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Jazz Composers
Orchestra Institute 2012
Phase 1: Intensive
August 7-11, 2012
UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
Los Angeles, CA
Submission Deadline:
April 16, 2012
The Center for Jazz Studies at
Columbia University (CJS) and American Composers Orchestra (ACO) in
cooperation with The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, and EarShot, the
National Orchestra Composition Discovery Network, announce the 2012-13
Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute (JCOI). Up to 35
jazz composers in various stages of their composing careers will be
selected to participate from a national call for applications. The
successful applicants will be composers working in jazz, improvised music,
and creative music whose work demonstrates excellent musicianship,
originality, and potential for future growth. Applicants need not have
prior experience with orchestral composition.
JCOI is organized into two phases:
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Phase
1:
Intensive. August 7 to 11, 2012 at The
UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music in Los Angeles, California
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Phase 2: New Music Readings.
April to June 2013 with orchestras in California and New York
(Composers must be accepted to Phase
1 in order to have the opportunity to apply for participation in Phase
2)
Lead support for the Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute
is provided by
the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation’s
Continuing Innovations Program
and The Herb Alpert Foundation.
Phase 1:
Intensive
Writing for the symphony orchestra
remains one of the supreme challenges for any aspiring composer. The
subtleties of instrumental balance, timbre, effective part preparation,
and communication with conductor and musicians are critical skills, but
openings for jazz composers to gain hands-on experience working with a
professional orchestra are few. Participants in the Jazz Composers
Orchestra Institute Phase 1 Intensive will study with leading composers,
conductors and performers in a curriculum designed and led by
George Lewis (JCOI Director; Columbia University),
Anthony Davis
(University of California, San Diego), Anne
LeBaron (California Institute of the Arts),
Paul Chihara
(UCLA), Nicole Mitchell (University of California, Irvine),
James Newton
(UCLA), Alvin Singleton
(ACO advisor, Improvisation), and Derek
Bermel (ACO Creative Advisor).
 A series of workshops and seminars will
include the study of scores and compositional techniques, including
electronics; best practices regarding orchestration, instrumentation,
notation, score preparation, performance practice, and practical work with
crucial orchestral instruments, such as the string family. Other important
topics include the culture of working with a symphony, dealing with a
conductor as a collaborator, and techniques for structuring improvisation
within the orchestral context. Students will receive live demonstrations
of instrumental techniques from wild
Up, a resident
ensemble known nationally for its performances of new music that often
embraces improvisation and cutting-edge new music techniques.
Tuition for the Phase 1 Intensive will be
$500 per participant, which includes daily continental breakfast and
lunch. Participants must make their own travel and housing arrangements; a
list of recommended accommodations will be provided to those accepted,
including UCLA dormitories available at reasonable rates.
Phase 2: JCOI
Readings
Upon completion of the Intensive, each participant will be eligible to
apply for inclusion in the Institute’s second phase, the Jazz Composers
Orchestra Institute New Music Readings, to be held April to September 2013. Up
to 18
composers selected for participation in this second phase
will
 each compose an original work for orchestra during the intervening
months between the two phases.
During the JCOI Readings, the new works will be
heard in rehearsal, open public readings, and a public performance.
Composers will receive coaching from mentor composers and a professional
music copyist/engraver during the period they are writing their pieces;
and feedback from orchestra principal musicians, conductors, librarians,
and mentor composers during the Readings. Each composer will also receive
a professional digital audio recording of their new piece for archival and
study purposes. Each composer participating in the Readings will receive a
honorarium to assist with the copying and preparation of score and parts,
as well as domestic travel and lodging to attend the Reading.
Orchestras participating in the Phase 2 Readings are selected though
EarShot, the National Orchestral Composition Discovery
Network, a program of American Composers Orchestra in partnership with
American Composers Forum, The League of American Orchestras, and New Music
USA (formerly the American Music Center and Meet The Composer.)
Participating orchestras include: American Composers Orchestra
(NYC), the Buffalo Philharmonic (NY), and La
Jolla Symphony (CA), and another orchestra TBA.
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"Jazz musicians now have some of the
freshest and most original proposals for the organization of sound
of anyone anywhere. Kudos to ACO and Center for Jazz Studies for
advancing the missions of both musical forms. Fascinating music,
serious and surprising, came from the efforts."
-Howard Mandel,
City Arts
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Eligibility & Guidelines
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 Applicant must be either a U.S. or Canadian citizen or
a non-citizen, lawfully and permanently residing or studying full-time
in the United States.
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There are no age restrictions on participation.
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Composers who have participated in prior ACO New Music
Readings or previous the previous JCOI are ineligible to apply for the
2012 JCOI Intensive. (Previous JCOI
participants are eligible to apply for the Phase 2 JCOI Readings.)
Incomplete, illegible, or late applications will not
be considered.
Information, eligibility guidelines and submission form are
available online at:
www.americancomposers.org/jcoi/
How to
Apply
Proposals must be
received (not postmarked) by 5pm on April 16, 2012.
A complete submission must include the following:
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A completed application form (available online at
www.americancomposers.org/jcoi/jcoi_submission_form.html
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A bound paper copy of one
original score, composed within the last four years (any
instrumentation, aesthetic, or style), clearly labeled with the
composer’s name and title of the work on the cover page(s).
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One audio recording (CD only) containing two examples
of the composer’s original work, composed within the last four years
(any instrumentation, aesthetic, or style). The recording need not be
of the submitted score, and may include the composer’s work as a
performer or improviser as well. The CD must be clearly labeled with
the composer’s name and title of the work on the inside insert and on
the CD itself. If necessary, indicate the starting time for the
portion of the CD that you would like reviewed. Work samples need not
include orchestral music.
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A current resume, including educational background,
major teachers, awards, and professional affiliations.
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A personal
statement addressing the applicant’s goals as a composer and how
participation in the Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute might impact
future creative directions. Previous hands-on orchestral experience is
not expected, but applicants should address how increasing their
skills, knowledge and experience with orchestral instruments will
affect the direction of their future work.
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One letter
of recommendation from an established composer, performer, improviser,
or other music professional, attesting to the applicant’s
accomplishments and potential as an orchestral composer. The
recommendation may be sent under separate cover.
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A
self-addressed stamped envelope suitable for the return of materials,
if you wish your materials returned. Not responsible for lost or
misdirected materials.
The completed application packet and letters of recommendation
should be mailed to:
Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute 2012-13
American
Composers Orchestra
240 West 35th Street, Suite 405
New York,
New York 10001-2506
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Incomplete, illegible, or late applications will not
be considered.
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Questions may be
addressed to
jcoi@americancomposers.org
or 212.977.8495.
Lead support for the Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute
is provided by
the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation’s
Continuing Innovations Program
and The Herb Alpert Foundation.
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