Commissioning

Objective
To foster the composition of new concert music by New Jersey composers.
 

Eligibility
Any composer who currently lives and/or works and/or studies in New Jersey. There are no other demographic restrictions or preferences. Composers may be in any stage of their careers. Composers with non-standard career paths are particularly encouraged to apply.
 

Description
Grants to New Jersey composers for the creation of a new work of concert music and its performance in New Jersey. The size of the grant depends on the scope of the work. See below for some representative examples. Composers are expected to complete the work within a year with a performance scheduled within six months of completion. Special consideration will be given to projects with the potential to have a significant impact on the applicant’s compositional career. The commissioned composer shall grant CGNJ the unrestricted right, without royalty, to non-commercial use of a score and recording of the commissioned composition, but shall retain all other rights to the composition, including copyright and royalties.
 

Application Procedure
Composers should send CGNJ an email with:

1. (PDF) Project proposal for the composition of a new work, including a description, instrumentation, projected duration, and budget. Should include a pledge to complete the work within a year of receiving the commission. May also include a statement of the anticipated impact on the applicant’s compositional career.

2. (PDF) Letter of intent by a performer or performance group to perform the new work at a venue in New Jersey. While the performer(s) need not be New Jersey-based, preference will be given to those who are.

3. (PDF) Composer profile: brief biography, including how the composer meets the eligibility criteria (lives and/or works and/or studies in the State of New Jersey); résumé of musical activity; catalog of compositions.

4. (PDF) Score of recent representative work.

5. (MP3) Recording (may be synthesized) of the recent representative work.
   

Project Support

Objective
To help realize performances or recordings of concert music by New Jersey composers.
 

Eligibility
Any composer who currently lives and/or works and/or studies in New Jersey. There are no other demographic restrictions or preferences. Composers may be in any stage of their careers. Composers with non-standard career paths are particularly encouraged to apply.
 

Description
Grants to New Jersey composers to help defray the cost of a performance or recording project significant to their compositional career. See below for some representative examples. Since this program is aimed at providing the last piece of funding for a project, composers should apply only when all of the other funding has been secured.
 

Application Procedure
Composers should send CGNJ an email with:

1. (PDF) Project proposal with all particulars including budget, schedule, list of all other funding sources with amounts and conditions, and a statement of the anticipated impact on the applicant’s compositional career.

2. (PDF) Composer profile: brief biography, including how the composer meets the eligibility criteria (currently lives and/or works and/or studies in the State of New Jersey); résumé of musical activity; catalog of compositions.

3. (PDF) Letters of commitment from all other project participants, including funding sources. While participants need not be New Jersey-based, preference may be given to projects with those who are.

4. Any other supportive material the composer deems helpful.
   

CGNJ Funding Priorities

1. CGNJ favors projects that can be realized within 18 months of approval.

2. CGNJ’s focus is supporting the making of new music in New Jersey. Projects closest to this (e.g., for composer and performer fees) are most likely to be approved. CGNJ may also support recording engineering and instrument or space rental for projects realized in New Jersey. CGNJ does not fund travel, entertainment, publicity, or other ancillary services.

3. For projects funded by a consortium, CGNJ will consider funding the final amount required. Proposals of this kind should demonstrate commitments from the other consortium members.

Applicant Guidelines

1. Applicants are advised to consult the list of recent grants below in framing and calibrating their requests.

2. Applicant file names should include the name of the applicant and the purpose of the file (e.g., John Smith composer profile).

3. CGNJ may offer a grant for a lower amount than requested. Since CGNJ commissions are gestures of support rather than works for hire, the size of a grant is largely determined by the resources available to distribute and is in no way meant as a value judgment of a composer’s time and effort. The grantee may accept the grant as a commission (or sponsorship) or as a co-commission (or co-sponsorship).

4. Each grant is defined in a written agreement executed jointly by the grantee and CGNJ that specifies the work expected, the schedule, and the payment terms. Composers are required to certify they meet the eligibility requirements (live and/or work and/or study in the State of New Jersey) at the time they execute the contract. The contract also specifies the exact wording of the credit expected by CGNJ.

$1,000 to Jersey City composer Zach Gulaboff Davis for a 5-7 minute piece to be performed by the Ècxi Chèria Trio.

$2,100 to Ridgewood composer Gilad Cohen toward a recording of his Dark Matter.

$2,500 to Mountainside composer John Sichel toward the world premiere of his Paradoxides.

$1,000 to Upper Montclair composer Robert Cohen for a 5-7 minute piece to be performed by the New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra.

$1,500 to the New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra for performing the CGNJ-commissioned piece by Robert Cohen.

$1,000 to Cliffside Park composer Jakub Polaczyk for a 5-7 minute piece to be performed by Palisades Virtuosi.

$2,000 to Glen Ridge composer Amanda Harberg for a 12-15 minute piece for piccolo/flute, English Horn/oboe, and piano to be performed by the composer and Erica Peel and Jason Sudduth.

$2,000 to Fort Lee composer Lily Koslow for an 8-10 minute solo cello piece to be performed by Andrew Yee.

$2,000 to Teaneck bassist/composer Rufus Reid for a 10-minute piece for string orchestra for performance by the Encore Orchestra of New Jersey.

$2,000 to Princeton composer Jenny Beck for a 20-25 minute solo piano piece for performance by James Iman.

$2,000 to Boonton composer Erica Seguine in support of the Erica Seguine/Shan Baker Orchestra debut album, New Day Bends Light.

$2,000 to Jersey City composer Alon Nechustan for a 10-12 minute piece for string quartet and clarinet.

$2,000 to Glen Ridge composer Amanda Harberg for a 12-15 minute piece for piccolo/flute, english horn/oboe, and piano for performance by Erica Peel, Jason Sudduth, and the composer.

$3,000 to composer Annika Socolofsky for a 15-minute piece for voice and percussion quartet for performance by the composer and Möbius Percussion in New Jersey.

$3,000 to composer Martin Sedek for an 18-minute cantata for mixed chorus and soli with harp or piano accompaniment for performance by the Harmonium Choral Society in Morristown, NJ.

$1,500 to composer Sameer Ramchandran (selected through a call for scores) for a 7-10 minute piece for the Palisades Virtuosi and $1,500 to Palisades Virtuosi to perform the work in Northern NJ.

$1,500 to Da Capo Chamber Players for a transcription of George Walker’s Tangents performed at their Merkin Hall concert, “Remembering George Walker.”

$750 to Composers Concordance/New Jersey Percussion Ensemble to support a series of performances of works by multiple NJ composers as part of the Vibraphone Centennial Project.

$750 to composer Molly Herron (selected through a call for scores) for a 5-8 minute chamber piece for the New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra and $1,000 to the New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra toward the performance of the piece.

$2,000 to composer Frances White for a piece to be performed at the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts in Princeton, NJ.

$3,000 to composer Shuying Li (selected through a call for scores) for a 10-15 minute pierce for string quartet and $3,000 to the Argus String Quartet to perform the piece in West Windsor, NJ.

$1,000 to composer Shruthi Rajasekar for her Son of Pandu, winner of the New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra Composition Competition, and $750 to the New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra toward the performance of the piece.

$3,000 to composer Jason Treuting for a piece for percussion quartet and $3,000 to Sō Percussion to perform the work in Princeton, NJ.

$500 to each of 7 composers attending the Sō Percussion Summer Institute at Princeton for short pieces for percussion ensemble and $1,500 to Sō Percussion for their performance and recording.