Emerging Artist Commissioning Award
Joyful Abundance returns in May 2028! Applications open November 1, 2026, and are due January 31, 2027. Now open to composers, poets, and performing artists.
In honor of its 150th anniversary in 2024 and the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia (MCP) successfully launched the Joyful Abundance: Emerging Artist Commissioning Award.
Designed to support the work of emerging creative artists in the Greater Philadelphia area, MCP provided commission awards to five composer and poet teams. In coordination with ArtPhilly’s: What Now? Festival, MCP gave the world premiere performances of these works to critical acclaim in June 2026.
Read poet Octavia McBride-Ahebee's reflection of the event here and watch the video of each of the five world premiere's below!
Celebrating Five World Premieres from Our First Joyful Abundance Winners
Read more about each of the winners here.
In May 2028, Joyful Abundance will return!
What’s the same: Composers and poets will once again apply separately, and be paired by an expert panel of adjudicators. Each emerging composer/poet team will then create a new choral work of approximately 3-5 minutes in length for chorus and one additional instrument. To facilitate collaborative artistic relationships, each composer/poet pair will receive mentoring from professional composers and poets in the Philadelphia region.
What’s new: We will also solicit applications from emerging professional performing artists! We will also pair each composer-poet team with an emerging performer (instrumentalist or vocalist) from Philadelphia to create a trio of collaboration. The performer will work with the composer-poet team to teach them more about their instrument/voice and then the performer will be part of the world premiere performance with Mendelssohn Chorus in Spring 2028.
Hoped for outcomes: Joyful Abundance aims to create new choral music by emerging Philadelphia-area composers and poets for the benefit of the wider music profession. Along the way, it forges new artistic partnerships among the region’s emerging poets, composers, and performing artists, and shines a spotlight on their perspectives, stories, creativity, and accomplishments. The program also adds to Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia’s rich history of commissions, which includes Julia Wolfe’s 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning Anthracite Fields, and builds on the momentum of its 2026 launch.
Join us for an info session on Friday, December 11th at 11:30am.
This will be recorded for those unable to attend.
Award Guidelines
Complete the Application
Complete the
application form
no later than
January 31, 2027.
Please review the guidelines above for further details!
Selection Process
Your submission will be reviewed by an expert panel of adjudicators. All applicants will be notified by
March 1, 2027 of your application status.
Award Acceptance
Winning composers, poets, and performing artists will be paired together. Winners will have until
March 15, 2027
to accept the award. A public announcement will be made in April 2027.
Composition & Preparation
Once awarded, each artist will receive three mentoring sessions with renowned Philadelphia area professional composers, poets, and musicians to prepare the team for the collaborative commissioning project. Between April and November 2027, each team will work together to create a 3-5 minute choral work with one additional instrument.
Submission
Draft scores will be due to Mendelssohn Chorus by November 15, 2027. Artistic Director & Conductor Dominick DiOrio will provide suggested edits/revisions, if applicable, by December 1, 2027. Final engraved scores will be due to MCP by January 5, 2028. Each composer and poet will receive an $1,000 award once the final score has been received.
World Premiere
Rehearsals for the commissioned works will begin in Spring 2028, with the premieres in May 2028. Poets and composers will have an opportunity to speak at the performance about their collaborative work and all will receive an archival recording for their own personal use.
Performing artists will recieve $500 at the performance.
FAQs
Is there an age limit?
All applicants should be over 18 years of age.
How do you define emerging artist?
We define emerging artists as those in the beginning stages of their careers (broadly defined, regardless of age) who are still developing their professional accomplishments.
How do you define the Greater Philadephia region?
The Greater Philadelphia region includes the Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia, and Montgomery counties; Mercer, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem counties in New Jersey; and, New Castle county in Delaware.
I don't write poetry but I am a creative writer, may I still apply?
Yes, all creative writers are invited to apply.
Is there an application fee?
There is no application fee!