Call for Applications: 2024 Pisar Prize

In partnership with the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées (Paris), The Juilliard School (New York), and Villa Albertine (USA), the PISAR PRIZE, in memory of John Cage and Merce Cunningham, aims to strengthen cultural ties between France and the United States by promoting a work by a young contemporary composer each year.

The laureate, designated alternately by the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées/Villa Albertine, and The Juilliard School, will receive support for the composition of a new work to be premiered at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées by Les Siècles orchestra.

Profile and Project Requirements

For its third edition, the PISAR PRIZE will support

– a composer between the ages of 21 and 40, regardless of nationality
– who will conceive an orchestral work of approximately 12 minutes
– inspired by the United States (a place, a myth, a real event, a tradition, a work, an author, a historical figure…)
– requiring an immersive stay in the United States.

The project should strive to inspire an active dialogue with key local actors that the laureate meets during their residency.

Note

The winner is required to score for the orchestration already in place for the program featuring the premiere. The specific instrumentation available to the prize-winning composer will be communicated no later than November 2024.

The winner is required to deliver their score no later than three months before the world premiere.

Villa Albertine – The Juilliard School Residency (First Semester of 2025)

The residency will be divided into two phases:

– A three- to- five week residency in a US city during which the resident will develop their project. This stay is carried out in partnership with Villa Albertine, which has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, New Orleans, San Francisco and Washington D.C.

-During this time period, a two-to-three-week residency at The Juilliard School, during which the prize-winner will present their work in a composition seminar and will workshop a reduced version of the piece in collaboration with conductor Jeffrey Milarsky and the Juilliard AXIOM ensemble.

World Premiere at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées

The work will make its world premiere at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées on November 14, 2025, as part of a concert performed by Les Siècles orchestra, which the laureate will be invited to attend.

Endowment of the Pisar Prize

In addition to the residency and the premiere of his work, the winner will receive an honorarium of 10,000 euros from the Foundation of the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants should possess the following qualities:

• Professional experience in their field of artistic or intellectual creation demonstrated in a CV (less than 10 pages) that presents their career and work.  
• The ability to easily communicate in English, as demonstrated in a short video already available online, or recorded for the application. In the video, the applicant should present themselves and their project in under three minutes.
• The candidate must be at least 21 years old and no more than 40 years old before the planned date of departure for their residency. 

Support from Villa Albertine

Villa Albertine will also support the resident in their assessment of material and logistical requirements for the project to be carried out properly. The Villa will organize the resident’s stay and cover related travel and living expenses. This includes: 

• Residency allowance covering daily expenses (meals, local transport, phone and banking fees, ESTA or Visa costs, etc), which amounts to approximately $100 per day.
• International and domestic travel costs
• Accommodations
• Car rental, as appropriate to the project and location
• Health, liability, and repatriation insurance

Villa Albertine cannot commit to covering expenses other than the aforementioned travel costs and living expenses.

Application Process

All applications materials (project description, resume or CV, video in English, and recordings and scores of representative compositions) should be addressed to: PrixPisarPrize@gmail.com

Application deadline: June 30, 2024

Announcement of results: September 30, 2024