A triennial composition competition established in 1948, the Inter-American Music Awards are open to composers residing in North, Central and South America, with no age limit.
Two major American composers are invited to judge each IAMA competition. In addition to their judging responsibilities, the composer-judges each write a work to be published in the Sigma Alpha Iota IAMA series. Current or former students of either of the announced judges are ineligible to apply.
Each triennium, Sigma Alpha Iota Philanthropies, Inc. specifies the particular combination of instruments and/or voices for which entries must be written, and the length of the work. Recent competitions have called for:
- Brass quintet, no longer than ten (10) minutes in duration, suitable for advanced college performance
- an instrumental work for no more than 4 performers, with or without piano, the winning composition being for two pianos; and
- an instrumental work for solo string instrument (violin, viola, or cello), the winning composition being for violin.
- Children's choir
- Strings
Application Procedures
The IAMA competition brochure and application is mailed out and posted online in the middle year of the triennium. The judging takes place in the summer preceding the Convention year. The winner is announced at Convention, and the premieres of the winning work, and of the compositions commissioned from by the composer-judges, take place during the Convention.
Click here for the IAMA application.
Deadline: Postmarked no later than May 1, 2021
For the 2022 National Convention, the competition seeks works for Instrumental Solo with Piano accompaniment, no longer than 10 minutes in length.
The 2022 Composer-Judges are:
Andrea Clearfield
SAI Honorary Member, member of the SAI Composers Bureau, and composer of music for opera, orchestra, chorus, chamber ensemble, dance and multi-media collaborations (www.andreaclearfield.com)
and
Amy Riebs Mills
SAI initiate of Beta Chapter, Northwestern University, former affiliate of the Washington, D.C. Alumnae Chapter, and a member of the SAI Composers Bureau who is known for her vibrant conducting and compositions in all genres (www.amymillsmusic.com)
The Sigma Alpha Iota IAMA series is published by
C.F. Peters Corporation
70-30 80th Street
Glendale, NY 11385
Phone: (718) 416-7800
Fax: (718) 416-7805
Director: TBA
