GroundSwell’s Emerging Composers Competition drew 49 applications from composers across Canada. Our jury–composers Parisa Sabet & Nicole Lizée and pianist Corey Hamm—worked through the applications independently, then met in early June to make final awards. 

GroundSwell is pleased to announce that the winner of the 2023 Emerging Composers Competition is Carly Splett! Carly will be composing a work to be premiered by pianist Corey Hamm during GroundSwell’s 2023-2024 season.

And, thanks to a generous donation from the estate of GroundSwell Co-Founder Diana McIntosh, we are also able to offer a prize to the best application by a Manitoba Composer. The Manitoba Prize of $1,000 was awarded to Scott Jodoin.

Join us Wednesday, March 6, 2024 (Desautels Faculty of Music, Eva Clare Hall) at 12:30 PM featuring the world premiere of GroundSwell’s Emerging Composers Competition winner, Carly Splett. This work will be performed along with works by Alice Pingyee, Michael Finnissy, and John Psathas, all specially written for Corey Hamm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carly Splett  

Carly Toperosky Splett is a young Canadian composer. They  obtained their Masters of Music Composition at McGill University  in 2022, and Bachelor of Music at University of Calgary in 2019.  Carly’s role as a composer is to create spaces with a set time  duration. These spaces function in the role of storytelling, and are  used to challenge perception and preconceived notions in public  audiences, musicians and academics. Their works focus heavily  on texture and structures, with these and other music materials  creating a cohesive whole through tenuous and sometimes  intangible connections.

Scott Jodoin is an eclectic composer and performer from Steinbach, MB, known for his imaginative works. He studied composition at the University of Manitoba under the tutelage of Örjan Sandred and Gordon Fitzell. He has achieved successes in composition competitions, winning the Frances Seaton Choral Composition Competition in 2018 with his piece “Springtime Melting” and earning third place in GroundSwell’s 2015 Emerging Composers Composition Competition with “rem•i•ni•scence” (with Freya Olafson)..Among his larger-scale works are the two-act opera “Mai ’68” (2015), jazz orchestra piece “Two Left Feet” (2016), and “Three Vignettes of Northwestern Ontario” for flute, cello, and live electronics (c. GroundSwell, 2019). He has enjoyed working with esteemed ensembles and musicians such as the Pearls Before Swine Quartet, Ensemble Paramibo, Allen Harrington, Sean Taubner, Martha Durkin, Victoria Sparks, and Sarah Jo Kirsch. In addition to his composition activities, Scott is also a pianist-singer-songwriter in the jazz-pop genre. With a background in software development, Scott explores the intersections between algorithmic and musical construction, while also finding inspiration in the mysteries of the everyday.

Winners Announced June 15th, 2023!

 
 
 
Winner will compose a new work for Vancouver-based pianist Corey Hamm.  The commissioned work will be for solo piano (5 minutes duration) and be premiered in the spring of 2024 in Winnipeg.  Winner’s travel and accommodation, as well as the commissioning fee, will be covered by GroundSwell.
 

 

See full details below! 

GroundSwell is pleased to announce its biennial Emerging Composers Competition! The competition is open to Canadian composers under 30 years of age. 

Summary

    • Deadline date—April 15, 2023.

    • No application fee.

    • Winner will compose a new work for Vancouver-based pianist Corey Hamm.  The commissioned work will be for solo piano (5 minutes duration) and be premiered in the spring of 2024 in Winnipeg.  Winner’s travel and accommodation, as well as the commissioning fee, will be covered by GroundSwell.

More Details

Timelines:

    • Deadline date—April 15, 2023 (11:59PM).

    • Announcement of winner, June 15, 2023.

    • First draft of the commissioned work for solo piano shall be completed by November 15, 2023; final version by January 15, 2024. 

Composers must be:

    • 30 years old or younger by the deadline date. 

    • Unaffiliated with GroundSwell.

    • Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada.

    • OR, foreign students enrolled in a post-secondary music program in Canada.

Application process:

    • Submit one score with recording of a work involving piano (solo, or small ensembles up to 6 players).  Digital renderings acceptable.  Only one application per composer will be accepted.

    • Applications will only be accepted digitally sent to info@gswell.ca with <<GroundSwell Emerging Composers Competition_2023>> as the subject heading.   Include links for score, recording with  a link to Dropbox or WeTransfer.  Include a brief biography (250 words).

Adjudication process:

    • Works will be adjudicated by a jury of new music professionals chosen by GroundSwell.

    • One commission prize will be awarded and all decisions of the jury will be final.

About GroundSwell

Since 1991 GroundSwell has been challenging its audiences with an eclectic combination of all that is good about new music. As Manitoba’s only series dedicated to presenting contemporary music, GroundSwell has showcased diverse programming featuring everything from inspiring interpretations of 20th-century classics to exciting fusions of visual art, theatre, dance, and the written word. Every season GroundSwell presents exciting new worlds of contemporary performance, from local music to international works, and is proud to promote and explore the best of Canada’s diverse and vibrant new music scene.  

For more information

Contact David R. Scott, Executive Director & Artistic Coordinator, GroundSwell, Inc. info@gswell.ca

204-943-5770.

Watch the winners of our 2020 competition below!