The International Trombone Festival is excited to sponsor the eighth annual COMPOSERS WORKSHOP, to be held at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada: July 16-July 19, 2025

Featuring coaching and master classes with the composer in residence, Elizabeth Raum and performances of accepted compositions.

APPLICATION LINK: 2025 ITF Composers Workshop Application

Eligibility: Any composer,18 years or older (at the time of the festival) of any nationality is eligible to submit a maximum of one score, featuring trombone(s) in chamber music or solo settings.

Preferred instrumentation for the ITF Festival: Trombone choir (6-12 performers, including any combination of alto, tenor, and/or bass trombones), trombone quartet (3 tenor trombones, and 1 bass), or trombone (alto, tenor, bass, or contrabass) and piano. Other instrumental combinations which prominently feature trombone will be considered (based on the availability of musicians to perform them). Length of composition: Less than 10 minutes, including all movements. Longer works will be considered, based on merit.

Young Trombone Choir Composition: A different category will accept one original composition for performance by the ITF’s Youth Workshop. Instrumentation should be for 6-8 parts of tenor and optional bass trombones. Difficulty level should range from beginning to intermediate players. Length of composition should be less than 5 minutes, including all movements. Composers may submit works in both categories, but they must be different compositions. The ITFCW reserves the right to not accept any of the submitted compositions. Apply here for the Young Trombone Choir category.

Participation: Accepted composers from both categories will be invited to the 2025 Composers Workshop at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada from July 16–19, 2025, and will participate in exclusive master class opportunities with the composer in residence, Elizabeth Raum! Accepted scores will be presented on a Composers Workshop Recital or other featured performance, performed by ITF artists, presenters, registrants, and/or faculty. In addition, Composers Workshop attendees will have access to the full ITF schedule, which includes numerous master classes, concerts, and workshops. In order to have selected pieces performed and recognized by the ITF, composers must register for the festival.

ITF Registration: ITF Registration: Accepted composers must pay the regular, full registration rate of $250 (U.S.) and are strongly encouraged to attend the ITF in person in London Ontario, Canada. There is no virtual option for the workshop. The ITF does not provide financial support for travel, registration, housing, meals, or other costs. Selected composers unable to afford travel expenses can still receive a performance and a private lesson with ITF's composer-artist via Zoom for the price of registration. For more information about the ITF schedule, please visit the ITF page. Housing is available either on-site in dorms or in local hotels.

Composition Requirements: Submitted compositions must be 100% original. Previous performances of the submitted composition are allowed, provided that they were not a ticketed event by professional musician(s) or otherwise in a format that would meaningfully detract from the “new music” or “premiere” status of the ITF concert format.

ITF Composers Catalog: Participants will have the option of including their chosen work on the ITF website’s newly formed Composers Workshop Catalog page.

Application requirements:

To apply, please submit an application, using the link below. Have the following items ready:

• Short bio detailing career highlights

• Current resume or curriculum vitae (include current contact information, educational background, list of published/non-published works, and other pertinent, professional information to composing)

• Score in PDF format. Do not send parts at this time. Parts will be requested from the selected composers. Score should include any additional information necessary for the performance of the work. Scores that are not in PDF format will not be considered.

• A recording of the piece. Submit a URL to a recording of the piece on any online platform (YouTube, Soundcloud, Dropbox, websites, etc.) If a live recording is not available, a MIDI or other digital representation is acceptable.

• Optional (but recommended) headshot

APPLICATION LINK: 2025 ITF Composers Workshop Application

For questions, please email the Director of the ITF Composers Workshop, Dr. Deb Scott, at ITFComposersWorkshop@gmail.com

Deadline for submissions: January 3, 2025