Young Composer Contest

“The Young Composer contest is, in other words, much more than a contest, not unlike the way the Pittsburgh Philharmonic is much more than an orchestra. It is nothing less than a gift to young composers, and to music in general.”

~ Chris Massa, winner of the 2017 Young Composer Contest

“I am so happy to see groups like the Pittsburgh Philharmonic take the initiative to bring new works to life and promote them within their community. It is truly an incredible experience and I am so glad I was there to take part in it.”

~ Brian Morales, winner of the 2018 Young Composer Contest

Each year, the Pittsburgh Philharmonic invites submissions of compositions from residents of the Greater Pittsburgh area. This is a unique opportunity for local composers aged 35 and under to have their work performed by a symphonic orchestra. The contest winner will have their piece performed at the Pittsburgh Philharmonic’s May concert and will receive a $300.00 prize.

Click here to see the rules
or
Download an application and a copy of the rules

Submission Deadline is SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

Questions?  Contact pghphilcomposer@gmail.com

And the 2023 winner is:

Bradley Fletcher

for his composition One Equal Temper of Heroic Hearts.
Bradley’s piece shows a strong, emerging compositional voice, with big ideas in a compact piece. The Pittsburgh Philharmonic is excited to bring this work to life in its first performance.
We received six outstanding entries this year. We wish we could perform all six pieces, as they all represent a high level of work by the composers.
We will perform One Equal Temper of Heroic Hearts on our May program, Sounds of Spring, at the Greater Pittsburgh Masonic Center on May 19, 2024 at 4pm.
If you know and love a great emerging composer in the Pittsburgh area, please encourage them to submit a composition to our Young Composer Contest in the future!

About Bradley

Bradley Fletcher (September 7, 1999) is a composer for whom music is a central pursuit on which he can reflect on his diverse interests and passions. Through reflection on these interests, such as politics, literature, philosophy, history, film, art, architecture, and sociology, he can create connections and conversation, with the primary hope that his music doesn’t tell, rather it serves to make people think and deeply reflect.

His music is influenced by modernism, post-minimalism, sound experimentation, and contemporary Western Classical music of various schools of thought. He also seeks to form musical dialectic, both around his interests, as well as an eclectic mixing of old and new musical languages. In his other musical pursuits, he hopes to contribute to a contemporary musical scene where anyone who has something to say can be heard on stage, and where there is no distinction between dichotomies such as tonality vs. atonality, or “low vs. high” art.

He is a second year Master student in Music Composition at Carnegie Mellon, where he studies under Nancy Galbraith, and is expecting to graduate in May. He also has earned a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Ball State, with a minor in History, as well as studying composition as an elective under Eleanor Trawick, Micheal Pounds, Amelia Kaplan, and Chin Ting (Patrick) Chan. His music has been featured at New Music on the Bayou, International Computer Music Conference 2022, SICPP 2023, and the inaugural season of the Texas New Music Festival. Upcoming performances include the Texas New Music Festival 2024 and the Mostly Modern Music Festival 2024.