Registration procedure
Composition Competition
“Notes from the Past, Sounds of the Future”
General information and structure of the call
These Rules govern the composition competition “Notes from the Past, Sounds of the
Future”, organised by the Associazione Domenico Scarlatti as part of the project funded by
SIAE – Per Chi Crea. Participation in the Competition implies full acceptance of all the
provisions set out herein. The call is aimed at composers who wish to engage with the
18th-century Neapolitan musical tradition and reinterpret it in a contemporary key.
The information is organised into the following sections:
· eligibility requirements
· categories and specifications of the works
· submission and registration procedures
· evaluation criteria and composition of the jury
· prizes and deadlines
· legal notices and privacy.
All interested parties are invited to read the Rules carefully before proceeding with
registration and submission of the required materials.
The Associazione Domenico Scarlatti,
within the framework of the Per Chi Crea programme, announces the third edition of the
International Composition Competition “Notes from the Past, Sounds of the Future”.
The Competition’s mission is to promote contemporary art music and young composers by
fostering the creation and dissemination of new works inspired by the 18th-century
Neapolitan School. In particular, the Competition aims to select a winning Composer who
will be awarded a commission for an original work to be premiered at the next edition of
the Festival Internazionale del ’700 Musicale Napoletano and subsequently performed in
the concert seasons of other music series.
The Competition is held in collaboration with music institutions that share its aims and will
contribute in various ways to achieving them, in particular:
· Associazione Domenico Scarlatti
· Orchestra da Camera di Napoli
· Associazione L’Ottava Musa
which will perform the commissioned work in their own concert seasons.
The winning composition will be performed at the Auditorium Scarlatti of the Conservatorio
di Musica “San Pietro a Majella” in Naples, as part of the 26th edition of the Festival
Internazionale del ’700 Musicale Napoletano, together with works by the composers
selected for the 2026 edition:
Donato Attanasio
Walter Aveta
Matteo Marangio
Francesco Pio Bakiu
Art. 1 – Eligibility requirements
Eligible applicants and general conditions
1.1 The Competition is open to composers of any nationality, who have not reached the
age of 35 on 31 December 2026, applying either individually or as a group.
In the case of jointly authored works, all contributors must satisfy the requirements set out
in this article.
1.2 Works must be original and unpublished, never issued by a publisher, never released
in commercial recordings and not already awarded or commended in other competitions
by the closing date of this call.
1.3 Each participant may submit one or more works, in accordance with the procedures
specified in the following articles. Submitting multiple works does not entitle the entrant to
any special treatment or preferential assessment.
1.4 The Competition is open to students of conservatoires, academies and music schools,
as well as to independent composers. No specific academic qualification is required.
1.5 Persons who have direct family ties or a stable artistic collaboration with any member
of the jury are not eligible to take part.
Art. 2 – Categories and work specifications
Ensemble, duration and format of materials
2.1 The works must be freely and creatively inspired by the tradition of the Neapolitan
school of the 18th century, understood both as musical language and as historical -cultural
imagery.
2.2 The ensemble must be formed from the following available instruments:
piano, string quartet, snare drum, 3 timpani, 1 ride cymbal, 1 crash cymbal, bass drum.
2.3 The minimum duration of the composition is 7 minutes and the maximum duration is 15
minutes.
2.4 Scores must be submitted in a clear, legible form, preferably computer -engraved, in
PDF format and uploaded to this website. Reference audio materials (MP3 or WAV files),
while optional/for reference only, are accepted exclusively for demonstrative purposes and
do not replace the score.
2.5 Works must be submitted anonymously: no names, signatures or marks that could
reveal the identity of the composer may appear on the scores or audio files. Identification
will be made solely via the codes generated by the online registration system. Only the
Competition Office will know the name of the composer associated with each work. The
jury will receive the scores in anonymous form.
2.6 Full responsibility for compliance with copyright regulations lies with the participant.
Art. 3 – Submission and registration
Online procedure and required documents
3.1 Registration for the Competition takes place exclusively online via the dedicated
“Competition Registration” page of the official website. Postal submissions or use of
channels other than those indicated will not be accepted.
3.2 The registration procedure requires completion of a form with personal and contact
details and a declaration of acceptance of these Rules.
3.3 Via the same platform, the required files must be uploaded: scores in PDF format and,
where applicable, demo audio files. Each file must be named in accordance with the
instructions given on the “Competition Registration” page.
3.4 No registration fee is required. Registration is considered complete only once all
materials have been successfully uploaded.
3.5 At the end of the procedure, the system will send a confirmation email to the address
provided in the form. If this email is not received, it is the participant’s responsibility to
promptly contact the Competition Office via the “Contacts” page of the website.
Art. 4 – Evaluation criteria and jury
Artistic parameters and composition of the jury
4.1 The works will be evaluated by a jury consisting of:
4.2 In its assessment, the jury will take into account, among other aspects, the following
parameters: quality of musical writing, originality of the proposal, consistency with the spirit
of the project and with the reference to the 18th-century Neapolitan tradition, dramaturgical
effectiveness and performance potential.
4.3 The jury’s decisions are final and not subject to appeal. The jury reserves the right not
to award one or more prizes if it considers the works submitted to be insufficiently
deserving, and/or to confer special mentions.
4.4 The jury may meet in hybrid form (in person and/or online), according to the
organisational arrangements defined by the Association.
Art. 5 – Prizes and rights over the works
Prizes, use of the works and protection of copyright
5.1 The prizes will include, by way of example, the public performance of the selected
works within the framework of the “Festival Note dal Passato, Suoni del Futuro”, the
production of dedicated multimedia materials and their dissemination through the project’s
official channels. The absolute first prize, awarded with a score of 100/100, will receive a
scholarship of € 1,000.00.
5.2 All participants retain full ownership of the copyright in their works. By registering for
the Competition, however, they grant the Associazione Domenico Scarlatti a
non-exclusive, royalty-free, time-limited licence for the public performance, recording and
dissemination of the selected works for the purposes of documentation, promotion and
enhancement of the project.
5.3 Any further publishing, recording or rights-management agreements will be negotiated
separately, in accordance with current legislation and with full respect for the authors’
moral rights.
Art. 6 – Deadlines and communications
Competition schedule and announcement of results
6.1 The official deadline for submitting works is 30 September 2026. The publication of the
list of accepted compositions, any selection of finalists and the announcement of the final
results will be indicated on this website under the “Results” section.
6.2 Any extensions or changes to the schedule will be announced exclusively via the
official website and, if necessary, by email to the addresses provided during registration.
6.3 The results of the Competition will be made public on the website and may also be
disseminated through the communication channels of the Associazione Domenico
Scarlatti. The prize winners will be contacted directly to define the details relating to
performances, recordings and the delivery of prizes.
6.4 For general information or clarification regarding these Rules, please refer to the
“Contacts” page of the website.
Art. 7 – Legal notices and privacy
Processing of personal data and reference to the website policies
7.1 The personal data provided at the time of registration will be processed by the
Associazione Domenico Scarlatti, as Data Controller, in compliance with Regulation (EU)
2016/679 (GDPR) and the applicable national legislation.
7.2 The purposes and legal bases of the processing, the methods of data storage, the
rights of data subjects and the contact details for exercising those rights are described in
detail in the Privacy Policy published on the website.
7.3 By taking part in the Competition, entrants declare that they have read and accepted
the website’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Any specific conditions relating to the use
of images, audio recordings and multimedia materials connected with the Competition will
be communicated in a clear and accessible form.
7.4 For all matters not expressly covered by these Rules, reference is made to the
applicable laws and to the website’s legal policies. The court having jurisdiction over any
disputes is the one indicated in the Terms of Use.
Registration procedure
To take part in the Competition, candidates are required to submit a score in free form, for
an ensemble chosen from the following available instruments:
piano, string quartet, snare drum, 3 timpani, 1 ride cymbal, 1 crash cymbal, bass drum,
structured on the following Partimento by Nicola Sala:
Nicola Sala Partimento
The score must be submitted by uploading a PDF file named
Surname_TitleOfWork.pdf to the website, after completing the registration form, by
30/10/2026. No entry fee is required.
