We Are Looking For Local Composer and Poet To Collaborate On Original Song

The Winning Composition Will Have Its Debut At the Chorale’s Spring 2028 Concert; 

Applications Now Accepted Through December 31 

In an exciting first, the Village Voices Chorale is seeking to commission an original SATB musical piece from local artists to perform at its spring 2028 concert. 

Founded in 1969, the spirited community chorus delights its audiences twice annually with concerts at the Scherr Forum Theatre at the Bank of America Performing Arts Center Thousand Oaks. While the concerts always contain an eclectic mix of musical selections that range from classical to pop to Broadway, this will be the first time that one of the songs will be an entirely original piece created specifically for the group to premiere, and represents an opportunity for local composers and poets to have their work mounted in a professional setting, with compensation awarded to the winning applicants. 

Composers need not have previously written a chorale music piece but should have a bachelor’s or graduate degree in music composition or film/stage scoring (or be currently enrolled in a graduate program at California Lutheran University, Pepperdine or Cal State Northridge), and must be familiar creating accompaniment for the piano, and incidental instruments for a concert-level performance with 75-80 voices. 

Poets should have a track record of recent publications and preferably have work that once appeared in ArtLife Limited Editions Monthly. Poets must have sufficient musical knowledge to work with a composer and be willing to adapt their work as needed to the benefit of the overall composition.

The ability of the composer and poet to work collaboratively is essential, both in distance and work ethic. Only poets residing in East Ventura County are eligible; composers in East Ventura County, the Greater Conejo Valley, Calabasas to Sherman Oaks and Malibu are welcome to apply. Graduate students at the three listed universities will also be considered. There is compensation.

The deadline for Google Form submissions is December 31, 2026 at 11:59 PM. Notifications of acceptance will be emailed by February 1, 2027.  

This project is made possible through a grant by the Ventura County Community Foundation, in honor of Joe Gardella, the late publisher of ArtLife Limited Editions Monthly.