Denver City and County Building Chime Project

The Denver Arts & Venues Public Art Program seeks to commission an original musical composition for Denver's City and County Building Chime. The composition can be up to 3 minutes long and should be designed to be segmented into shorter sections of approximately 20 and 5 seconds for independent use. The compositions will be composed for and played on the City and County Building's 10-bell chime with notes of C, D, E, F, G, A, B, B flat, C, and D. The composition should be celebratory in nature—uplifting, lively, and positive, evoking the spirit of Denver. The longer composition will announce important events at the City and County Building and adjacent Civic Center Park. The shorter segments will temporarily replace the Westminster Chimes that ring throughout the day on the hour (20 seconds) and quarter hour (5 seconds) on significant and special days for the City of Denver. Project completion date is August 2016, with the new composition premiering as part of a public event celebrating the City and County Building Chime.

The chimes are located in the tower of the City and County Building at 1437 Bannock St. The chime has ten bells that are diatonic from middle C4 (approximately 5000 lbs) to D5 with a minor 7 (Bb4). The bells can be played live with an electric keyboard or activated by recorded MIDI files. A single note melody works best with the present system, though limited harmony may also be played. The bells were cast by the Meneely Bell Foundry of Troy, NY in the 1930s.

Applicants must submit 4 sound files of previous works (MP3 format, each under 3 minutes and no more than 10 megabytes), a résumé (one to two pages), and a statement of interest (no longer than 3,000 characters) via the CaFÉ system. The selection panel will choose one to four semifinalists for interviews. If a formal proposal is requested, the artist will receive an honorarium to prepare and present the proposal in person. The budget for this commission is approximately $5,000 USD, inclusive of all costs including the artist's fee, documentation, consultation fees, insurance, materials, travel, and contingency expenses. This project is open only to artists who currently live and work in Colorado. Artists working in any media are eligible, and emerging artists are encouraged to apply. Applicants may apply as individuals or multi-person teams. A pre-submission meeting was scheduled for December 14 at 9:00 AM at the City and County Building, room 30. For questions, contact Public Art Administrator Rudi Cerri at [email protected].