbert’s Visual Abstract, and Soldier Songs by David T. Little, an evening-length work incorporating video, staging and the recorded narration of letters from combat veterans from Viet Nam and Iraq. "This competition is one of the more generous ones out there," says PNME Artistic Director Kevin Noe. "Since increasing the prize money in 2004 we have received an extremely high level of entries from composers who are very anxious to write for us. We’re very anxious to see what this year’s winner will create for us."

Past Winners: