Golden Hornet’s String Quartet Smackdown is a bracketed, NCAA basketball style tournament competition which brings original four-minute string quartet compositions head-to-head in front of a live, participatory audience. It’s like NCAA March Madness for the ears! Every other fall, composers from around the globe are invited to submit through an open, no-cost entry process. Following submission, a diverse panel of judges selects sixteen compositions to be performed live at the String Quartet Smackdown, which takes place in February in Austin, TX.

Composers of any age, experience level, and background are welcome to submit.

There are no style constraints apart from length and instrumentation — compositions must be four minutes long and written for a traditional string quartet. In particular, we encourage submissions from individuals who identify with historically marginalized and/or underrepresented demographics within the field of classical music.

All sixteen finalists receive a professional studio recording of their work. The voting audience determines which finalist will be named the Champion of Smackdown; the champion wins a cash prize. A professional string quartet performs the pieces LIVE* for the in-person and/or virtual audience.

This performance is broken into four rounds: Round 1 (Round of 16): One minute of all sixteen pieces Round 2 (Quarterfinals): Two minutes of eight pieces Round 3 (Semi-finals): Three minutes of four pieces Round 4 (Finals) : Full four minutes of two pieces The audience uses their cell phones or a mobile app to vote, and their responses appear live on screen. The winner of each bracket moves on in the tournament! In a riotous – and usually very close – finish, the audience determines the String Quartet Smackdown champion! ALL sixteen finalists receive a professional studio recording of their piece, and the winner takes home a cash prize of $2,500!

Submitted Works

• Instrumentation: Instrumentation is standard string quartet – two violins, viola, and cello. There are no style constraints. No electronics or vocals may be added.
• Length: Compositions must be exactly four (4) minutes in length, give or take only a few seconds.

Age and Nationality Restrictions

• Nationality: Open to international applicants
  • Age: No restrictions

Publication, Recording & Exclusivity Rights

• Recording rights: By submitting your piece to Golden Hornet’s String Quartet Smackdown, you make the assurance that you have not infringed on any intellectual property rights or copyrights (i.e. you have not “borrowed” any already existing material and called it your own). You also acknowledge that, if selected as a finalist, you will be required to sign an audiovisual release which allows Golden Hornet to record and/or use your likeness, as well as allows Golden Hornet to use and distribute the recording of your submitted piece, particularly as it relates to marketing and promotion of this program, without arrangements regarding compensation. You will maintain the full rights to the score, however, you acknowledge that you will not be able to sell the recording for profit, and must acknowledge the contributions of both Golden Hornet and the performing quartet in any promotional use of the recording.

Cash Prize

• Cash Prize of $2,500.00 for the competition winner.