Call for Featured Performers or Ensembles

Submission Deadline: 11:59pm Mountain Time Friday, January 3, 2025

The College Music Society (CMS) is pleased to announce its 68th National Conference in Spokane, Washington, October 30th - November 1st, 2025, in conjunction with the 2025 National Conference of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction (ATMI). 

CMS’s 2025 Conference Theme is “Creative Ecosystems: Music, Research, Practice, and Impact.” This conference aims to explore the interplay between music, research, practice and their collective impact in the 21st century.

The Program Committee invites applications from soloists and common chamber ensemble instrumentations up to 8 performers to perform new music written by CMS composers during the conference. The Committee welcomes submissions from all, including full-time and adjunct faculty at all higher ed institutions, students, retired faculty, and independent musicians. 

The purpose of this call is to build concerts at the 2025 National Conference that feature works by CMS composers, played by CMS performers. Following the decisions made from this call, the Program Committee will issue a supplemental call looking for scores that match the instrumentation of the accepted Featured Performers and Ensembles. After an initial review, the Committee will circulate a set of anonymous scores to each selected soloist or ensemble to review and build a program to fit within a Committee-provided duration. 

Please note: This is not the appropriate application venue for performers wishing to be considered for the conference program at large. By submitting a proposal, you are stating your interest in playing works by CMS composers. The explicit purpose of this call is to assemble a roster of performers who are willing to play works by CMS composers during this event. A separate Call for Performances & Lecture-Recitals can be found on the conference website. 

ELIGIBILITY

• The Primary proposer must be a current member of The College Music Society. First-time CMS members can sign up for a six-month trial membership at a discounted rate of $20. Persons interested in submitting a proposal should check their membership status well in advance of the submission deadline. Please note the processing time for membership applications and renewals is 1–2 business days.
• Interested performers may apply as soloists or common chamber ensemble instrumentations. Examples of chamber instrumentations include (but are not limited to): string quartet, flute and piano duo, saxophone quartet, Pierrot ensemble (minus percussion), wind quintet, etc. Any acoustic, solo instrument (including piano) is eligible to apply. 
• The conference location is unable to support any amplification of instruments, so this call is geared toward acoustic instruments only.
• The person completing the application must be a current member of The College Music Society. 
• All performers are expected to register for and attend the full conference. If a proposal is accepted, the proposer must ensure that all participants are registered by early summer 2025. 
• A submission in response to this Call will not be counted towards the total allowable number of submissions by a member in response to future Calls for the conference. 

CONSIDERATIONS

• Performers must provide their own instruments (except for a single grand piano, which will be provided).
• Selected performers are responsible for their own expenses. Travel funding is not available through The College Music Society. CMS will provide an official letter of invitation to selected performers, upon request.
• Prior to submission, proposers must communicate with all ensemble members regarding their interest and availability. Proposals that do not list all participants will be deemed incomplete and will not be considered.
• Proposers agree to perform on any day of the conference should their proposal be accepted.

Please Note: Performers will be identifiable to the review committee in their application. Please do not anonymize your submission materials.

TIMELINE

• Proposals must be submitted by 11:59pm Mountain Time on January 3, 2025.
• Performers will be notified about a conference decision in early March 2025.
• Ensembles confirm their participation by the end of March 2025.
• Calls for scores according to accepted performer instrumentations will be circulated in April 2025. 
• By May 1, featured performers will be contacted with possible repertoire to review and make a programming decision.
• Performers will confirm their concert program with the CMS Conference Committee by June 1, 2025.

QUESTIONS?

Questions regarding this Call should be directed to:
[email protected], 2025 Program Chair

Questions concerning conference operations should be directed to:
[email protected], CMS Conference Planner