ŒUVRES EN REGARDS
Call for entries – composition commissions

1)        Project

Music often has secret links with painting and sculpture. Many composers have drawn inspiration from visual artworks when writing music. These links are sometimes audible, but often the connection is lost over time.

This project aims to juxtapose paintings and sculptures with music written especially for the occasion. With Œuvres en regards, the concept takes on a very special twist: it is children who are performing, and it is for them that the scores are being written by young artists training in composition or by alumni (who graduated in 2020 or later).

Seven composers from Swiss Music Universities are writing a new piece specifically linked to a work on display at the Geneva Musée d’Art et d’Histoire (MAH).

Seven different groups of pupils from Geneva’s conservatoires – strings, wind instruments, percussion and choir – are each preparing a composition. Ensemble Vide is responsible for liaising between the composers, the teachers and the pupils.

The concert will take place during Nuit des Musées – Museum Night on 21 May 2027, directly in front of the artwork chosen by the composers and therefore in various rooms of the MAH.

2)        Timetable for composers

18 October 2026:
Deadline for submitting applications to the Ensemble Vide selection panel. Based on the sounds and scores, seven composers will be selected.
Ensemble Vide will form the ensemble–composer pairs.

Late October 2026: 
The selected composers will travel to Geneva to visit the museum and choose a work of art (painting, sculpture, etc.) to serve as the basis – or source – for their composition. (Travel expenses will be covered by Ensemble Vide).

11 January 2027:
Deadline for submission of works

3)        Candidate profile

- Students at conservatoires or similar institutions
- Alumni (who graduated in 2020 or later)
- Residents of Switzerland or cross-border commuters

4)        Composition criteria

Duration: ~ 5 to 10 minutes
For: small instrumental or vocal ensemble (to be specified later)
Musical notation: no specific requirements (graphic scores, notes, etc.), but the notation must be appropriate for the pupils’ level

5)        Applications

Please email the following to info@ensemblevide.ch, with the subject line ‘Call for entries: Œuvres en regards – Full name’:
- An existing score and a recording
- A CV
- Any other relevant information

6)        Fees

Composition fee: CHF 700.-
Travel and accommodation expenses covered by Ensemble Vide.