The Competition for the 2019-20 CINTAS Foundation Brandon Fradd Fellowship in Music Composition is open through June 1st, 2019.

The CINTAS Foundation Brandon Fradd Fellowship in Music Composition competition is offered annually.

The CINTAS Foundation awards fellowships annually to creative artists of Cuban citizenship or Cuban lineage.

The Cintas Foundation was established in 1957 with funds from the estate of the late Oscar B. Cintas, a former Cuban ambassador to the United States and a prominent industrialist and patron of the arts. Cintas fellowships acknowledge creative accomplishments and encourage the development of creative artists in architecture and design, literature, music composition, and visual arts. Past recipients include writers Oscar Hijuelos, María Irene Fornés, Antonio Benítez Rojo and Reinaldo Arenas; visual artists Carmen Herrera, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Teresita Fernández, Guillermo Calzadilla, Cundo Bermúdez, Quisqueya Henríquez, Lydia Rubio, Gean Moreno, Baruj Salinas, Carlos Alfonso, Andres Serrano and Ernesto Oroza; architect Andres Martin Duany, and composers Orlando Garcia and Tania Leon.

The winner of this Fellowship in Music Composition will be eligible to have their work, if suitable, performed as part of the New Music Miami ISCM Festival led by Orlando Jacinto Garcia and being held in 2020 at the FIU Miami Beach Urban Studios. The corresponding experience and exposure of such prestigious performances represents a highly enriched award to the winner.

Candidates must submit a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 recordings, two should be recent works. Recordings must accompany scores. Scores must be digitally scanned in pdf form. A list of all works (including the date of each) must be provided, showing which works have been performed or read. Please do not submit commercially sold CDs or compilations. Compositions on microfilm or loose sheets will not be accepted. For the purpose of historical value, the winner is expected to submit signed and dated bounded scores and an accompanying CD to be added to the CINTAS Fellows Collection.

Since 1963, the CINTAS Foundation has awarded over 24 fellowships in music composition.  In addition to supporting Cuban artists, many early in their careers, the CINTAS Foundation also maintains a growing collection of works by past awardees and other esteemed Cuban artists. For the purpose of historical value and documentation, award recipients are encouraged to submit signed music scores (i.e., representative samples of their work) to be added to the CINTAS Fellows Collection after the grant period.

Eligibility: Creative artists of Cuban citizenship or direct lineage (having a Cuban parent or grandparent). Applicants engaged in research, students, or performing artists are not eligible to apply for CINTAS Fellowships. CINTAS Fellowships can only be awarded a maximum of 2 times to an individual.

All forms must be filled out and included in submission or saved on a flash drive. All forms should be signed as required and electronic signatures are acceptable.

Application

The full application must be submitted. The application may be completed in English or Spanish. Please complete all sections of the application.

Artist’s and Project Statements

Prepare two narrative statements: The Artist’s Statement describes your personal history, your development as an artist, and your plans for the future. The Project Statement describes the project or activity that you would undertake if awarded a CINTAS Fellowship. Please include a timeline for the project, and identify other sources, where appropriate, of funding for the project.

Letters of Recommendation

Candidates must submit two letters of recommendation with the application. Letters may be submitted separately, if necessary, but must be received by the application deadline. Each letter of recommendation must be submitted as a PDF attached to an email, with the recommender’s signature and written in English or Spanish. Hard copies of the signed letter are also acceptable.

Submission of Work Samples

Submission of Work Samples: All materials should be submitted to the CINTAS Fellowship Selection Program. Candidates are encouraged to send their materials electronically to the email address below or ship portfolios by express mail if necessary. Acceptable methods include links to sound files and PDFs of scores, Dropbox, Hightail, flash drive or CDs/DVDs. Materials must be accompanied by the Work Sample Form. Pieces should be carefully itemized on this form. Limit the submission to 5 (five) samples.

Send material to:

Email: [email protected] (PREFERRED)

Laurie Escobar
CINTAS Foundation
8724 Sunset Drive
PMB 528
Miami, Florida  33173

Download PDFs

The CINTAS Application Form
The CINTAS Letters of Recommendation Form
The CINTAS Work Sample Form

NOTICE TO APPLICANTS: The award is considered taxable income under US tax law and the Foundation will withhold appropriate US taxes. Fellows who are not U.S. citizens and who are living abroad must provide a U.S. taxpayer identification number when they accept the fellowship to receive payment. The address for the IRS website: www.irs.gov, at which the form is readily available.