During the summer, today’s young composers have lots of great
options of festivals they can attend to enhance their skills and advance their
careers. For high school students, it is likely to be the first time experiencing
life as a full-time composer and what it would be like to be a composition major
in college. For undergraduate and graduate students, festivals can supplement
their current academic studies by studying with faculty who aren’t at their own
institutions, as well as working with exceptional musicians and ensembles. Recent graduates can benefit too, especially if they are a year
or two out of school and need to feel re-connected to a musical environment.
For everyone, festivals are a wonderful way to network – with the faculty
composers and musicians, as well as with fellow students – and create
relationships that will far outlast the summer.
So how do you choose which festivals to apply to? It all depends
on what you want. Maybe you’re looking for a festival that lasts for most of
the summer and offers you weekly composition lessons, master classes, concerts,
and a world premiere of a new work by you. Or perhaps you’d like a sampling of
these activities condensed into 1-2 weeks. A particular geographic location
might be intriguing too, such as the mountains of Colorado or the Italian Alps.
Or perhaps you want to focus on the business side of a composing career. With a
little research, you can find festivals that meet a wide range of goals and expectations.
Peabody Conservatory of Music has compiled a large list of summer
festivals with composition components that you can view by clicking here. I’ve listed a
sampling of festivals below divided into various categories for easier sorting.
Overall, gaining fresh perspectives and feedback on your music, as well as
meeting new people and hearing what music other composers are writing, can be a
refreshing way to spend your summer.
(Please note - readers have been making wonderful suggestions of more festivals to add, and I am progressively expanding this list.)
Festivals for high school students (and younger):
2 weeks; high school students
Boston University Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Composition Program
6 weeks; high school students
Cleveland Institute of Music Young Composers Program
1 week; ages 14-19
6 weeks; high school students
1 week; high school students (and younger)
can apply; the program also accepts undergraduates and graduates
5 weeks; ages 9-18 (pre-college)
Festivals with a particular focus:
5 days – for early career composers (up to 30
years old)
2 weeks – emphasis on business side of music
(full disclosure - I am on faculty)
Lehigh Choral Composers Forum
1 week, held every two years - emphasis on choral writing
Lehigh Choral Composers Forum
1 week, held every two years - emphasis on choral writing
2 weeks – emphasis on writing for percussion
The Savvy Musician in Action
5 days - emphasis on the business side of music
The Savvy Musician in Action
5 days - emphasis on the business side of music
2 weeks – emphasis on algorithmic programming
language, composition, and analysis
Traditional festivals (lessons, master classes, concerts, premiere) with long durations:
7 weeks
4 weeks
6 weeks
Brevard Music Center
6 weeks
6 weeks
8 weeks
Traditional festivals with short durations:
2 weeks
2 weeks
International Festivals:
Italy
2 weeks
Darmstadt
2 weeks, held every two years
Etchings Festival
France
1 week
European American Musical Alliance
France
4 weeks
HighSCORE Festival
Italy
2 weeks
Darmstadt
Germany
Etchings Festival
France
1 week
European American Musical Alliance
France
4 weeks
HighSCORE Festival
Italy
2 weeks
Italy
