Arrangements & Transcriptions Competition

NEW - jump to RESULTS ANNOUNCEMENT

The GCNA Sally Slade Warner Arrangements & Transcriptions Competition Committee is pleased to announce the 2022 Warner Arrangements & Transcriptions Competition.

Two monetary prizes ($750 for first place and $500 for second place) will be awarded. At the Committee's discretion, a third place ($250) and a number of performance awards ($150) may also be awarded. All entries awarded prizes and performance recognition will have the opportunity to be performed at the GCNA Congress in 2022. (Longer works may be excerpted rather than performed in their entirety.)

Eligibility: The contest is open to all. Anyone may enter: there is no age limit, membership requirement, nationality requirement, or carillon proficiency requirement. Committee members may submit pieces, but they will abstain from voting on their own submissions, and will not be eligible to win any of the top three prizes.

Submissions: Works may be any length. Submissions must be arrangements or transcriptions of existing works. An entrant may submit a maximum of three (3) works, but will not be awarded more than one of the top three prizes. Works must be playable on a four-octave carillon: 48 bells (c, d, ... chromatic to c4 with low C# omitted), with a 2-octave pedalboard (c, d, ... chromatic to c2). Notating bells outside of this range is permitted provided that substitutions are given in the 48-bell range. Both solo and duet arrangements and transcriptions are allowed. Arrangements for two-octave carillon are welcome (again with low C# omitted).

Works may be submitted even if they have already been performed publicly. Works that have already been awarded a prize are ineligible. Works must be arranged within the past two years (since the deadline of the last Warner Competition, November 2019).

Submissions must be received by December 15, 2021. 

For entries based on works in the public domain, only arrangements and transcriptions that have not been published or sold are eligible. Works must be submitted via email to Hunter Chase at hsachase@gmail.com. Submissions will be anonymized for the jury. Please do not include your name or any identifying information on the composition itself. Instead, please separately include your contact information. Winning entries will be offered publication by the GCNA. 

For entries based on copyrighted songs and pieces, the use of Sheet Music Plus SMP Press “ArrangeMe” service is encouraged. (This web-based service, a division of Hal Leonard, includes 1.8 million copyrighted songs and pieces that are pre-approved for arrangement or transcription. SMP Press takes care of permissions and royalties, and handles sales.) For such entries only, you must first self-publish your arrangement or transcription through SMP Press "ArrangeMe" before submitting it to the competition. Only works that were first published on SMP Press "ArrangeMe" between November 9, 2019, and December 15, 2021, are eligible. Works may be submitted via email to hsachase@gmail.com and must be accompanied by paperwork showing the date on which SMP Press accepted the work for publication. Winning entries will be promoted on the GCNA website. 

For entries based on copyrighted songs and pieces not available through the SMP Press service, permission to arrange and distribute copyrighted works will be the responsibility of the entrant. Permissions must be obtained before submission to the competition. Arrangements and transcriptions that have already been published or sold are ineligible. Works must be submitted via email to hsachase@gmail.com. Submissions will be anonymized for the jury. Please do not include your name or any identifying information on the composition itself. Instead, please separately include your contact information. Given proper permission, winning entries will be offered publication by the GCNA. 

The Jury: The jury will evaluate submissions based on their usefulness to the carillon community, and will give consideration to arrangements that enhance the current repertoire, or that represent diverse cultures, ideas, or musical styles. Submissions will be evaluated based on their effectiveness on the carillon, playability, originality, and general musical interest. 

To preserve anonymity of the entrants, we ask that entrants refrain from contacting, directly or indirectly, any members of the jury. Questions may be directed to Ellen Dickinson (committee chair) at ellen.dickinson@gmail.com, or to Hunter Chase (committee secretary) at hsachase@gmail.com.

Results: All prize-winning entries will be announced March 1, 2022. Works that do not win a prize will remain the sole property of the arranger/transcriber.

2022 Competition Results

We are thrilled to announce the results of the second Sally Slade Warner Arrangements & Transcriptions Competition. These pieces will contribute greatly to the carillon repertoire!

Thank you to all who submitted scores. There were 37 in all - and the committee's work was a huge challenge.

Many thanks to the adjudication committee: Margaret Angelini, Scott Orr, Michael Solotke, Minako Uchino, and Lynnli Wang. A huge thank you to Hunter Chase, secretary. Thank you to the committee for their work!

The competition is named for Sally Slade Warner, carillonneur and arranger of very many pieces. She played them with style, and was such a positive force in the carillon world. 

As announced, the prizes are 1st place - $750, 2nd place - $500; we are also awarding five performance awards of $150 each.

We will be working with each prize winner on publication of their scores. We look forward to hearing them in Chicago!

2022 Sally Slade Warner Arrangements & Transcriptions Competition - Prize Winners

1st place: Matthew Tran-Adams, arrangement of Lunar New Year Fantasy - Chinese traditional

2nd place: Mary Jo Disler, arrangement of La fille aux cheveux de lin - Claude Debussy

Performance award: Peter Olejar, arrangement of Lacquiparle - Traditional Dakota   

Performance award: Mary Jo Disler, arrangement of Gamelan, from Java Suite - Leopold Godowsky    

Performance award: Paul Stelben, arrangement of Remember Me - Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez        

Performance award: Carlos Colon-Ortiz, arrangement of El Coqui - Jose Ignacio Quinton         

Performance award: Wesley Arai, arrangement of Organ Concerto in B-flat Major (HWV 294) – G.F. Handel

Congratulations to the prize winners!

All the best,
Ellen Dickinson, Chair
Sally Slade Warner Arrangements & Transcriptions Competition Committee

Past Results

2020 Competition Results
1st place - Itsuki Lullaby, Japanese Folk Song - arranged by Naoko Tsujita
2nd place - Arirang, Korean Folk Song - arranged by Daniel Guo
3rd place - The Snow is Dancing, by Claude Debussy - arranged by Richard de Waardt
Performance award - The Spruce by Jean Sibelius - arranged by Keiran Cantilina
Performance award - Three Christmas Pieces* by various - arranged by Mary Jo Disler
*Maria Wiegenlied, Max Reger; La Nit de Nadal, Catalan; and El Noi de la Mare, Catalan