Composer's Brain MentorshipGot a finished orchestral score sitting on your hard drive?
Submissions close December 1.
Here's what you can win
One grand prize and five finalists, judged by me, my team and two guest composers.
Build a path toward a commissioned piece. We work together directly, starting exactly where you are right now as a composer.
The curriculum and tools my private students use. Develop your voice and go after commissions and performances, at your own pace.
What to send
Composers of any age, country and background are welcome. It's free.
Anything from string orchestra to chamber orchestra to full symphonic orchestra counts. It doesn't need to have been performed.
An MP3 of a live performance or of your MIDI playback. Either one is fine.
I'll review up to eight minutes of each piece. If yours is longer, send an excerpt from the strongest section.
How I'll judge
Most composers send scores to contests without knowing what the judges are looking for. Here's exactly what I'll score every piece on.
How are you using the tools at your disposal to shape melody, rhythm, harmony, timbre and form in this specific piece?
How are you blending the woodwinds, brass, percussion, keyboards and strings into one cohesive piece with one personal vision?
Does it sound like it's coming from you? Does it take familiar things and turn them on their head? Does it have something specific to say?
If I put your score on the stand in front of a professional orchestra's conductor, would they know exactly what to do with it?
After December 1
We review every submission, looking for the most promising pieces that communicate their ideas well, both musically and in the notation.
The guest judges hear each finalist's piece for the first time, and together we choose the grand prize winner: the piece with the strongest overall score across all four areas. The full call goes up on my YouTube channel, so you can see exactly how contest judges evaluate a score.
Why an orchestral score…
Writing for orchestra is one of the biggest things a composer can take on, and I'm looking for composers willing to reach that high. When I was a young teenager I tried to write my first symphony, and I abandoned the sketches after a few writing sessions. I had the ambition, but not yet the skills to finish.
So if you've actually finished an orchestral piece, even one that has never been performed, you've already shown both.
And you don't need to feel ready. Being ready for a new opportunity is about wanting to take the next step, not having everything figured out already.
Enter
Submissions close at 12pm Eastern on December 1, 2026.
Thank you for sending it. I'll be reviewing submissions after the deadline on December 1, and I'll reach out by email if you're one of the five finalists.
The deadline was 12pm Eastern on December 1, 2026. Thank you to everyone who sent in a score. Watch the judging call on my YouTube channel.
“A remarkable fusion of idioms, using Western instruments to create a convincing equivalent of a Middle Eastern ensemble.”
The New York Times
Saad Haddad’s music has been commissioned and performed internationally by ensembles such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestre national d’Île-de-France, and Ensemble Proton Bern. He holds music composition degrees from Columbia University, The Juilliard School, and the University of Southern California.
You can keep the score on your hard drive.
or you can
I'm looking forward to hearing your music.
Submit your score