Application process open for 2017 Cone Composition Institute
The application process is now open for the 2017 NJSO Edward T. Cone Composition Institute, a multifaceted program that promotes new music and emerging composers. The Institute will select four composers to participate in intense compositional evaluations, consultations, rehearsals and career-enrichment sessions July 10–15 on the Princeton University campus. The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra will give the professional world premieres of the participants’ works at a public concert on Saturday, July 15, at 8 pm at the Richardson Auditorium in Princeton. By the conclusion of the Institute’s immersive laboratory experience, participants will have gained invaluable musical and practical feedback about writing for orchestra and how to get their music published and performed.
At the Institute, composers will hear their works in rehearsal and performance and will participate in masterclasses with Institute Director and lauded composer Steven Mackey; they will receive feedback from NJSO musicians and guest conductor JoAnn Falletta, who returns to the Institute after conducting and mentoring composers at the 2015 session. The Institute will also provide career-development opportunities with industry leaders.
Emerging composers—university composition students or composers in the early stages of their professional careers—must submit completed applications by February 1. Four composers will be identified to participate in the Institute by March 15. Application forms and details are available at www.njsymphony.org/institute.
Music Director Xian Zhang says: “I’m so thrilled that my colleague JoAnn Falletta will lead this year’s Cone Institute along with Steven Mackey. The NJSO has a proud commitment to the music of today, and this is an important part of our identity.”
The Times of Trenton praises the multidimensional experience the Institute provides for participants: “For four composers at the beginning of their careers, the institute is an invaluable experience – six days of intensive evaluations and consultations, culminating in a live performance of their music by a major symphony orchestra under a world-class conductor … What is especially valuable about the institute is that the lessons learned will extend far beyond advice on simple technique, delving into the actual business side of what it means to be a composer, including information on rehearsal protocol, publishing and promotion.”
Sessions will include small group gatherings with Institute faculty and NJSO musicians to discuss applications and variations on the possible versus the practical in composition; one-on-one and group coaching sessions with Mackey; seminars with industry leaders to broaden awareness of current practices in publishing, licensing, promotion and music preparation; in-studio interviews with WQXR’s Q2 Music and the opportunity to strengthen personal presentation and networking skills.
Mackey says a key element of the Institute is giving composers the opportunity to refine their orchestral scores in real time “so that what they do can really shine. That’s a recurring theme of the Cone Institute—it’s about polishing, heightening and highlighting the things that are important and really make the orchestra come alive.”
NJSO clarinetist Andrew Lamy says the Orchestra relishes the opportunity to work with “some of the crème de la crème talents of the next generation. Investing time and energy into that is very important [to the NJSO musicians]. There’s no substitute for having your music really heard and performed in three dimensions. For the composers, getting tips for how to place their music in front of an orchestra so it’s as easily executed as possible helps them get the effect or musical statements that they want. You can’t do that with a MIDI machine; you can’t do that in a classroom.”
The Institute is tuition-free; housing on the campus of Princeton University and on-campus meals will be provided, if needed.
The NJSO Edward T. Cone Composition Institute grew out of reading sessions the Orchestra has held with Princeton University graduate students biennially for more than a decade. The Institute celebrates its namesake Cone’s legacy as both a composer and a Princeton University professor.
WQXR’s Q2 Music has partnered with the NJSO to broadcast the first three Institute concerts. The concerts are available to stream at www.njsymphony.org/about-njso/newsroom/in-the-news/listen-2016-cone-composition-institute-concert-on-q2-music.
A collaboration between the NJSO and Princeton University Department of Music, the Institute is generously funded in part by the Edward T. Cone Foundation and Princeton University.
ELIGIBLITY/SELECTION PROCESS
Applications will be accepted from emerging composers who must be either a U.S. citizen or non-citizen lawfully residing in the United States. Applicants must currently be university composition students or in the early stages of their professional careers. Applicants must be at least 18 years old on or before July 1, 2017.
Participating composers will be selected through competitive application by a panel administered by the NJSO. The criteria for participation will be the panel’s assessment of the composer’s invention and creativity in the orchestral medium, as well as a demonstrated understanding of the technical/practical requirements of the medium. Final decisions will be made by Steven Mackey and JoAnn Falletta.
Composers who have participated in previous Institutes may not reapply. Previous applicants may resubmit works previously entered or reapply with a different work.
Complete applications with all required supporting materials must be received by February 1, 2017. Applicants will be notified of their status by March 15, 2017.
A full list of application requirements, deadlines and other information, including a link to the application form, are available at www.njsymphony.org/institute.
For more information, contact Alexandra Black, NJSO Artistic Operations Coordinator, at ablack@njsymphony.org or 973.735.1740.
Major underwriting support for the NJSO Edward T. Cone Composition Institute is generously provided by the Edward T. Cone Foundation and Princeton University.