twisted pearl

the goal of this competition is to encourage composers to explore and synthesize historical musical styles in a way that demonstrates fluency in them while creating a space for the composer to express their originality through their unique perspective on historical music. 

twisted pearl is proud to introduce a new opportunity to musicians of any background by hosting its first annual online international competition for historically informed composition (ICHIC), which is connected to our finale concert, terminus montréal(23 and 24 october, 2026). for this competition, singular in the world, the most outstanding instrumental piece will be selected from a pool of anonymous submissions by a panel of three judges who are experts in relevant fields within early music and composition. 

the winner will be entitled to a cash prize of $1000* (canadian dollars), two performances of their submission in twisted pearl’s terminus montréal program, and a professional recording of one of the live performances, as well as a special interview and feature on twisted pearl’s social media and website. all submissions will be considered for future twisted pearl programs.

JUDGES – 2026

laura andriani ┃ violinist (italy)

nicola canzano ┃ harpsichordist, composer (united states)

elinor frey ┃ cellist, composer (canada)

this competition is open to people of any nationality or gender, ages 18-35. there is a $25 application fee to be collected with every application, submitted online through this page. because we’re committed to giving opportunities to composers from diverse backgrounds, all submissions will remain strictly anonymous to the judges. 

OBJECTIVE

the goal of our competition is to empower composers who write music in historically informed styles and to demonstrate the legitimacy of this discipline within the broader composition community. rather than encouraging strict “style copies,” we want composers to explore and synthesize historical musical styles in a way that demonstrates fluency in them while creating a space for the composer to express their originality through their unique perspective on historical music. 

APPLICATIONS: 15 JUNE — 15 AUGUST, 2026

(we will announce the winner at the end of september, 2026)

GUIDELINES

• your piece should be, broadly speaking, in a musical style or combination of musical styles that flourished in the baroque or classical periods (i.e. “rhetorical period”) of western music.
• your piece should be approximately 6-10 minutes long;
• your piece should have at least two movements;
• your piece should be for 3-6 instruments, chosen from the following:
  • 1-2 violins
  • 1 viola
  • 1 cello
  • 1 flute
  • 1 continuo (with figured bass)
• the degree of notational complexity should be suited to the stylistic world the piece occupies.
• the judges will evaluate your piece on:
  • its stylistic coherence and fluency
  • the originality and inventiveness it demonstrates
  • its balance and intentionality of form
  • its use of melody
  • its use of harmony and counterpoint
  • the extent to which it is idiomatic (well-suited) for the chosen instruments 

RULES

• a composer who has written a piece that has been featured on a twisted pearl program is not eligible to apply.
• you must be between 18 and 35 at the time of submitting your application•(if you are the winner, we will request an image of a government-issued ID to confirm your age and identity).
• you may only include one composition in your application.
• the piece must be original (by the composer who submits it).
• the piece does not need to be new, as long as it adheres to the other rules and guidelines, though we encourage you to write something new!
• the application must inlude both a full score and a MIDI file of the piece
• any score that explicitly reveals the identity of the applicant will be disqualified.
• any applicant who (before the winner is announced) reveals their identity to the judges in a way that connects the applicant to their submission will be disqualified.
• the piece must not be performed publicly or released to the public in a recording before terminus montréal (i.e. twisted pearl must premiere the piece).

*due to canadian sanctions, we cannot award the prize money to a winner from the following countries unless the winner is physically present at the premiere of their piece: belarus, central african republic, china, democratic people’s republic of korea (north korea), democratic republic of the congo, guatemala, haiti, iran, iraq, lebanon, libya, moldova, myanmar, nicaragua, russia, somalia, south sudan, sri lanka, sudan, syria, ukraine, venezuela, yemen, or zimbabwe. in the case that the winner is from one of these countries, the winner will still be entitled to two performances of their submission in twisted pearl’s terminus montréal program, terminus montréal a professional recording of one of the live performances, and a special interview and feature on twisted pearl’s social media and website, logistics permitting.