Call for students: Composers - ECME Week 2026

Call for Composers – Selection of pieces to be proposed for performance during ECME (European Contemporary Music Ensemble) Week 2026 – 09-15 March 2026 – Salamanca

The “Giuseppe Verdi” Conservatory of Music in Milan is announcing a selection open to students of the Composition and Electroacoustic Composition courses enrolled in the 2025-2026 academic year, for the submission of compositional projects to be realised in a short timeframe and already composed works, which will be performed during the’ECME Week Salamanca 2026.

The’ECME (European Contemporary Music Ensemble) It is an inter-institutional project by the Conservatory of Milan, developed within the Erasmus+ BIP programme, in collaboration with:

• Salzburg Mozarteum
• Liszt Academy of Budapest
• Higher Conservatory of Music of Castilla y León (Salamanca)
• Royal Conservatory of Brussels

ECME is an international platform dedicated to the interpretation of contemporary music, artistic research, experimentation and the use of new technologies, promoting creativity and the development of new expressive perspectives among composers and instrumentalists.

The’ECME Week 2026 will take place in Salamanca (Spain) 9 to 15 March 2026 (dates may be subject to slight variations) and will welcome up to four pieces by students of the Milan Conservatory, selected according to the following categories:

• 1 piece for viola and electronics or violet alone (maximum duration: 8’30”)
• 1 piece for oboe and electronics (maximum duration: 5 minutes)
• 1 acousmatic track (maximum duration: 8’30”)
• 1 acousmatic track (maximum duration: 5 minutes)

Is it possible to participate by presenting pieces already composed o compositional projects/patterns. The materials submitted must take into account the artistic and technological purposes of the ECME as described in the introduction.

1. PIECES FOR INSTRUMENT AND ELECTRONICS

A) If the piece is already composed

Applicants should submit:

1. Score (indicate clearly the duration of the piece and year of composition).
2. Data sheet in English.
3. Possible electronic part (files required for execution), in duplicate version if relevant:
   1. stereo;
   2. multichannel (possibly).
      The spread will be octophonic, with any internal system variations (stereo, quadraphonic, etc.). The electronic part should preferably be on fixed support (use of Max patches for audio file activation and management of electronic parts is possible). Where provided, live electronics, it must be borne in mind that the number of trials will be limited.
4. Curriculum vitae (in Italian and English, maximum 2000 characters -spaces included-), including name, surname, date of birth and main discipline.

B) If you compete with a composition project or piece to be completed

Applicants should submit:

1. Composition project, in PDF format, indicating: first name, surname, main discipline, title of the piece, chosen ensemble (viola or oboe and electronics). The project must be between 3.500 e 9,000 characters (including spaces) and can include images and links to playable/downloadable files ( .maxpat patches, stereo or multitrack audio files, videos etc.).
2. Start page(s) of the score or instrumental part.
3. Data sheet (in English).
4. Drafts of the score and electronic part (stereo and, if foreseen, multi-channel audio files). These materials may be cited in the composition project or listed in a text file (Word, in Italian or English) included in the same folder.
5. Signed letter in which the candidate undertakes to deliver the final instrumental part by 09 January 2026 The electronic part, if not completed by the instrumental part's delivery date, must be sent together with the score, which includes its notation, by 20 February 2026.
6. Curriculum vitae (in Italian and English, maximum 2000 characters -spaces included-), including name, surname, date of birth and main discipline.

2. ACOUSMATIC TRACKS

Applicants should submit:

1. Data sheet (Word or PDF, in English) containing: author, title, duration, year of composition, format specification (stereo or multi-channel). In the case of a multi-channel piece, include the diagram of the speaker arrangement and the correspondence of the speaker channels.
2. Acousmatic soundtrack:
   • for selection: .wav or .aif stereo format, 16 bit, 44.1 kHz;
3. • for performance in Salamanca: 24-bit, 48 kHz format (stereo or multichannel).
4. Programme note (max 2,500 characters, in Italian and English).
5. Curriculum vitae (in Italian and English) stating name, surname, date of birth and main discipline.

Applications should be submitted to daniela.poiatti@consmi.it by 12 December 2025 and the materials should be uploaded in a Drive folder.

The Milan Conservatory will award two Erasmus+ grants (short-term mobility) two of the selected students, who will participate in the ECME Week Salamanca 2026 activities (workshops, conferences, masterclasses, seminars, rehearsals, and concerts).

The Commission may select up to four proposals, according to the categories indicated. A meritocracy between a piece for instrument and electronics and a piece for instrument alone, it will be preferred track with electronic part.