New Note ¹²

1. The competition is open to composers of all ages and nationalities
2. More than one score per composer is permitted
3. All submitted works must have been composed after December 31st, 2016 and not awarded a prize in any other competition
4. It is possible to submit works previously performed, but not already published or professionally recorded for commercial use

1. Composition for Classical Guitar
2. Use of tape or live electronics is permitted
3. Duration: Up to 15 minutes

The First Prize – 2500€ (gross) and the concert performance by Petrit Çeku on Samobor Music Festival, September 2023

Petrit Çeku graduated from the Zagreb Academy of Music in the class of Darko Petrinjak and at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore USA in the class of Manuel Barrueco. Petrit Çeku teaches Chamber Music for Guitar, a special graduate study dedicated to chamber music, at The University of Music and Performing Arts Graz in Austria.

Petrit Çeku’s exquisite sensibility and expressiveness have attracted and engaged audiences worldwide. He has performed many recitals throughout the world and was a soloist with symphonic orchestras such as Baltimore Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Czech Chamber Philharmonic, Daejeon Philharmonic, State Hermitage Orchestra of St. Petersburg, Pannon Philharmonic and Zagreb Philharmonic. He collaborates regularly with the famed ensemble The Zagreb Soloists and is a founding member of Guitar Trio Elogio, established in 2008.

Hailed by Calgary Herald as “an effortless player, with a strong, projecting sound”, Çeku is the first prize winner of many international guitar competitions, including the most prestigious ones like Parkening (Malibu, USA), Schadt (Allentown, USA), Biasini (Bologna, Italy), and Pittaluga (Alessandria, Italy). He was the only classical music act in the 2018 Night of the Proms Tour with the Antwerpen Philharmonic conducted by Alexandra Arrieche, featuring pop music greats like Brian Ferry, Milow, Seal and Suzanne Vega

BERISLAV ŠIPUŠ, composer

PETRIT ÇEKU, classical guitarist

SREĆKO BRADIĆ, composer and Artistic Director of Samobor Music Festival

The decisions of the Jury are final. If the quality of admitted works does not meet the necessary level, the Jury reserves the right not to award the prize.

1. The winning composition will be performed in September 2023 by Petrit Çeku during the 48th Samobor Music Festival.
2. The composer of the winning work must provide all the performance materials (parts) at his/her own expense and send them to the Samobor Music Festival by July 7th, 2023.
3. The winner of the Award will be announced after June 30th, 2023.
4. Entrants agree that, if the submitted work wins the award, all future performances of the work will be accompanied by the following statement in the printed program: “Winner of the 12th New Note International Composers’ Competition, Croatia 2023”. The same applies for all future published editions and/or recordings of the work.
5. A copy of the finalist scores will be filed in the Samobor Music Festival records.

Entries by email only!

The following items are required:

• The subject line should be “Submission – NEW NOTE – your name

Attach all files below to your email:

• Score (PDF format) – with title “duration” and “nom de plume”, but your name must NOT appear on the score!
• Audio realization (MP3)
• CV: “nom de plume”, full name, address, date and place of birth, e-mail address, phone number
• biography suitable for a concert program, photo (500×500 px), a brief text about composition

If you receive email bounce backs due to large file sizes, you may break items into separate emails. Suggested size is up to 10 MB.

Send your email submission to the following mail: sgj@samobor.hr

Deadline for the Application form & all materials is 24:00 on June 4th, 2023.