20th International Carl von Ossietzky Composition Competition

The Carl von Ossietzky Composition Prize has been organised for the twentieth time by the Institute of Music at the University of Oldenburg. The instrumentation for which the competition is open varies from year to year. This ensures the continuous development of a growing repertoire of compositions of moderate difficulty, bringing together school pupils, students and amateur musicians from a variety of stylistic backgrounds to perform together.

The 20th Carl von Ossietzky Composition Prize was open to works for piano and symphonic orchestra. A total of 49 works were submitted from 10 countries (Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, France, Romania, Russia, Canada, Chile and Brazil – spanning three continents). The jury (Christiane Abt, Werner Barho, Violeta Dinescu, Christoph Keller, Rida Murtada, Roberto Reale and Michael Searby) has decided to award prizes to the following compositions:

By launching the 20th International Composition Competition in 2020, the ‘
’ Institute of Music at the University of Oldenburg aims to expand the repertoire
of contemporary music of medium difficulty.
For 2020, the Institute of Music is organising a competition for
compositions for piano and symphonic orchestra
The following orchestral instrumentation must not be exceeded:
2-2-2-2; 2-2-0; 1 or 2 percussionists; strings
With regard to the orchestral part, the submitted pieces should offer challenges and interesting
experiences to advanced
pupils, committed amateur musicians and students, and should not exceed a medium level of technical difficulty
. As regards the piano part, there are no technical restrictions.
Performance duration: maximum 10 minutes
It is possible to submit several works. The compositions should not yet have been published by
Verlag nor premiered. There is no age limit.
The thematic focus of the works is open.
Please submit two anonymous copies of the works, accompanied by a commentary,
, as well as a sealed envelope containing the sender’s name and address and
a brief CV. Entries must be sent by post only
.
The closing date for entries is 31 December 2020 (date as per postmark)
Address: University of Oldenburg
Fk III, Institute of Music, PO Box 2503, Composition Competition
for the attention of Prof. Violeta Dinescu
D-26111 Oldenburg, Germany
The jury will award three main prizes (1st prize: 1,000 euros, 2nd prize: 700 euros, 3rd prize:
500 euros) and an encouragement prize (300 euros) for young composers (aged 25 and under),
as well as honourable mentions and repertoire prizes. Participants aged up to
25 years are asked to mark their scores with an F (for the Encouragement Prize).
Performances of selected works, under the artistic direction of Rida
Murtada and Werner Barho, will take place at the end of the 2021 summer semester in the auditorium of the
University of Oldenburg.
Jury:
Violeta Dinescu, composer
Christiane Abt and Werner Barho, pianists
Christoph Keller, composer
Rida Murtada, conductor of the symphony orchestra
Michael Searby, composer

Carl von Ossietzky – Composition Prize
20th International Competition
for Piano and Symphony Orchestra

With the announcement of the 20th International Composition Competition 2020, the
Institute of Music at the University of Oldenburg aims to contribute to
the expansion of the repertoire for contemporary music of medium difficulty.
In 2019, the competition is open to works for piano and orchestra.
The following orchestral instrumentation must not be exceeded:
2-2-2-2; 2-2-0; 1 or 2 percussionists, strings
The orchestral part of the submitted composition must not exceed a medium level of
difficulty, but should still offer opportunities for advanced pupils and students to be musically
challenged and gain valuable experience. As regards the piano part, there is no
restriction on the level of difficulty.
Duration: max. 10 minutes
It is permitted to submit more than one composition, but the works must not
have been previously published or performed. There is no age restriction for participants.
There are no specific requirements regarding the content of the piece.
Please submit three copies of the composition anonymously, along with an anonymous
commentary on your composition. Please also send a sealed envelope containing the composer’s name
and address, as well as a short CV (biography). Submissions are only
accepted by email – no mail!
Submissions: until 31 December 2020 (date stamp)
Address: University of Oldenburg
Fk III, Institute of Music, PO Box 5634, Composition Competition
for the attention of Prof. Violeta Dinescu
D-26046 Oldenburg, Germany

The jury awards three main prizes (1st prize: 1,000 euros, 2nd prize: 700.- Euro, 3rd prize:
500.- Euro) and a prize for young composers (300.- Euro) (compositions by composers
aged 25 or under should be marked with the letter F.), as well as honourable mentions and repertoire prizes.
The premiere of the winning compositions will be performed under the artistic
coordination of Rida Murtada and Werner Barho in the University Auditorium in the
summer of 2021.
Jury:
Violeta Dinescu, composer
Christiane Abt and Werner Barho, pianists
Rida Murtada, conductor
Christoph Keller, composer
Michael Searby, composer
Roberto Reale, research assistant