OFF-SITE: The SYN(es)THESIS Project - Composition Competition

The Pancho Vladigerov House Museum announces the Second International SYN(es)THESIS Competition for a musical composition, inspired by a painting. Candidates have the opportunity to choose one of many pre-selected paintings, write a musical work inspired by the painting, and win one of four monetary awards and a recording of their work by the SYN(es)THESIS ensemble. The competition is part of the SYN(es)THESIS Project and is organized in collaboration with the “P. Vladigerov” National Academy of Music and the National Academy of Art in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Concept of the competition:

In previous stages of the project, 35 paintings, all of which inspired by musical works by well-established Bulgarian composers, were created by young artists studying at the National Academy of Art in Sofia. Each participant at the Composition Competition will choose one of these paintings to serve as inspiration for their own musical composition. All compositions must be 3-10 minutes in length and must be written for one or more instruments from the following list: piano, marimba (or vibraphone - choose only one percussion instrument), violin 1, violin 2, viola, cello, and clarinet.

Eligibility: The competition is open to participants of any nationality up to 40 years of age.

Submission deadline: September 30, 2022

The jury of the competition – comprised of faculty from the “Prof. P. Vladigerov” National Academy of Music and of respected unaffiliated musicians – will select 6-10 compositions (the works of the “finalists”) to be performed by the SYN(es)THESIS ensemble at a concert in the National Palace of Culture in Sofia on October 31, 2022. At this concert, the jury will select the three winners of the competition, and a vote for the Special Prize of the Audience will be cast. The concert will be recorded, and the recordings will be distributed to the finalists.

Awards:

I Prize – 1000 lv.

II Prize – 600 lv.

III Prize – 400 lv.

Special Prize of the Audience – 500 lv. 

Registration – please read the information below:

Due to the nature of the project, participation will be granted to candidates only after they register. To register, each candidate must send a message to museum@vladigerov.org, after which they will receive a link to a folder with the images of the paintings. Each candidate will then choose one of the paintings and will inform the SYN(es)THESIS team of their choice, thus “claiming” the painting. Paintings will be distributed on a “first-come-first-serve” basis; each painting can be claimed by no more than two people, at which point it will be taken down. Therefore, candidates are encouraged to register with the SYN(es)THESIS team as soon as they choose to participate in order to ensure a wider array of choices for their own work.

Registration fee: 30 Euro (60 leva, payable up to four weeks after registration); instructions on payment options will be sent by e-mail. Each candidate can register up to two times, which would allow them to “claim” up to two paintings/submit two compositions.

Registration e-mail: museum@vladigerov.org  

The SYN(es)THESIS project was founded in 2021. It aims to build  a bridge between several arts through a multitude of interconnections, mutual influences, and the juxtaposition of perceptions and experiences. The sessions planned for 2022 include four main components: the creation of paintings inspired by classical music, the composition of musical works inspired by paintings, the preparation of scenes with pantomime based on musical compositions, and the composition of music for a short film.