Call for Scores

Submission Deadline: 11:59pm Mountain Time Monday, January 5, 2026

The College Music Society (CMS) is pleased to announce its 69th CMS National Conference in Grand Rapids, MI, from November 12 - 14, 2026,  in conjunction with the Association for Technology in Music Instruction (ATMI), National Association for Collegiate Wind and Percussion Instructors (NACWPI), and Pi Kappa Lambda (PKL).

CMS’s 2026 Conference Theme is “Adaptive Advocacy: Collegiate Music Training at a Crossroads.” This conference aims to explore what the future of music education, creation, performance, and scholarship might look like in conversation with community-based action, coalition-building, advocacy, and innovative practice across all those realms.

The 2026 Program Committee welcomes submissions of original works to be performed during one or more special concerts during the conference. Composers must either perform their own works or provide their own performer(s). The Committee solicits the broadest representation of our profession and its interests. We welcome submissions from all, including those (a) in academia (full-time and adjunct faculty, community college faculty, students, and retired faculty), (b) in the music industry, and (c) active as independent musicians and scholars. 

In the spirit of the 2026 conference theme, as well as the 2024-2025 Common Topic–Grow. Create. Lead.–we invite submissions that highlight current practices, innovations, and contributions in the following key areas: The Program Committee particularly encourages, and will give priority to, proposals that:

• Performances and lecture recitals that imagine new ways of understanding the music of the past and the present, with forward-thinking considerations on music-making in the coming decade
• Professional activities that illustrate the capacity for artistic expression to intersect with social action through collaboration and coalition-building
• Creative research projects that explore innovations in the field of music education, performance, scholarship, and composition, through the lens of advocacy and social justice 
• Explorations of emergent technologies that pose both opportunities and potential challenges to music-makers and educators

The Composition Subcommittee welcomes all musical voices into CMS conversations, including those from the fields of Jazz, Contemporary and Commercial Music, Music of the Americas, African American Music, Electronic Music, Film Music, Musical Theater, and Wellness (including music therapy, music as care, and music within disability studies). 

CREATIVE CONSIDERATIONS

• DURATION: Proposed works (any style and format) must be 10 minutes or less in duration. Priority may go to works that are shorter in duration (5-7 minutes) to accommodate programming needs. 
• INSTRUMENTATION: Proposed works for solo instruments, one piano (two or more hands), small ensembles, jazz ensembles, 2-channel electronic, and electro-acoustics are welcome. Presentations requiring two pianos will not be considered; however, single piano works for 4-hands are welcome.
• INSTRUMENTATION, CONT’D: Compositions utilizing electronic media will be considered contingent upon the availability of technical resources on site. Presenters must provide their own computer or tablet and interface for any needed audio or video playback.
• STYLISTIC CONSIDERATIONS: All styles, genres, and aesthetics are welcome here, including (but not limited to): 
  • Singer-songwriter works,
  • Classical concert-style pieces,
  • Cross-genre works,
  • Commercial music genres,
  • Non-Western music genres/instrumentation,
  • Alternative compositional/performance techniques such as solo and/or group improvisation, and
  • Other open musical forms.
• Proposals that embody the conference theme of “Creative Ecosystems: Music, Research, Practice, and Impact” are especially welcomed, as are works that use improvisation or celebrate non-European musical traditions. 
• PERFORMANCE LOGISTICS: Prior to submission, composers must communicate with their performers regarding their interests and availability. Proposals that do not list all performers will be deemed incomplete and will not be considered. Composers may wish to refer to the online CMS Player’s Roster to locate performers who have volunteered their services for this conference.
• SUBMISSION LIMITATIONS: Compositions performed at previous CMS National Conferences are not eligible for consideration. 

CONFERENCE LOGISTICS

• 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.
• All composers whose work is selected for inclusion in the program are expected to register for and attend the entire conference. They will be expected to register by early summer 2026. Performers, who may or may not be members of CMS, are not expected to register for the conference unless they wish to. Still, their attendance will be limited to the concert and any rehearsals if they do not register. 
• The only instrument provided at the conference will be a piano; all other instruments, including percussion, must be provided by the composer or performer. Pianos may not be prepared or altered in any way, including the insertion of objects into or onto the strings. 
• Two-channel amplification will be provided; all other electronic equipment must be provided by the composer. Component DVD or CD players are unavailable. Presenters must provide their own computer or tablet for any needed audio or video playback. 
• A basic backline will be provided if needed (bass amp, guitar amp, mic, piano), but composers/performers are highly encouraged to provide their own, if possible. Please make these needs known to CMS conference planners no later than two months prior to the conference. 
• Composers must be willing to have their works performed on any day of the conference should their proposal be accepted. 
• The College Music Society does not fund the travel expenses of accepted presenters or performers. 
• Proposers must submit their own work and may not submit proposals on behalf of their students or others.
• Proposals of a commercial nature that promote products and services will not be considered.
• If the program must be moved from an in-person to an online venue for any reason, the Program Committee reserves the right to request that presenters alter the duration and structure of their presentations to better accommodate the virtual format. 

ELIGIBILITY

• Composers must be current members of The College Music Society at the time of submission. 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/or renewals is 1–2 business days. 

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION & PARTICIPATION POLICY

• Each member may submit only ONE proposal in response to this Call for Compositions.
• Each member may submit TWO proposals to all Calls for this conference (e.g., one score with composer- supplied performer + one paper), provided there is no duplication. The same score may not be submitted to both Calls for original compositions.
• If a member submits more than one proposal to the conference, each submission should be unique and content may not be duplicated, either in response to this Call or any Calls for this conference, including proposals submitted to ATMI, NACWPI, and/or PKL. 
• Each member may be added by others as a co-presenter (e.g., panelist or accompanist) to a maximum of TWO proposals.
• The maximum number of presentations in which a member may be involved on the conference program is TWO. If more than two proposals involving the same member are accepted – regardless of whether the member submitted the proposal or was added to another member’s proposal – the individual in question must choose in which two presentations they will participate. 
• Submitters may not send the same or very similar proposals to both CMS and 2024 National Conference partner organizations (ATMI, NACWPI, and PKL).

PREPARATION OF MATERIALS

• Electronic submissions are required. Proposals sent by mail will not be considered. 
• To support the anonymous review process, the name(s) or affiliation(s) of anyone involved in the presentation should not appear on the score or parts, in program notes, or in the file names of submitted audio samples. Proposals identifying the composer or collaborators will be disqualified. Names and affiliations may, however, appear in the “Personnel” section of the proposal and in submitted biographies, as the review committee will not have access to this part of the application. 
• The College Music Society’s conference submission process is powered by Submittable. To submit a proposal, please (1) log in to the CMS members-only website using your username and password and then (2) click the ‘Submit’ button at the bottom of this Call. You will be directed to Submittable to complete your proposal. If you don’t already have a Submittable account, you will be prompted to establish one. (Visit this page for help using Submittable and to view a list of Frequently Asked Questions.)

A complete proposal includes:

1. The composition’s title, instrumentation, and duration, rounding up to the nearest half minute. 
2. A representation of the composition in one of the following formats:
   1. A PDF copy of the full score and individual parts (anonymous; dedications and/or commissions should be redacted on the score for anonymous peer review). Multi-movement scores should be merged into a single PDF file, as should all parts.
   2. For those works that are not represented in the score format as noted above, please provide a description of the conceptual framework used in the realization of the composition. 
3. An anonymous digital recording of the work (please erase the metadata that is automatically saved with the file). MIDI file/software-synthesis realizations are acceptable. Most audio file formats are supported within Submittable.
4. Program notes (not to exceed 250 words). 
5. A list of required equipment (Internet connections are not guaranteed). 
6. A brief biography of the composer (not to exceed 250 words).
7. Name of the performing ensemble, if applicable. 
8. Performer biographies:
   1. If the work will be presented by a named ensemble, a biography of ensemble must be included (not to exceed 250 words). Ensemble biographies may briefly address the achievements of each ensemble member; however, separate biographies of each individual performer are not requested in this case.
   2. If the work will not be presented by a named ensemble, biographies of individual performers should be included (not to exceed 250 words per person). 
9. Contact details for all performers, including an email address, mailing address, and phone number for each person, as well as an institutional affiliation, if applicable. 

Submissions that do not conform to the above guidelines will not be considered.

TIMELINE

• Proposals must be submitted by 11:59pm Mountain Time on Monday, January 5, 2026.
• Proposers will be notified of their status at the end of March 2026.

QUESTIONS?

Questions regarding this Call should be directed to: 
Jonathan Kuuskoski, 2026 Program Chair

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