Musical Words Contest—2014

Three finalists were chosen for the Gotham Musical Words Contest, and their work was presented to an audience at a special event in collaboration with the renowned Orchestra of St. Luke's.

The contest rules: A work of fiction of no more than 750 words that relates to music in some way.

First, there was a concert from the St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble at the magnificent Morgan Library. The program was called “Short Stories” because each of the pieces played was quite short.

Next, we gathered for a private party at a nearby restaurant. A dramatic reading of each of the finalist stories was given, and the MC interviewed each author, two of whom traveled great distances to attend. The event climaxed with the audience voting on the winning story.

A magical night of music and fiction.

Here we present the complete texts of the stories by the winner and the two other finalists.

Winner

“The Kapellmeister of Kothen: A Fugue”

Christopher G. Moore
New York, NY

Finalists

“Counterpoints”

David Snider
Union, WA

“The Future Was Ours”

Nick Kocz
Blacksburg, VA