Mizzou International Composers Festival 2027
MICF will be held July 25-31, 2027 with arrival in Columbia, MO on Saturday, July 24, 2027 and will feature concerts of music by contemporary composers performed in front of live audiences, along with in-person workshops, master classes, and other events, including a concert by guest ensemble, Ensemble Dal Niente.
Festival events will take place in the Sinquefield Music Center and Missouri Theatre. Saturday night’s grand finale will present 8 world premieres composed by each of the festival’s resident composers for GRAMMY® award-winning resident ensemble Alarm Will Sound, conducted by artistic director Alan Pierson.
MICF Resident Composers are selected each year through an online portfolio application process. During the festival, the selected resident composers will have individual meetings with our two Distinguished Guest Composers, Katherine Balch and David Longstreth.
Katherine Balch and David Longstreth will engage with the 8 selected Resident Composers and help facilitate consultations with Alarm Will Sound. Resident Composers will take part in rehearsals with Alarm Will Sound and receive a professional live recording of their work. Festival tuition, lodging, and ground transportation (whenever possible) to and from airports within Missouri for each selected composer will be provided through generous contributions by the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation. Resident Composers will be responsible for their flights and meals.
- Upload three scores of original works with contrasting instrumentation. If you have a piece scored for large ensemble (orchestra, sinfonietta, string orchestra, wind ensemble, etc.), please include that work as one of the three submitted scores.
- Upload recordings for the same pieces. Live recordings are preferred, but MIDI recordings are accepted.
- Upload a CV/Resume (two-page maximum)
Exposure
Resident composers will have the opportunity to present about their work, meet with distinguished guest composers, and have their music performed and recorded by a world-class new music ensemble.
Prize
Resident composers will receive a commission to create a new piece for the ensemble Alarm Will Sound. Composers will workshop their pieces with the ensemble during the festival. The new compositions will be premiered during the final concert of the Mizzou International Composers Festival and will be professionally recorded and shared with the composers and digital distribution platforms.
Other - Lodging
The Mizzou New Music Initiative will provide lodging for the whole duration of the festival and will assist with ground transportation when possible.