Judges and collaborators are an important part of these opportunities. They offer an objective voice to your event. Find people who care about your organization and your event so they can be excited to help you reach your goal instead of working just because you hired them to do so.
If you don’t know people who can be judges for your event, we can help you find them. When searching, put together a team of people who can look at the submissions from different sides. For example, I’ve known several judges who look at the notes, melodies, counterpoint, and nothing else. I look at the engraving, the layers of text, and the relationship between the music and the text or concept. If the event is not anonymous, I like to know more about the composer and their other works.
Be sure to share with your potential collaborators your expectations as well as listening to their needs. Give them an organized folder of applications with all the information and deadlines they need to make their recommendation. Some will ask you for the curated list, so they don’t have to go through incomplete submissions or those that do not meet the rules. I’ll mention more about this in the upcoming posts.
Find artists who can help you pick the composers whose voice is more in sync with your event. I believe judging is a service for which people should be paid. Ask the judges what their fee is. If you can’t cover it, ask if they would be willing to donate their time to your event. Most of us will be open to doing so if we have enough time.
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