Don't get so down

This year I made the resolution to do more submissions. So far, I've done well with submitting.

but i'm batting a .000 for acceptance.

This should get me down, but it doesn't really. I've done alright with getting submissions out, but I'm still only about 0/8 or so. Something else gets me down more...

"No piece over 15 minutes will be accepted"

"Pieces under 10 minutes will be given preference"

"Only accepting pieces of 1-4 performers"

"work must contain a song from "

"works must be influenced by "

So, where's the creativity? Are composers meant to just create pieces for these performance opportunities? I just described a solid 3/4 of the submissions I've seen. not to mention another big turn off:

"there will be a <$10-$50> processing fee."

This depresses me. What i consider to be my finest work is a piece for 7 performers (flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion, piano, and voice) and comes in between 16-18 minutes, depending on the performance. the piece is either too long (most call for 15 minute max) or too many performers (i've seen up to 5, mostly the 1-4, but not often 7) and definitely a combination of the above. Toss in spending a nice chunk of change just to submit, and, well...it's a little depressing.

Still, I've sent 3 submissions over the last 24 hours, and I'm looking to do more. I left out 2 movements of Dance of Disillusionment and Despair, bringing it down to right around 15 minutes. I think the piece suffers for it, but that's the magic number. I've submitted a piece that's mostly improv, and while the call doesn't say "no improvisation," that's one of the subtexts in many calls. And i've spent $30 so far.

I'm playing the game now. And it's not paying off very well. I'll keep playing the game, while doing my own thing outside of it (i've got 2 performances lined up in town).

I'd rather see more openness in calls. I understand programming issues. I've curated a fair number of concerts myself, handled calls, etc. and it still makes me sad, as a composer, to think that to get my music performed more than the 1 or 2 performances I make happen, that my works will sit in a cabinet and grow dusty.

But the game hasn't won yet. And, who knows, maybe I'll come out on top, after sending out as many submissions as possible. I've heard from a writer friend of mine that sending large amounts (can't even think of a number...) of submissions on a single piece and getting tons of rejections is normal. You just keep sending.

Well, I'll just keep sending then.