The Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO), the national society of composers and lyricists and its sister society, the Dramatic Artistic and Literary Rights Organisation (DALRO), are holding a joint series of two succes- sive competitions to elicit a number of Christmas carol lyrics and musical settings of these lyrics.
![[Image: Christmas Carol Competition Logo]](carols.jpg) The charming logo of the competition | The carols must be "truly South African", telling of a Christmas of sunny summer heat rather than the snow and cold of northern climes. For instance, how about a carol about Bethlehem in the Orange Free State and not Judea, carols to be sung under the Southern Cross, carols that breath the atmosphere and express the spirit of South Africa, its multi-cultural people, wildlife and beauty? |
LANGUAGES
Texts may be submitted in any of the 11 official languages for the Dalro Lyric- writers' Competition's three top awards: R3 000, R2 000 and R1 000. There will also be a further special award of R500 for any other lyric chosen for inclusion among the texts to be made available for musical setting in the subsequent SAMRO Composers' Competition.
The winning carols (lyrics and music) will be considered for performance by the National Symphony Orchestra of the SABC and the SABC Choir.
Lyrics submitted must have a metrical and rhyme scheme and should not exceed 16 lines (excluding any short repeated refrain).
CITIZENS
The Lyric-writers' Competition is open to citizens of South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland. There is no limit on the age of entrants, nor on the number of texts submitted (under noms de plume)
Copies of the rules for the competition, including a special entry form, may be obtained from DALRO/SAMRO at PO Box 31609, Braamfontein, 2017. Tel: (011) 403-6635 Fax: (011) 403-1934. Entries must be accompanied by the official entry form and the last date for posting entries is February 29.