Cry of the Earth

Call for Scores

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’s Laudato si' encyclical, The EcoVoice Project is excited to announce a call for scores that address the Pope’s important statement on climate justice. This call on humanity to address the climate crisis through deep spiritual discernment and swift action has impacted Catholic communities around the world, but the ecumenical scope of the Pope’s message seeks a wider global interfaith audience.

The “Cry of the Earth Call for Scores” encourages composers to submit new choral works inspired by Pope Francis’s Laudato si encyclical. Composers are encouraged to broadly interpret the document through an interfaith and humanistic lens, while retaining the spiritual ethos of Pope Francis’s plea.

Ten compositions will be chosen for the Care for Creation performance on October 4th, 2025.  The performance will be undertaken by professional singers from The EcoVoice Project, conducted by Kirsten Hedegaard. Additional performances will also be planned at other universities throughout North America. In addition to these live performances, composers will also receive professional recordings of their works.

CompositionGuidelines

  •  SATB works (divisi possible)

  •  Unaccompanied or with piano

  •  Inspired by Laudato si

  •  Three to six minutes in length

  •  Sacred or secular text

Submission Guidelines

Composers should submit a PDF of their piece (without the composer’s name), along with a resume and short program note, which elucidates the connection to the Laudato si encyclical. If a midi recording is available, composers may also submit that along with their other materials.

Submissions should be sent to ecovoiceproject@gmail.com with “Cry of the Earth” as the subject. Upon receipt of your email, you will receive a confirmation email acknowledging your submission. All scores are due by 5:00 PM (CST) on Friday, August 1st, 2025, and winners will be announced on September 1st, 2025. The premiere of the ten chosen scores will take place at Loyola University on Saturday, October 4th. 

The winning scores will be reproduced solely for performances by The EcoVoice Project and Loyola University Choirs. The EcoVoice Project will have a non-exclusive, worldwide perpetual license to perform the winning scores and will have the right to record the inaugural performance for archival purposes and to share with the composers.