COMPOSITION COMPETITION

THE SECOND BIENNIAL VIVA NATIONAL COMPOSITION COMPETITION: 
Draw the Circle Wide

ENTRIES DUE: November 15th @ 11:59 PM
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VIVA Singers Toronto proudly announces a Canada-wide competition for a NEW SATB a cappella choral composition with a $500 top prize for the winning piece. VIVA is a family of seven choirs committed to providing programming, education, and enrichment opportunities for creators with wide ranges of experience from diverse personal and musical backgrounds.

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Distinguished Advisory Panel:

Lydia Adams, C.M., Artistic Director, Elmer Iseler Singers 
Dr. Darryl Edwards, Voice Professor, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto 
Dr. Jamie Hillman, Director of Choral Studies, Faculty of Music, U of Toronto 
Dr. Tyler Versluis, President, Canadian League of Composers & VIVA Theory Coordinator
Carol Ratzlaff, Founding Artistic Director, VIVA Singers Toronto.

 

On the theme:

“Draw the Circle Wide” is the title of a stirring anthem of love and welcome by Gordon Light. Its message of unity and togetherness speaks to us at VIVA, particularly during this time of division, denial and erasure. Composers are encouraged to consider this broad message as a central focus of the composed work.

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Our rationale:

As an accessible organization, we seek to participate in rich and varied musical expressivities. This competition aims to address one of the significant gaps in choral literature: flexible or modular choral pieces suitable for creative arrangement which facilitate the participation of wide ranges of singers, particularly singers with disabilities and young voices. 

Statement of inclusion:

We welcome submissions from composers at all points in their composition journeys, and from composers of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. Submissions will be anonymized for review by advisory panel members. Once the shortlist has been made by the expert panel, identifying information will be included for the Reading Session. Compositions will be assessed based on their adherence to the theme Draw the Circle Wide, and the selection criteria outlined below. 

 

We seek submissions that:

• are by a living Canadian composer or permanent resident of Canada, residing in Canada;

• are four-part a cappella;

• are adaptive, flexible or modular, suitable for creative arrangement to support performance by a wide range of singers; 

• feature composer-written or royalty-free lyrics;

• are 3-5 minutes in length;

• respond meaningfully to the theme Draw the Circle Wide; and

• have not been previously published, nor have been written by any composer under exclusive contract with a publisher. 

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All composers will receive:

• an email from VIVA confirming the receipt of their compositions; 

• an email from VIVA identifying the status of their compositions in January/February; and 

• an announcement of the winning composition, and invitation to VIVA’s spring concert, Draw the Circle Wide, on May 9th 2026.

While we wish we could provide feedback on all submissions, only the compositions in the final round will receive feedback via the Reading Session with the VIVA Chamber Singers. 

 

Timeline:

• August 15th, 2025 - Contest opens 

• November 15th, 2025 @ 11:59 pm - Contest closes

• January/February 2026 (TBA) - Reading and feedback session for top three finalists with VIVA Chamber Singers

• March 1st, 2026 - Winner/s announced* 

• May 9th, 2026 - Performance and archival audio and video recording of winning piece at the VIVA spring concert, Draw the Circle Wide

 

* In the event there is more than one winner, the prize money will be split evenly between the top entries

 

Submission components:

Submissions for consideration will include all of the following, shared via email with creation@vivayouthsingers.com: 

• An identifying letter of intent containing: 

  • a brief bio and headshot of the composer; 

  • the composer’s vision and inspiration for the piece they created; and

  • information about the source and/or background of the text selected.

• A clean ANONYMIZED PDF of the final score containing the TITLE ONLY

• An ANONYMIZED MIDI file/recording of the composition containing the TITLE ONLY

• A signed media and composition release form (to be sent to composers upon submission of piece)

 

Thank you for your submissions! Please contact creation@vivayouthsingers.com with any questions. ​