Yefim Adler Orchestra Toronto
Composition Competition
Overview
The Yefim Adler Orchestra Toronto Composition Competition was created to support and celebrate emerging Canadian composers and the creation of new orchestral music. Through performance opportunities, artistic development and mentorship, the competition aims to provide meaningful support to the next generation of Canadian compositional voices.
Presented by Orchestra Toronto, the competition encourages composers to create bold, compelling new works for orchestra while creating connections between composers, performers and audiences. In addition to recognizing artistic excellence, the initiative reflects Orchestra Toronto’s ongoing commitment to championing new Canadian music and supporting the growth of Canada’s creative community.
Music Director Michael Newnham sat down with Serge Adler, percussionist for Orchestra Toronto and the son of Canadian composer, Yefim Adler. Watch the interview.
Yefim AdlerAbout Yefim Adler
Yefim Adler (1937-2021) was a Russian-born Canadian composer whose career spanned orchestral, chamber, choral, theatrical, and film music. Described by the Canadian Jewish News as “a world-class talent” and “a prolific composer whose compositions are filled with imagery,” Adler was known for his expressive musical voice and remarkable artistic range.
Trained at the Odessa State Conservatoire and the Moscow State Gnessin Music Academy, Adler built a distinguished career in the former Soviet Union before immigrating to Toronto in 1990. His works were performed internationally by leading conductors and ensembles, and his later years in Canada were marked by continued creative activity, particularly through compositions inspired by Jewish cultural and liturgical traditions.
The Yefim Adler Orchestra Toronto Composition Competition was created to honour Adler’s artistic legacy and lifelong commitment to new music and creative exploration. Supported in part by Adler’s estate, the competition reflects a shared commitment to fostering the next generation of Canadian composers.
The initiative also holds a personal connection to Orchestra Toronto through Adler’s son, Serge Adler, who serves as the orchestra’s Principal Percussionist. As part of Orchestra Toronto’s 2025/26 season, the orchestra presented the premiere performance of Adler’s large-scale work Four Attributes of the Soul on March 1, 2026 at the George Weston Recital Hall.
Through this competition, Orchestra Toronto aims to celebrate Yefim Adler’s legacy while continuing to champion new Canadian orchestral music.
The Yefim Adler Orchestra Toronto Composition Competition will recognize three composers annually through performance, workshop, and artistic development opportunities designed to support emerging Canadian compositional voices.
First Prize
The Grand Prize recipient will receive:
A cash prize of $3,000
A public performance of the winning work by Orchestra Toronto during the orchestra’s following concert season
An archival recording of the performance
Second Prize
One additional composer will be recognized with a runner-up award, which will include:
A cash prize of $750
Workshop opportunities featuring excerpts or sections of their submitted works by Orchestra Toronto*
Audio/video documentation of workshop sessions
Third Prize
One additional composer will be recognized with a runner-up award, which will include:
A cash prize of $250
Workshop opportunities featuring excerpts or sections of their submitted works by Orchestra Toronto*
Audio/video documentation of workshop sessions
* Note: Remote participation options, including Zoom access, may also be offered for composers who are unable to attend rehearsals in person.
Competition Details
Submissions accepted September 8, 2026 - January 1, 2027
Eligibility
Age Requirement
Applicants must be 35 years of age or younger at the time of submission.
Geographic Eligibility
The competition is open to Canadian composers and individuals actively contributing to Canada’s musical and artistic community.
Applicants may be required to provide proof of one of the following:
Canadian citizenship
Permanent residency
Canadian residency status
How to Apply
The submission portal will open on September 8, 2026.
All submissions must be received by January 1, 2027 11:59 PM ET.
All applicants must complete the online submission form and upload all required materials through the Google Drive submission button provided below.
Instrumentation and Composition Requirements
Submitted works must be original compositions written for the instrumentation of Orchestra Toronto and designed to be feasible within a standard orchestral performance setting.
Compositions must be scored for the following orchestral instrumentation:
2 Flutes (opt. 2nd double picc.)
2 Oboes (opt. 2nd double EH)
2 Clarinets
2 Bassoons
4 Horns
2 Trumpets
3 Trombones
1 Tuba
Timpani
Percussion
Keyboard
Strings
(2*2*22-4231-T-P-K-Strings)
Applicants are encouraged to consider practical orchestration, rehearsal feasibility, and performance balance when preparing submissions
Submission Requirements
Applicants will be required to submit the following materials as part of their application:
Full score in PDF format
MIDI realization and/or audio recording of the work
Composer biography and/or curriculum vitae
Program notes describing the composition
The competition is intended to encourage originality, creativity, and diverse compositional voices within contemporary Canadian orchestral music.
Duration
Submitted works should have an approximate duration of 10 minutes.
Panel of Jurors
Mychael Danna
Mychael Danna is an Academy Award-winning film composer recognized for his evocative blending of non-western traditions with orchestral and electronic music. His works include the Oscar and Golden Globe-winning score for Ang Lee’s Life of Pi, following his collaborations with Lee on The Ice Storm (1997) and Ride with the Devil (1999). Among his other awards are the Emmy for Outstanding Composition for the mini-series World Without End (2013), the Frederick Loewe Award for Film Composing (2013), the World Soundtrack Awards for Film Composer of the Year, and Best Score of the Year (both 2013), and the Hollywood Film Award for Composer of the Year (2016).
Alice Ping Yee Ho 何水頤
Alice Ping Yee Ho is an award-winning Chinese Canadian composer and pianist whose distinctive musical voice crosses cultural and artistic boundaries with imagination and emotional depth. A three-time JUNO Award nominee, she has received numerous honours, including the 2026 Katherine McMorrow Music Award, 2024 Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music, 2022 Barlow Endowment Commissioning Award, 2022 Maria Anna Mozart Award, and 2019 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize. Her opera The Lesson of Da Ji received the 2013 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Original Opera.
Ho’s wide-ranging music encompasses opera, orchestral, chamber, dance, theatre, and electroacoustic works, often inspired by nature, visual art, Chinese heritage, and universal human stories. Her music has been performed internationally by the China National Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish Lapland Chamber Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, Luxembourg Sinfonietta, Polish Radio Choir, and leading Canadian ensembles including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Victoria Symphony, Symphony Nova Scotia, Esprit Orchestra, and Sinfonia Toronto.
Ho has released more than a dozen solo albums under her name, including full-length recordings of her three operas, CHINATOWN, The Monkiest King, and The Lesson of Da Ji, as well as orchestral, chamber, and solo works.
Maziar Heidari
Iranian-Canadian conductor, composer, and pianist Maziar Heidari has significantly impacted Canada’s community music scene. A Master of Composition graduate from the Art University of Tehran, Maziar served as Assistant Conductor and Composer-in-Residence with the Iran National Music Orchestra, performing in Iran, China, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates. Relocating to Toronto in 2010, he earned an MMus in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Toronto and has held conducting positions with Orchestra Toronto, Hart House Orchestra, and the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He currently serves as Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Toronto Chinese Orchestra.
Maziar’s accolades include the Tirgan Festival Trophy, RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award, and Canada 150 Medal. As co-founder and Music Director of the Iranian-Canadian Composers of Toronto (ICOT), he has created and conducted more than fifty contemporary and cross-cultural productions. He is also a long-standing jury member for the JUNO Awards.
Heidari Music, founded in 2014, is Maziar’s Toronto-based music school. As an active music educator and Examiner for the Royal Conservatory of Music, Maziar is deeply involved in music education. With numerous published compositions and performances by ensembles internationally, he serves as an Associate Composer with the Canadian Music Centre and a professional member of SOCAN.
Michael Newnham
Originally from Hamilton, Newnham is a graduate of the conducting class of prof. Bogusław Madey at the Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, Poland. He also studied at the Indiana University of Music and at the University of Toronto. A recipient of several awards, including the “Order of Merit” from the Republic of Poland, the “Best Conductor” Award from the East Slovakian State Opera, Newnham was recently granted the Turzanski Award for his services in promoting Polish music and culture in Canada.
Michael Newnham is best known for his intense and inspiring conducting style, based on a deep knowledge of the score and informed by a strong interest in languages, cultures and history. A born communicator, his open and direct contact with musicians and audiences creates performances full of expression and energy.
Along with being Music Director of Orchestra Toronto, he is also Music Director of the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra, and also held that title with Symphony New Brunswick, Camerata NB (2009-2018). Newnham has been instrumental in bringing these ensembles to new artistic heights and raising their profile on the provincial and national level.
michaelnewnham.ca
Yefim Adler