The "40 Years in 2000" Competition

The Competition (1996 – 1998 – 1999)

The "40 Years in 2000" Competition was created by Federazione CEMAT in 1996, according to a formula which would spotlight and support, in a realistic manner, the relationship between music and technology, between composers and Italian Centres of electronic research and production. The intention of Federazione CEMAT was to draw attention in this way to the ideational musical and scientific potentialities which are today enjoying a particularly flourishing season in every country.
The competition lays out an itinerary which supports the musical composition from the initial artistic and technological project up to the first performance of the completed work.

The prize of Lire 5,000,000 for each project selected enables the composers to realize their works, both technologically and musically, at the various Centres which are members of Federazione CEMAT. These Centres, chosen by the winners, are able to carry out this realization thanks to an appropriate contribution on the part of CEMAT. After the winning candidates have decided to whom they wish to entrust the interpretation of their pieces, there will be numerous work sessions at the Centres also for the performers before completion of the scores.
The intention is that in this way a master interface process would be created between composer/performer/technology, since the final production will necessitate - prior to its performance in public - in-depth work in close contact with the computer interpreter.

Twenty-one candidates entered the first edition of the Competition, dedicated to compositions for instruments and live electronics. The works of twelve composers were chosen on the basis of a feasibility study illustrating both the musical and the technological aspect. The twelve finalists presented their projects to an international jury comprising James Dashow, Luciana Galliano, Philippe Manoury, Gianni Tangucci, Trevor Wishart, Giuseppe Di Giugno (chairman, without voting right). The winners of the six victorious Live Electronics projects were the composers Diego Dall’Osto, Agostino Di Scipio, Giovanna Natalini, Paolo Pachini, Fausto Sebastiani, Stefano Taglietti.

The second edition of the Competition, on the theme Vocalità e Live Electronics" (Vocalization & Live Electronics) followed the same procedure. There were 31 candidates from whom a preliminary jury - James Dashow, Roberto Doati, Michiko Hirayama, Giorgio Nottoli, Alessandro Sbordoni - selected twelve, who then presented their projects to the international jury - Larry Austin, Marc Battier, Luisa Castellani, Azio Corghi, Hanno Ehrler, chaired as before by Di Giugno.
The six winning projects were presented by Jacopo Baboni Schilingi, Emanuele Casale, Francesco Giomi, Andrea Saba, Riccardo Santoboni, Giovanni Verrando.

Beginning with the third edition of the competition, it was decided to dedicate future musical productions to the world of didactics. The theme of the third edition in fact was Narrare in musica - opere per la gioventù (Telling a story in music - Works for the young), the object being to orientate the works of the candidates towards arousing the interest of the listening youngsters through a close tie-up between technology and music.
The jury, formed by Françoise Barrière, Fiorella Cappelli, Azio Corghi, Eugenio Giordani, Dieter Schnebel, Giuseppe Di Giugno (Chairman), selected the four projects presented by Paolo Furlani, Silvia Lanzalone, Lucia Ronchetti, Roberta Vacca.

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