What We Do

Call for Composers and Performers

Glow Music Presents: Concert Number Six
🗓 Saturday, April 11, 2026 · 🕢 7:30 PM
📍 First Unitarian Church, Avondale – Cincinnati, OH

Glow Music is seeking passionate musicians and composers for our sixth concert! This is a unique opportunity to:
🎶 Share your story and connect with an audience
🎶 Build your performance résumé
🎶 Collaborate with composers and performers
🎶 Meet with professional musicians who are entrepreneurs and new music experts
🎶 Receive a professional-quality recording
🎶 Be part of a community-building initiative
🎶 And—get paid for your work!

About the Concert

Concert Number Six will feature a joint recital by two musician groups, including two world premieres of commissioned works. We’re excited to return to the First Unitarian Church!

Selected musicians will also be invited to appear as guest artists at MYCincinnati, where they will perform for a youth orchestra of diverse backgrounds. This community engagement is a powerful opportunity to inspire the next generation of artists. Musicians will receive compensation for participation in both events.

Glow Music will select:
🎼 2 composers (to write new commissioned works)
🎤 2 soloists or chamber groups (to perform a 30-minute recital set, including the new works)

Mentorship

Selected musicians will participate in a virtual session with professional musicians offering guidance in new music performance, career development, and entrepreneurship. Glow Music has invited:

Dr. Jamie Clark (cello, University of Iowa)
Dr. Andrea Baker (bassoon, Western Illinois University)

Additional mentors may be added based on the selected participants’ instrumentation.

Important Dates

Application Review Begins: November 1, 2025
Application Deadline: Sunday, November 9, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Concert Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026 (5:30–9:30 PM; concert begins at 7:30 PM)
Community Program (MYCincinnati): Friday, April 3, 2026 (4:00–6:00 PM)

1. Eligibility

Students

Open to students of any nationality—no age limit.
Applicants must be currently enrolled in music or music education programs in Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky.
Recent graduates (May 2024 or later) residing in the Greater Cincinnati area are also eligible.
Must be able to receive payment via check or Venmo.
International students must have CPT approval for Spring 2026 and be eligible for off-campus work (approval for Fall 2025 is not required).

Availability

Must be available for both the concert and the community program.

Collegiality

Composers must be open to working closely with performers.
Performers must be open to working with composers.
All participants must be comfortable engaging with beginning-level students from diverse backgrounds.

2. Application Requirements – Composers

Submit a portfolio showcasing your work. Include if available:
- Chamber or solo instrumental music
- Songs/song cycle
- Large ensemble works
- Acoustic music with electronics
This year, commissions are open to electronic music. You may specify that you would like to compose a work for acoustic instrument(s) with fixed media (with or without click track).
Venue technical details:
- First Unitarian Church is upgrading its sound system. Current setup includes speakers, a wireless microphone, and a soundboard.
- If your piece requires a click track, you must provide the necessary in-ear monitoring devices yourself.
- Updated specs will be shared upon artist selection.
Apply at: https://glowmusic.live/application-for-composers/

3. Application Requirements – Performers (Vocalists & Instrumentalists)

Apply as a soloist, duo, trio, or quartet.
Note: The following instrumentations are not being prioritized for the 2026 concert, though they may be encouraged in future seasons:
- Solo woodwind
- Solo piano
- Violin + piano duo

Required Materials:

Video Recording (8–10 minutes):
- Must represent your artistry and technique.
- Can be one piece or multiple excerpts.
- Chamber groups who submit recordings of the full ensemble applying will be preferred.
  - Recordings of separate members will be considered.
- Soloists with piano must apply as a duo.
- Recordings must be from the last 6 months.
Proposed Recital Program (20–23 minutes):
- Your program should tell your story—it should be uniquely yours and connect with the audience.
- Programs consisting of a single large work (e.g., one Beethoven sonata) will not be accepted.
- Submit: titles, composers (with years), and durations of each piece.
- Program changes are allowed until March 1, 2026 (subject to artistic director approval). No changes allowed after that date.
Transportation Reimbursement:
- Up to $50 for harp, upright bass, and percussions on the day of the concert.
Apply at: https://glowmusic.live/application-for-performers/

4. Compensation

Solo: $200 for performer, $200 for composer
Duet: $400 per group, $250 for composer
Trio: $500 per group, $375 for composer
Quartet: $600 per group, $500 for composer

5. Commission Timeline – Composers

Notification of selection: no later than November 25, 2025
Draft or 50% of piece due: by February 1, 2026
Final score due: by February 12, 2026

6. Performance Timeline – Instrumentalists & Vocalists

Commissioned works will be delivered: week of February 16, 2026
You will be expected to learn the commissioned piece within 8 weeks

7. Interview

Finalists may be invited for a short interview with the Artistic Director.

8. Notification

All applicants will be notified of results before November 25, 2025.

❓ Questions?

Contact Yeon-Kyung Kim
📧 concerts.glowmusic@gmail.com
📱 DM on Instagram: @concerts.glowmusic

🔗 Learn more about past concerts: http://www.glowmusic.live

Application has closed. Please check back next fall!

Our Latest Blog Posts

Online Program Book for Concert No. 5: SOAR!

Program Four Meditations on Musubi (2025)* Catherine Fields (b.2000) Hommage à Manuel de Falla(1995) Béla Kovács (1937-2021) Chromatic Fantasy (1720/2002) J.S. Bach/arr. Hasty (1685-1750)/(1920-2011) Fantasie for solo clarinet (1993) Jörg Widmann (b. 1973) Owen Ngo Yeung Cheung, clarinet INTERMISSION Skyward Unchained (2025)* Wenbin Lyu (b. 1994) Sonata for Violin and Piano (1961) Leslie Adams (1932-2024) Jungeun Noh, violinDasom Kwon,…
Sights from “Connecting the Dots”

The “Concert Number Four: Connecting the Dots” was a two-part project. One is the concert, and another is that the student-artists visit Cincinnati’s local music program to interact with their youth groups.
Concert #4: CONNECTING THE DOTS Online Program Book

Glow Music’s Concert No. 4: Connecting the Dots on April 14 features young classical musicians performing a diverse program, including pieces by Bach, Anna Clyne, and Saebyul Woo. The concert aims to connect musicians with the community and promote underrepresented composers, highlighting the organization’s commitment to diversity in arts. Donations are appreciated.