MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.
(July 11, 2011) — Every year since 1998, VocalEssence and the American
Composers Forum have challenged composers to write brand new Christmas carols. And
each year the challenge has varied – composers have written carols for chorus
with a variety of instruments, including cello, French horn, harp, guitar and
handbells. This year’s challenge is to write a new carol for men’s voices (TTBB)
accompanied by English horn.

One or two carols
will be selected as winners of the competition. Each winning composer will
receive a prize of $1,000, and the winning carols will be premiered at the
December 3, 4, 9, 10 & 11, 2011 Welcome Christmas concerts. The
winners are invited to attend the rehearsals and performances at their own
expense, and will have the opportunity for radio interviews as well as other
media coverage and promotion.

The contest is open
to composers of all ages whose permanent residence is North America; experience
writing for voice and/or choirs is beneficial. Proof of public domain or
author’s written permission for use of text is required. Submissions must be postmarked by August 5,
2011; visit www.vocalessence.org for
complete guidelines and requirements.

This year marks the
14th anniversary of the Welcome Christmas Carol Contest as VocalEssence
and the American Composers Forum provide composers of all ages with the
opportunity to compose a modern-day carol. Each year, the contest has produced
wonderful new settings of familiar texts and carols based on existing poems and
original texts with different instrumentation. A number of past carols are featured on the VocalEssence Christmas CD, Behold This Heavenly Night. The 2011 Welcome Christmas performances will be recorded for national
broadcast in 2012 via American Public
Media.

Welcome Christmas Carol Contest winners to
date

2010: Carols
with handbells: J. David Moore, Mark Shepperd

2009: Carols
with viola: Michael J. Glasgow, Robert Sieving

2008: Carols
with French horn: Scott Ethier, Peter Hilliard

2007: Carols
with celesta: Matthew Brown, Stephen Main

2006: Carols
with guitar: Diego Luzuriaga, John Rommereim

2005: Carols
with solo cello: Jocelyn Hagen, Paul Gibson

2004: Carols
with solo recorder: Keith Bradshaw, James Sclater

2003: Carols
with a solo instrument: Alan Higbee (oboe), Thomas Fielding (harp)

2002: Carols
with percussion: Mary Lynn Place Badarak, Paul Lohman

2001: Carols
with string orchestra: Clive Muncaster, Sergey Khvoshchinsky

2000: Carols
with harp: Brian Holmes, Emily Maxson Porter

1999: Carols
for the audience to sing: Robert A.M. Ross, Jonathan Santore

1998: A
cappella carols: Joan Griffith, Richard Voorhaar