This competition is open to all composers without restriction. Pieces submitted do not need to be newly written, but they must be unperformed. To enter you must first email us to obtain the full details.
Contact:


You will be allocated to write for one of four ensembles. Three are our regular ensembles with fixed instrumentation. The fourth ensemble is an open-scored ensemble which plays on bandstands. The aim of this allocation is to try to ensure that broadly equal numbers of pieces are submitted for each of the ensembles. The players are good amateurs. Each ensemble has a conductor. We are based in south London.

SUBMISSIONS
Pieces for our 3 fixed-instrumentation ensembles should be no longer than 7 minutes. They must follow the instrumentation specified. Pieces for the open-scores ensemble should be no longer than 4 minutes. You will be told which instruments might play each of the lines.

FEE
There is a £10 administrative fee. This is to cover the costs of running the competition.

THE FINAL
The final will take place at our autumn concert 2012. The short-listed pieces will be played and the audience will vote to select the winner.

THE PRIZE
The composer of the winning piece for one of our fixed instrumentation ensembles will receive a certificate and a prize of £100.  Separately, the composer of the winning piece for flexibly-instrumented ensemble will receive a certificate and a prize of £50.





The London Consorts of Winds are a group of about 30 amateur brass and woodwind players based in South London playing in 3 separate ensembles. We play a wide range of repertoire – from arrangements of early music, through to cutting edge contemporary compositions. We rehearse approximately monthly in South London, and we aim to perform across London five or six times a year. Our main source of income is the subscriptions which our members pay annually. The current annual subscription is £50 per member per group, with scope for reduction or waiver in cases of financial hardship.

We have performed during 2011 at the Horniman Museum, in St Cyprian's church near Baker Street, in partnership with the charity Fairbridge at St Mary-at-Hill in the City of London, and at two South London bandstands during the summer. We are currently planning our performance schedule for 2012.

We have finalised our mission statement for the period 2011–2013. Key themes are reaching out to our existing audiences and developing new ones, working on innovative programming and performance, and developing the way in which the three separate consorts work together. We made a start on this at our autumn 2010 concert in St Hilda’s Church, Brockley – adopting a new model for performing together – and developed these themes at our concerts in St Cyprian's and St Mary-at-Hill. One of our specific objectives is working actively to encourage contemporary composers to compose for our players. Watch this website for further information about how we will aim to do this.

Details of the three ensembles, including instrumental line-up and current vacancies, can be found by clicking on the links below.