Iowa Composers Forum and Heartland Marimba 2025

Submission Due Date: April 1, 2025

Members of the Iowa Composers Forum are invited to submit scores for Heartland Marimba to perform two concerts in August of 2025, dates and locations are TBD.

Instrumentation: Submitted pieces should be written for keyboard percussion combinations of 2 or 4 performers. The instrument combination can vary. A list of the instruments that Heartland Marimba owns is below. We welcome a variety of instrument combinations, but these combinations can be considered more frequently for additional performances for our most common engagements: duos for 5-octave marimba and vibraphone or two marimbas or quartets for 4 players on 2 marimbas for school programs and marimba quartets (4 marimbas) for touring and/or programming with the Heartland Marimba Orchestra (parts are doubled or tripled with 8–12 players).

— Four marimbas (two 5-octave instruments and two 4.3-octave instruments)

— Two vibraphones (standard 3-octave range)

— Two xylophones (4-octave range, pitched C4–C8)

— Glockenspiel (3.3-octave range, pitched C5–E8)

— Crotales (standard 2-octave range)

— Aulophone (2.5-octave range, a great substitution for chimes, blends very well in the keyboard percussion ensemble setting)

— Small percussion can be included: 1-2 instruments per player such as a cymbal, woodblock, drum, or metal vessel. For touring and future programming, it’s ideal for us to have repertoire that is written for keyboard instruments only, but from time to time, we perform works with small percussion additions such as Westlake’s Omphalo Centric Lecture or Berkhout’s Catch Your Breath.

Length: Submitted works may be of any length and have been written at any point in a composer’s career.

Due Date: April 1, 2025, by 11:59pm Central

Notification: Selected composers will be notified via email by April 15, 2025.

Submission:

Composers are encouraged to submit up to two different works.

Submissions can be made via email at iowacomposersforum@gmail.com

In your email, please submit the following information:

- Composer name

- Title(s) and year(s) composed

- Brief biography (150 words or less)

- Brief program notes (150 words or less)

- A copy of the score(s)

- An MP3 file or a link to a recording of the work(s) (MIDI realizations are acceptable)

Selection Process:

Final decisions regarding the selection of pieces for the concert will be decided by Heartland Marimba.

Pieces will be selected based on length and difficulty. Only one piece per composer will be selected.

Feedback: A composer who is not selected may ask for feedback from Heartland Marimba, however, comments will be minimal.

Attendance: Selected composers are highly encouraged, but are not required, to attend the performances.

Points of Contact: Please contact Jonah if you have any questions.

Jonah Elrod, iowacomposersforum@gmail.com