orchestraThe American Prize, 2012
Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award in Orchestral Programming

The American Prize—Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award in Orchestral Programming, honors the memory of the great Lithuanian conductor, Maestro Vytautas Marijosius, music director of the Lithuanian State Opera, and for nearly thirty-five years Director of Orchestral Activities at the Hartt School of Music. The Prize recognizes and rewards the best achievement in the unique field of orchestral programming, where the selection of repertoire by knowledgeable, creative and courageous music directors builds orchestras and audiences, educates young people and adults, and enriches the community.



WHAT WINNERS WIN:
The American Prize is more than monetary. In addition to winners receiving cash prizes up to $500, depending on the year, the category and the number of entrants, all winners and finalists receive award certificates, as well as written, unbiased evaluations from our distinguished national panel of judges. Semi-finalists, finalists and winners are announced to national arts media and on our websites, where winners are profiled. Personalized press releases announcing your selection as a finalist, runner-up or winner are sent by us to local media and other contacts you provide as part of your application. Excerpts of winning performances will be posted to The American Prize channel on To see how previous laureates of The American Prize have used their placement in the competitions to promote their careers, please visit The American Prize Winning Links.

 DOWNLOAD APPLICATION HERE (PDF)
POSTMARK DEADLINE for application(s): Thursday, March 15, 2012.

OVERVIEW:
The American Prize—Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award in Orchestral Programming, recognizes and rewards orchestra music directors in America who, in the opinion of the judges, have created the best season of orchestral concerts during the past year in the United States. The Award may be offered in as many as four categories, depending on the number and quality of entries. You may make separate applications in as many categories as you are eligible, and may apply additionally for conducting prizes for yourself, or performances prizes for your ensemble. (See Conducting Prizes and Orchestral Performance Prizes.)

The categories for the Orchestral Programming Award are:
    1. professional orchestra (all musicians are paid)
    2. community orchestra (some musicians may be paid/some may be students)
    3. college/university orchestra (mostly students/no paid players/faculty participation ok)
    4. youth orchestra (student membership from more than one secondary or high school)

APPLICATION:
There is a single application form for The American Prize—Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award in Orchestral Programming. Select the category which best identifies your ensemble.
    1. Send the completed application form by the deadline date.
    2. Include two copies of all the materials requested below.
    3. Be sure to sign the form and include the application fee.
    4. Be sure to also email the required information.

The application fee is $35 per conductor per application. Make checks payable to HCMT/The American Prize. Application fees are nonrefundable. No incomplete applications will be accepted.

REQUIREMENTS:

The American Prize—Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award in Orchestral Programming: Send two collated, chronological sets of photocopies of each of the program pages—one concert per sheet—for every concert performed by your orchestra during the 2010-2011 season, including any classical, pops, educational, run-out and other performances for which you selected the repertoire, whether conducted by you or by a guest or assistant. (Do not send the entire program book, the program notes or other material. Do not simply send a list of pieces performed.) Do not include programs from affiliated ensembles (such as youth orchestras sponsored by your organization) unless you have personally programmed those concert seasons yourself.


CRITERIA:

The winner(s) will not necessarily be the conductor(s) who have programmed the most new music (although premieres and commissions may work to a music director’s advantage.) Rather, the judges seek evidence of inspiration and creativity from concert to concert, a balance of the familiar with the less well-known in interesting combinations, creating what appears to be a unified whole. You may include a written statement about the season, if you followed a particular philosophy in planning it, or, if you have a general philosophy of programming, tell us how the season’s submitted programs work to meet your goals. There are no other restrictions. No materials will be returned.


PUBLISHED TIMELINE for this competition:

1. Deadline for postmark of applications: March 15, 2012. The application will be acknowledged by email.
2. Announcement of semi-finalists begins: week of May 14, 2012
3. Announcement of finalists begins: week of June 18, 2012
4. Announcement of winners begins: week of July 30, 2012