Rolling Hills Chamber Music Festival

Members of the Iowa Composers Forum are invited to submit scores for performance as part of the Rolling Hills Chamber Music Festival, held August 6–9, 2026, in Ames, IA. The festival concert on August 8 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship will be devoted to works composed by members of the Iowa Composers Forum.

Instrumentation:

  • Category 1:

    • Pieces for performance by guest artists provided by the festival. Solos, duets, or trios for a combination of flute (1), clarinet (1), violin (1), and piano (1).

  • Category 2:

    • Composers provide their own performers. A piano is available in the performance space. Composers must include in their submission a video or audio recording of themselves and/or their performers that they would bring to the festival performing the piece.

Duration:

Submitted works may be of any duration and have been composed at any point in a composer’s career.

Due Date:

April 30, 2026, by 11:59pm Central.

Notification:

Selected composers will be notified via email by May 31, 2026.

Submission:

Composers are encouraged to submit one work per category. Submissions can be made via email to iowacomposersforum@gmail.com. In your email, please submit the following information and materials:

  • 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)

  • If submitting to category 2, please include a link to a video or audio recording of the piece being performed by the performers you plan to bring to the festival.

Selection Process:

  • Final decisions regarding the selection of pieces for the concert will be decided by the Rolling Hills Chamber Music Festival performers and administrators. Submission to category 2 is not a guarantee that your work will be selected.

  • Pieces will be selected based on duration and difficulty.

  • Generally, only one piece per composer will be selected, however the festival organizers and ensemble directors reserve the right to program more than one work per composer, if needed.

Feedback:

No feedback will be given to composers who were not selected for the festival.

Attendance:

Selected composers are encouraged but not required to attend the performance of their work.

Point of Contact:

Please contact Jonah if you have any questions: iowacomposersforum@gmail.com.