Call for Submissions
MATA Festival 2027

SCOPE OF SUBMISSION

Music at the Anthology seeks submissions from composers in the early stages of their careers. In celebration of our 30th year of presenting and commissioning new music in NYC, the 2027 festival will be curated by an external panel of Guest Artists, selecting works from your submissions. The pieces will be performed by various ensembles and artists during the week of the Festival.

Submissions can be through-composed notated scores, graphic scores, scores that are comprised of instructions resulting in improvised works, sound installations and audio recordings. Composers can apply to perform their own work as soloist or in collaboration with a selection of players drawn from the Festival ensembles.

In addition to this call for submissions, the panel will also consider pieces for other performance opportunities, including MATAthons or MATA Presents. If you are interested in also being considered for a MATAthon or MATA Presents event, please check the relevant box in the application. Please note the timeline – if selected, notifications for this application will be sent out by February 2027, and the performance of the selected pieces will be scheduled for May 2027.

MATA remains committed to championing boundary-pushing new music by emerging voices from around the globe. All styles and approaches are welcome, with an emphasis on works for acoustic instruments and live performance.

MATA CELEBRATES CO-FOUNDER PHILIP GLASS IN OUR CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS ON THE OCCASION OF HIS 90TH BIRTHDAY

Philip Glass created a new sound for contemporary classical music and a new way of notation for his new music. He welcomed open instrumentation and improvisation early on. He re-thought what an opera could be and works across artistic disciplines (film, dance, theater, concert, opera). At the time, this was radical. He has also worked entirely outside the concert music infrastructure, creating his own very successful path. Many have since followed in his footsteps and taken inspiration from his music and career.

Are you one such composer? If so, please include a paragraph with your submission that describes how your work is inspired by Glass. How are you thinking and creating in ways inspired by his legacy? Please write a paragraph or two about this with your submission. If you have a collaborative creative partner, we’d like to hear from you too.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Please be sure to read through this entire page before submitting your application. The online application is in three parts:

  1. Artist Information: Bio/Resume and Works List

  2. Artist Statement: Please tell us about yourself and your work as an artist, including why you consider yourself to be at the early stages of your career and how being a part of MATA will advance your career at this time. To learn more about what MATA considers to be an early-career composer, visit: www.matafestival.org/earlycareer-composer.

  3. Work Samples: Present links to two pieces that you would like to be considered for the МАТА Festival 2027. 

    Provide links to Audio/Video and Scores (if available). All work sample materials must include:

    - Date of Composition

    - Complete Instrumentation

    - Percussion/Electronic/Tech Requirements

    - Stage Plot

    - Timing (length of piece)

    - Program Notes

Deadline: November 15, 2026

MATA is a welcoming and safe place for artists to experiment. We encourage applicants who are Black, Indigenous, People of Color, LGBTQIA+, immigrants, individuals with disabilities, composers who are unaffiliated and people from diverse social, educational, and economic backgrounds.

SUBMIT HERE

ADDITIONAL INFO

Recordings
Recordings may be either audio or visual. We accept links to recordings hosted on a personal website, SoundCloud, YouTube/Vimeo, or any other streaming service. Please provide direct links to the works submitted. All links must be streamable; we cannot download individual files. Please make sure that links do not require a request to access.

Scores
We accept links to PDF documents either hosted on a personal website, Google Drive, Dropbox, Issuu, or any other document-hosting platform. Please make sure that “link sharing” is turned on, and that all links remain active indefinitely. If your work does not have a score, please provide a document with a description of how the work is performed.

Notification
Applicants will be notified of their submission results by February 2027.

There will be no financial compensation or travel stipend provided, unless you are chosen for a commission, although we are happy to be included on any grant proposal you may make for such compensation.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

  • Submissions must be entirely electronic – we do not accept hard copy submissions.

  • Application form cannot be saved – be sure to have all your materials ready before filling it out. 

  • You cannot upload files into the application form. We are only able to accept links to your work samples.

  • Make sure to provide permanent links that will not expire after any period of time.

  • Be sure to make all private links available for anyone on the internet to view. We must be able to grant access to panelists.

  • Submissions with links that require a request for access, require a download or are broken/expired will not be considered.

QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions about the submission process, please read our FAQ page

If you can’t find an answer there, please email info@matafestival.org

 
SUBMIT HERE