Projects

Music with a Message

Quadre’s Music with a Message project shines a spotlight on issues that concern all of us today. Through new commissions by local and international composers, the ensemble partners with local 501(c)(3) nonprofit social organizations and collaborates with regionally recognized visual artists and poets.

Since Quadre’s beginnings in the ’90s, the group has sought out ways to connect with the community at civic functions, youth and senior centers, and schools. This spirit has guided the group over the years towards a greater emphasis on community issues.

The Music with a Message project provides Quadre a platform to serve as a catalyst and vehicle for social change. Our mission is to create programs for our audiences that engender discussion and action on issues such as homelessness, gender and racial inequality, and the environment.

For the 2021–2022 season, Quadre is presenting Nature: Calling for Harmony which includes collaboration with local agencies to highlight the incredible work being done to address a host of environmental issues in our community. At the same time, Quadre will continue its work from the previous season, Homelessness: Hope, Humanity and Heart working with the clients served by local homeless shelters, food pantries, and low-cost housing facilities.

Quadre Competition

Quadre announces its 2023 composition contest. With two composers in the ensemble, Quadre has a keen interest in supporting the work of composers and expanding the repertoire for horn quartet.

2023 Quadre International Composition Contest

Submissions were due April 22, 2023. Winners will be announced in late Summer 2023.

As part of Quadre’s mission, the ensemble announces a composition contest to stimulate interest in writing for the horn and provide an avenue for horn works to be performed. Two awards will be given. First Prize $1,000 and Second Prize $500.

Competition Details

  1. Works should be written for horn quartet. No electronica this year. The work can be a single or multi-movement piece. Compositions based upon Quadre’s 2023–2024 season theme of gender and racial equity will be given priority.
  2. For this year, the competition is only open to women, nonbinary and/or trans composers. There is no fee.
  3. Please submit the following:
    • Only one piece that is 5 minutes or less. Include a PDF of your transposed score and a single PDF of your performance parts. Parts and scores should be fully edited and easily readable. Manuscript size will not exceed 8.5″ x 14″.
    • A recording as an MP3. Live or MIDI/electronic recordings are fine. WAV files will not be accepted.
    • The work’s previous performance history if any.
    • A short biography that is 200 words or less. As an international contest, please also include where you are from. The biography and composer’s origin will not be disclosed during the judging process.
  4. Works may have been performed before, but no published or commissioned pieces are eligible.
  5. Your name must not appear anywhere on the music or the recording.
  6. All judging will be anonymous. Judges will not have knowledge of the identity of the composer.
  7. The judges reserve the right to withhold prizes if in their judgment no deserving works are submitted. The decision of the contest jury will be final.
  8. Past winners are not eligible for the competition the subsequent year after they won.
  9. All performance, copyright, and royalty rights of all the works submitted remain with the composers.
  10. Please send any questions to info@quadre.org.

Awards

In addition to the prize money, winning works will be performed in public during the 2023–2024 Quadre season. Winning composers will receive a program and a live recording from the concert. Winners will be invited to attend the concert(s) for free, but no additional expenses such as travel will be reimbursed. Winning composers may also be approached for publication of their work by Solid Wood Publishing.