MS 383 - Music Composition Seminar

The Composition Seminar offers exposure to a broad set of perspectives and issues encountered in the composition process. The course will promote analysis and discussion of meaningful scores of the 20th and 21st centuries. The focus will be on classical music and contemporary classical music, but discussion will also include soundscape composition. Students also will increase their self-awareness through in-class discussion of their process of planning and crafting structured composition projects.

The class is open to students pursuing a degree in composition, as well as students who are simply interested in composition. There will be enough time reserved to concentrate on each student’s compositions in order to emphasize individual progress. Students’ compositions will be compared with selected compositions from the past and present, from the West and East. Various instrumentations in the field of chamber, vocal, and choir music will be discussed.

Students will have the unique opportunity to organize a Composer’s Recital and present their new compositions at the beautiful IES Vienna concert hall. Taking advantage of the course's setting in the city of Vienna, field study opportunities include many concerts around the city.