SPLICE Festival Hosting Information

SPLICE Festival presents concerts that blend engaging live performances with technology. SPLICE Festival encourages submissions from performers, composers, and composer/performers. The event features two to three days of concerts and presentations covering topics involving aesthetics, technology, or issues of performance practice involved in some of the works presented on concerts. The goal of SPLICE Festival is to inspire, educate, and share information amongst the attendees and the students at the host institution. SPLICE Festival is designed to foster community and to create bonds between performers and composers dedicated to music that involves dynamic, live performance with technology and to provide learning opportunities to students at the host institution beyond what is available in classes. 

Included Programs

  • 4-6 concerts 

    • All but two of which are one hour long concerts

    • 2 ninety minute concerts

    • The final concert is performed and curated by SPLICE Ensemble

  • Approximately eight to twelve fifteen-minute presentations 

  • Two one-hour long hands-on workshops

  • Optional workshops, master classes, and lessons offered by SPLICE composition and/or performance  faculty, and/or SPLICE Ensemble to the host institutions’ students one or two days before or after the festival. 

  • At the discretion of the host institution, a limited number of students at the host institution may have automatic inclusion on concert programs. A maximum of one student per concert, excluding the longer programs.

  • At the discretion of the host institution, performance or composition faculty at the host institution can be included on the program outside of the adjudication process, but no more than one per concert, excluding the SPLICE Ensemble concert, unless SPLICE Ensemble discusses performing a work by a composer at the host institution.  

  • At the discretion of the host institution, performers from the host institution may be listed as available to perform works in the call for submissions. 

Personel

  • Faculty available for workshops 

    • Composition/Technology:

      • Christopher Biggs

      • Per Bloland

      • Elainie Lillios

    • Performance:

      • Keith Kirchoff, piano

      • Adam Vidiksis, percussion

      • Sam Wells, trumpet

  • SPLICE Ensemble (all required to attend):

    • Keith Kirchoff, piano

    • Adam Vidiksis, percussion

    • Sam Wells, trumpet

Expenses

  • SPLICE Ensemble

    • $5000 fee

    • Travel + lodging

  • Optional: Faculty workshops

    • $300 each for faculty to give lessons/masterclasses/workshops as desired

    • Travel + lodging, if not already covered by SPLICE Ensemble

  • Optional: SPLICE provided technical director

    • $1000

    • Travel + lodging

  • Optional: SPLICE provided stage management and technical team (4 individuals)

    • $500 per individual

    • Travel + lodging

SPLICE Technical Director & Stage Management

  • The Technical Director will:

    • Collect tech and program information from all participants

    • Generate detailed technology lists per concert

    • Generate staging diagrams per concert

    • Work with the Festival Host to acquire all necessary tech

    • Setup concerts

    • Tear down concerts

    • Generate sound check schedule

    • Communicated sound check schedule to all participants

  • Stage Management will:

    • Assist the Technical Director in setting up the concert space

    • Assist the Technical Director in tearing down the concert space

    • Assist the Festival Host in setting up lecture and workshop spaces

    • Manage all stage changes during each concert and sound checks

Application Details

  • Performers of traditional or non-traditional instruments may submit any works that incorporate electronics. The composer need not be present to have the work performed, when the work is submitted by a performer. Chamber ensembles are highly encouraged.

  • Composers may submit works with a specified performer(s). In this situation, both the composer and performer(s) are being evaluated, and the performer(s) included in the application must be the performer(s) performing at the Festival unless a prior arrangement has been agreed upon with the adjudication panel.

  • Composers may submit works for which they are the performer. These performances may be on traditional or non-traditional instruments.

  • All submitted works must have an electronic component.

  • Pieces of any length may be submitted, but works under 20 minutes are preferred.

Jury and Adjudication Process

  • The jury includes the personnel of SPLICE.

  • The host institution may also provide adjudication members. It is recommended that the technical director, if provided by the host institution, is involved in the adjudication prior to sending out acceptances. 

  • Submissions are not anonymous.

  • Any performer from the host institution may be involved in the adjudication of works for their consideration and any performer committed to playing works will be listed as a separate adjudication category and featured as a performer on the SPLICE Festival webpages.

Organizational

  • SPLICE will create the call for submissions along with the host institution. 

  • SPLICE will maintain a website dedicated to the event.

  • SPLICE will oversee the application process for the host institution. 

  • SPLICE will send initial emails related to acceptances, waitlisting, or rejection of all submissions. 

  • SPLICE will facilitate the adjudication process.

  • The host institution will be responsible for organizing everything at the host institution, including technology, stage management, contracts and payment, etc...

  • The host institution will provide all the technology unless otherwise arranged with SPLICE. 

  • The host institution will be responsible for communicating with all accepted applicants about transportation, housing, etc…

  • The host institution will create all physical programs for the concerts.

  • The host institution will advertise for the concerts locally/regionally.

  • SPLICE will not pay any licensing or music purchasing fees.

Required Facilities & Equipment (provided by hosts)

  • A minimum of one – preferably two – halls suitable for multimedia concerts

  • One or more classrooms or spaces suitable for lectures and workshops

  • Optional (encouraged): Computer lab for workshops

  • A rehearsal room for the SPLICE Ensemble

    • This room should be available all three/five days for the ensemble’s exclusive use

    • It should be equipped with a piano, percussion instruments (discussed in advance), and all necessary sound equipment used in the final concert

    • If possible, the SPLICE Ensemble would arrive on Monday and rehearse prior to the Festival.

  • Projection capabilities

  • Access to percussion equipment

  • Grand piano with functioning sostenuto (middle) pedal tuned immediately prior to the festival.

  • Minimum 4-channel sound

  • Microphones/cables

  • Live sound engineer in hall and tech team for stage management, unless paying SPLICE to provide 

Registration Fees/Concert Fees

  • There is no application fee

  • Registration fees are up to the host institution. SPLICE encourages low fees to make the program as accessible as possible. Any registration fee is collected by and kept by the host institution. 

  • SPLICE recommends a registration fee of $20.

  • We recommend that concerts be free and open to the public. If concerts have an associated cost, everyone attending SPLICE Festival must have free admission as part of any registration fee. Any charge for concerts is managed and kept by the host institution. 

  • All events are open to the students of the host institution 

Time of Year

  • Ideally, the Festival takes place in the fall, preferably November. 

  • The timing of this festival is flexible and can be moved dependent upon the scheduling requirements of the host institution.

  • It is the hope to avoid conflicts with other festivals, especially any festivals focused on electronic music. 

  • It is encouraged to avoid times of year with a high snow-risk or other weather concerns.

    • If such a time is necessary, we encourage scheduling a built in Sunday “snow day” in case severe winter weather forces cancellation of one of the days’ activities.


To be Considered to Host SPLICE Festival

Please provide:

  • A written proposal (brief, no more than one page)

  • Photos and specs of all performance spaces

  • A summary list of the available technology

  • A budget outline

  • A letter of written support from the Dean (or equivalent) of the School of Music or an email from said person stating their support

  • Provide all materials as PDFs to festival@splicemusic.org with the subject: SPLICE Festival Proposal