WINDS COMPOSITION CONTEST SAXONY – 5th Edition

The Dresden Philarmonic Wind Orchestra (Dresdner Blaserphilharmonie e.V.), in association with She Lives, the leading European musical association for promoting the dissemination of contemporary music— are honoured to announce the fourth edition of the “Winds Composition Contest Saxony”.

COMPETITION REGULATION

1. The competition is open to composers of all ages and nationalities, without restrictions of gender, ideas, religious affiliation etc.

2. The competition theme is the composition of a piece involving at least a trio for wind ensemble up to a large symphonic wind orchestra.

The instruments available are the following:

• 1x piccolo, 3x flute (without B extension), 1x alto flute in G, 2x oboe, 1x cor anglais in F, 1x clarinet in Eb, 9x clarinet in Bb, 1x alto clarinet in Eb, 1x bass clarinet in Bb, 1x contra bass clarinet in Bb, 2x bassoon, 1x contra bassoon in C, 1x soprano saxophone in Bb, 2x alto saxophone in Eb, 2x tenor saxophone in Bb, 1x baritone saxophone in Eb
• 4x trumpet in Bb, 2x flugelhorn in Bb (doubling with cornet in Bb), 4x horn (double horn), 3x tenor trombone, 1x bass trombone, 2x euphonium, 1x tuba in C, 1x bass tuba in C
• 1x timpani (20’’, 23’’, 26’’, 29’’, 32’’, 1 player)
• 3x percussion
• standard percussion instruments available: drum set (incl. 4 toms), pair of cymbals (18’’, 22’’), suspended cymbals (16’’, 19’’, 22’’), concert bass drum, tam-tam (80 cm, 100 cm), castanets, ratchet, wind chimes, 2 triangles, tambourine with head
• standard mallet instruments available: glockenspiel (3 oct, f2-f5), vibraphone (3 oct, f-f3), marimba (4.3 oct, A-c4), xylophone (4 oct, c1-c5), tubular bells (1.5 oct, c5-f6)
• special instruments: if instruments other than listed before should be part of the composition, please contact the WCCS office in advance
• 4x cello, 1x double bass
• 1x piano

All combinations of instruments within the given orchestration are allowed.

3. Concertos are allowed to be written for a maximum of two soloists. The soloist’s instrument(s) can be of any kind.

4. The pieces may have already been performed, published and awarded in competitions other than those organized by SHE LIVES association and Dresdner Bläserphilharmonie e.V.

5. There are no style limitations. The adjudicators will evaluate the musical quality and originality of the writing.

PRIZES
1st prize: 800 €
2nd prize: 500 €
3rd prize: 200 €

Prizes can be doubled, should the average score exceed:

for the first prize 9 points out of 10
for the second prize 8.5 out of 10
for the third prize 8 out of 10

JURY
Franco Cesarini, composer, president of the jury (Switzerland)
Alessio Elia, composer (Italy / Hungary)
Andrea Barizza, conductor (Italy / Germany)

DEADLINE
20 September 2026, 11:59 p.m. GMT+2.

APPLICATION FEE
1 score: 55 €
2 scores: 85 €
3 scores: 105 €
4 scores: 125 €
5 scores: 145 €

The participation fee can be paid either via PayPal or by bank transfer.

For further information, write to: wccs@dresdner-blaeserphilharmonie.de

To apply: https://www.dresdner-blaeserphilharmonie.de/wccs