Exciting ANNOUNCEMENT!
BIPOC, Women and Underrepresented Composer’s Prize
Beginning November, 2024
We are pleased to announce the creation of a new prize in the WSMTA Outstanding Artist Piano Competition this fall (November 9-11, 2024). Our current established competition remains fully in place with prizes for Winners and Honorable Mentions. IN ADDITION, students will have an option to use ONE of their repertoire pieces to be considered for the new BIPOC, Women and Underrepresented Composer’s Prize.
To begin this new adventure, the judges will choose ONE WINNER from each of our two Divisions (Junior and Senior) with hope and expectation that this will grow to include more winners and prize money in future years. Prize dollar amount(s) will be announced in the fall. Teachers and students are encouraged to peruse the complied list of eligible composers that will be on the WSMTA website linked to OAPC information. Students are not restricted to selecting a piece by a composer on this list or any of the other links referenced. However, if a piece is selected by a composer not on the list, please email Dr. Lark Powers (copying Cherie Felts), by JUNE 1 to have the composer approved. This step is required only for pieces by composers not yet appearing on the OAPC list. Thank you!
Please be advised that final inclusion in this category will be determined by the OAPC Committee, and if any pieces are for whatever reason deemed not to fall into the category of this special prize, this information will be communicated with the student shortly after June 1.
Only one piece per student may be eligible for this new special prize. If a student’s program has more than one piece of repertoire in this category, ONLY ONE MAY BE LISTED for consideration (this choice is up to the student and teacher). Please note, regardless of the special prize, OAPC encourages teachers and students to explore varied repertoire and to learn many pieces by underrepresented composers. The registration form will require you to clearly designate your chosen repertoire piece, in order to be included in the list for the Judges to consider for this award.
WSMTA Leadership and the OAPC Judges are excited to hear inclusive performances and a
broader range of representation. However, this is not a requirement to enter the competition and will not affect eligibility for the usual prizes and honorable mentions, but we hope participation in the BIPOC, Women and Underrepresented Composer’s Prize will be embraced by many!
In addition, the 2024 Junior and Senior Winners will be invited to perform in the WSMTA
Competitions Honors Recital at our Annual Conference in June of 2025!
Click here for the OAPC List of Underrepresented Composers.