Pegasus: The Orchestra 2nd International Call for Works

Pegasus: The Orchestra invites composers of all nationalities and backgrounds to submit an original orchestral work for programming consideration during Pegasus’s 2026–2027 season.

As Pegasus celebrates its 10th Anniversary Season, this Call for Works continues our commitment to championing living composers, expanding the orchestral repertoire, and creating meaningful performance opportunities for new music.

The winning composition will receive its World Premiere during Pegasus: The Orchestra’s concert on March 12, 2027 at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center in New York City. The work will be professionally recorded, and the composer will receive permission to use the recording for professional and promotional purposes.

DURATION GUIDELINES

The composition must not exceed 8 minutes with minimum length of 5 minutes. 

AWARD

1st Prize -  $1,000 award, an award certificate, World Premiere performance and professional audio/video recording as well as up to $500 travel per diem* (if from out of state/country) to attend the World Premiere. 

2nd Prize – $500 award, a performance of a chamber work during Pegasus’s 2026–2027 season (instrumentation/length to be discussed with the composer), an award certificate, and special mention on Pegasus’s website and concert program.

3rd Prize - $200 award, an award certificate and special mention on Pegasus's website and Concert Program. 

JUDGES

Karen Hakobyan -  Head of jury, award-winning pianist and composer, founder and conductor of Pegasus: the Orchestra

Nicolas Namoradze - Piano virtuoso, composer, and first prize winner of the 2018 Honens International Piano Competition, artistic advisor of Pegasus: The Orchestra. 

Additional judges to be announced! 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

The deadline to submit the score is December 15, 2026. Results will be announced by January 15, 2027. The winning composer must provide a complete set of performance-ready parts by January 25, 2027.

• The submitted works must meet the following criteria:
• be unpublished and unlisted,
• not have won a prize at a national or international composition competition,
• not have been recorded commercially, and
• not have been performed publicly prior to the March 12, 2027 Concert.

All scores must be submitted anonymously; only the title of this piece can be featured on the pages of the score. The name of the uploaded file must include the title, but there must be no reference to the competitor's name. Competitors will be assigned a number by competition administrator, Helena Mirzoyan.

• Competitors must submit by e-mail: a pdf of the score and one paragraph description of the piece. Midi Recordings are mandatory!
• Competitors must include date of birth*, e-mail, phone number and mailing address. 
• Competitors must also submit resume or biography. 

Submission e-mail: Manager: Helena Mirzoyan - helena.mirzoyan@gmail.com

*Accepted forms of age verification: passport, driver's license, green card, birth certificate. 

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Open to composers of any nationality, background, or country of residence.

Age limit: 18 and up.

International applicants are welcome. There is no application fee.

AVAILABLE INSTRUMENTATION*

2 flutes (2nd doubling piccolo), 2 oboes (2nd doubling English horn), 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani plus 2 percussionists (triangle, cymbal/suspended cymbal, snare drum, tambourine, glockenspiel), strings (6/6/5/5/3)

* Maximum instrumentation, smaller variations will be accepted. 

PROCEDURES

The competition will be held in two rounds. Only 3 submissions will be accepted to the Final Round. 

APPLICATION FEE

$0

CONTACT

Manager: Helena Mirzoyan - helena.mirzoyan@gmail.com

Results of Pegasus: The Orchestra’s Inaugural Call for Works (2025) 

We are thrilled to share the results of Pegasus: The Orchestra’s inaugural Call for Works. The outstanding artistic quality and depth of the submissions truly inspired us. With 51 applicants, the selection process was both challenging and rewarding.

We are pleased to recognize the following composers:

Winner: Nicholas Gawley
Finalists: Stephen Ferre, David Das
Honorable Mention: Justin White

ABOUT PEGASUS

REVIEWS

"Karén Hakobyan's Brahms Fourth with Pegasus: The Orchestra is a shattering experience not to be missed" - Fanfare Magazine

"Pegasus is a truly first-rate ensemble." -New York Concert Review

"Hakobyan and his players punched out an incisive ritornello and snappy answers to the soloists, while Glen Dicterow and Eiko Kano played an exhilarating game of stretto tag" - New York Classical Review

Highlights from our past seasons

Stravinsky - Pulcinella Suite "Finale"

SCHUMANN Overture Die Braut von Messina, Op. 100

Rachmaninoff - Tutti from Piano Concerto No. 1 -  (Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center)

Brahms Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98 - III.

BACH BRANDEBURG CONCERTO No. 5

Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue (arranged by Karén Hakobyan especially for Pegasus) 

Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings, Op. 48

PEGASUS: THE ORCHESTRA BIO

Hailed by New York Concert Review as “a truly first-rate ensemble,” Pegasus: The Orchestra is a celebrated nonprofit ensemble based in New York that reimagines the orchestra for a new era. Founded in 2017 by Karén Hakobyan—pianist, conductor, and composer—Pegasus defies the traditional model with bold programming, artistic flexibility, and a commitment to rising talent. Like its mythic namesake, the winged horse of inspiration, Pegasus moves with freedom, creativity, and lift—bringing world-class music to concert halls, underserved communities, and unexpected spaces alike.

Fanfare Magazine described the orchestra’s Brahms as “a shattering experience, not to be missed.” The ensemble’s mission is to elevate emerging artists, foster innovation, and bring the orchestral experience to broader and more inclusive audiences.

For its first four years, Pegasus was in residence at Mana Contemporary Cultural Center, where it presented a diverse array of programs—from chamber orchestra and solo piano to jazz and youth-focused concerts. During the pandemic in 2021, Pegasus partnered with the Monira Foundation to launch a digital residency, streaming ten globally accessible concerts as part of its Baroque and Beyond season.

With a composer-arranger at its helm, Pegasus frequently performs orchestral works in special arrangements crafted by Hakobyan. These bespoke versions allow the ensemble to tour widely and perform in venues of all types—an artistic flexibility that is core to its identity. Its chamber series, featuring its world-class principals, offers intimate experiences that spotlight the ensemble’s collective artistry and individual brilliance.

Pegasus celebrated its Fifth Anniversary Season in 2022–2023 with a series of remarkable programs and collaborators. Its Lincoln Center debut featured all five Rachmaninoff piano concertos in a single evening, with five soloists and Maestro Hakobyan conducting. The season included performances of Vivaldi’s and Piazzolla’s Four Seasons in Oneonta, NY (alongside an educational concert for 750 schoolchildren), and Bach’s Brandenburg Concerti at the DiMenna Center. In March 2023, Pegasus presented Tchaikovsky Competition medalist Suren Bagratuni in a vibrant program of Mozart, Schnittke, and Haydn at Christ & Saint Stephen’s Church in New York City.

The 2022–2023 Season Finale commemorated the 150th anniversaries of Scriabin and Rachmaninoff with a sold-out Merkin Hall concert featuring pianist Nicolas Namoradze in Scriabin’s rarely performed Piano Concerto. The program also included Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro Overture and Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony.

The 2024 Season Finale featured pianist Asiya Korepanova in a stunning performance of Amy Beach’s Piano Concerto. New York Classical Review praised her “Rachmaninoff-like rubato and intensity” and lauded Pegasus for its “commanding energy and a strong sense of ensemble” in Dvořák’s New World Symphony.

Past Highlights and Media Presence

Pegasus opened its 2024–2025 season with Americana, a program reflecting on the American musical landscape in all its triumph and turbulence. Highlights included Florence Price’s Andante Moderato, Piatigorsky’s Variations on a Paganini Theme with cellist Sergey Antonov, Copland’s Appalachian Spring, and a centennial celebration of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue in a bold new arrangement for 18 players, conducted from the piano by Hakobyan.

In 2019, Pegasus made its Merkin Hall debut alongside Glenn Dicterow, former concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic, and Pegasus concertmaster Eiko Kano in Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins. New York Classical Review praised the performance for its “incisive ritornello” and “exhilarating game of stretto tag.” Other highlights include a 2019 performance in Stamford, NY, showcasing American works and fulfilling Pegasus’s mission to bring world-class music to underserved communities.

Pegasus has been featured by outlets including Al Jazeera, Voice of America, Ardzagang Armenian TV, the Russian Television Network of America, The Voice of Armenians TV, WGCH Talk Radio, WQXR, and Get Classical.

Upcoming Projects

Pegasus opens its 2025–2026 season with Ravel150: Hidden Gems & Masterworks at Merkin Hall, celebrating Ravel’s 150th birthday. The program features pianist Nicolas Namoradze in the effervescent Piano Concerto in G Major, alongside Le Tombeau de Couperin, Pavane pour une infante défunte, Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony, and a new arrangement of Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro for solo harp and chamber orchestra by Hakobyan.

Looking ahead, Pegasus is preparing for its milestone 10th Anniversary Season, which will include its Carnegie Hall debut in 2026–2027.

Commitment and Sponsorship

Pegasus is driven by a passion for artistic freedom, opportunity, and access. The ensemble supports music education, champions new voices, and builds bridges across diverse communities through music. The orchestra maintains a piano sponsorship with Yamaha, which provides instruments for select performances and helps support its mission to inspire and unite through sound.

To learn more about Pegasus, visit: http://www.pegasustheorchestra.org

“We as humans have always dreamt of defying gravity! Music does just that - it gives us wings.”