London Philharmonic Orchestra Young Composers programme OPEN CALL FOR POLISH COMPOSERS

OPEN CALL FOR POLISH COMPOSERS

The London Philharmonic Orchestra Young Composers programme offers emerging composers the opportunity to workshop a new piece with the Orchestra's musicians across a year, leading to a public performance at a central London venue, showcasing the new works. The participant composers will work closely with LPO Composer Mentor Sir James MacMillan, who provides expertise and guidance in a series of seminars and workshops. We are delighted to be working with James MacMillan for the second year, a major name in contemporary music, , following in the footsteps of distinguished musical voices including Mark Anthony Turnage, Julian Anderson and Magnus Lindberg.

In partnership with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute as part of the Polska Music programme, the LPO Young Composers Programme offers the opportunity for one Polish composer to participate in the scheme.

 

The Programme

Each composer will be required to compose a new piece of music to a brief set by the Composer Mentor, of up to eight minutes for a chamber orchestra of c. 30 musicians, comprising London Philharmonic Orchestra players and Foyle Future Firsts (the Orchestra’s graduate scheme for aspiring orchestral players).

 
Along with seminars for the participant composers with the Composer Mentor, there will be a 3-hour workshop in early Spring 2020 - allowing the participants to experiment with new ideas, talk with players and receive advice and feedback from James MacMillan. This will be followed by a rehearsal period leading to the final concert performance in July 2020. In addition to this core programme there will be a range of other activities designed to offer participant composers a rounded view of the industry in which they work and to hone their broader skills, musicianship and knowledge.
 
These wider opportunities will include:
-        An exploratory ‘composition lab’ session with LPO players
-        Opportunities to engage with professional composers working with the Orchestra
-        Wider professional skills sessions  
 

Eligibility
 
* Composers of Polish nationality (Polish passport holders), based in Europe, under the age of 35 on 1 September 2019;

* Composers must be at post-graduate level or beyond, and unpublished;

* Composers must be keen to engage with the wider work of the Orchestra, and looking to develop a broad range of professional skills;

*, Composers must possess strong English skills.

 

The successful candidate will have sufficient prior experience of writing for large ensemble and of working with performing musicians (professional or non-professional) to be able to take full advantage of the opportunities of the scheme. S/he will also be at a stage where the programme represents a significant opportunity to build on this existing experience and progress to the next stage of their composing careers.

Application requirements

* A PDF copy of a score (not Sibelius or similar programmes, please) and an accompanying MP3 audio file of a live performance of the same piece. Please do not send WAV audio files. Large files may be sent by WeTransfer or similar websites as long as it is clear to which composer’s application they belong. The piece may be scored for anything between 10 instruments and a full orchestra;
* A brief C.V. of the composer (please send this in a C.V. format rather than in prose);

* A letter of recommendation from the composer’s current or most recent tutor, outlining their engagement with the composer so far, and what they feel the composer would bring to this scheme at this point in their career;
* All documents should be submitted with a covering email including a short paragraph indicating why the composer feels they would benefit from a place on this scheme in particular.

 

Please note that applications which do not follow the submission requirements above may not be considered.

Selection process

 

Please send your applications to Julia Ablewska jablewska@iam.pl 

 

The application deadline for Polish composers is 23.59 on Sunday, 14 April 2019. 

 

A selection panel will shortlist 5 Polish candidates, from which 1 will be chosen by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Composer Mentor James MacMillan. Short-listed composers will be asked to take part in a phone interview.

 

Travel and accommodation expenses to facilitate the residency will be covered by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

 

The scheme represents a significant investment for the Institute Adam Mickiewicz and significant resource from the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Composer Mentor. We therefore ask that all candidates are able to prioritise their participation over and above other commitments. Dates will be communicated well in advance of the start of the programme.

 

For any queries regarding this project please contact Julia Ablewska: [email protected]

About the Partners:

London Philharmonic Orchestra

The London Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the world's finest symphony orchestras, balancing a long and distinguished history with a reputation as one of the UK's most adventurous and forward-looking orchestras.

 

As well as giving classical concerts and opera performances in the UK and internationally, we also record film and video game soundtracks, have our own record label, and reach thousands of people every year through activities for schools and our local communities.

The Orchestra was founded by Sir Thomas Beecham in 1932, and since then has been headed by many of the great names in the conducting world, including Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt and Kurt Masur. The Orchestra's current Principal Conductor is Vladimir Jurowski, appointed in 2007. Andrés Orozco-Estrada became our Principal Guest Conductor in September 2015. Magnus Lindberg is the Orchestra’s current Composer in Residence.

www.lpo.org.uk

 

Sir James MacMillan

Sir James MacMillan is one of today’s most successful composers and is also internationally active as a conductor. His musical language is flooded with influences from his Scottish heritage, Catholic faith, social conscience and close connection with Celtic folk music, blended with influences from Far Eastern, Scandinavian and European music.

MacMillan first became internationally recognised after the extraordinary success of The Confession of Isobel Gowdie at the BBC Proms in 1990. His prolific output has since been performed and broadcast around the world. His major works include percussion concerto Veni, Veni, Emmanuel, which has received close to 500 performances, a cello concerto for Mstislav Rostropovich and four symphonies. Recent major works include his Percussion Concerto No.2 for Colin Currie, co-commissioned by the Philharmonia Orchestra, Edinburgh International Festival, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra and Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music and, most recently, Symphony No.4, premiered by BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Runnicles, which receives its US premiere this season by Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under Manfred Honeck.

MacMillan enjoys a flourishing career as conductor of his own music alongside a range of contemporary and standard repertoire, praised for the composer’s insight he brings to each score. He was Principal Guest Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Kamer Filharmonie until 2013 and was Composer/Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic from 2000-09; he has conducted orchestras such as the National Symphony Orchestra Washington, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Vienna Radio Symphony, Danish Radio Symphony, Gothenburg Symphony, Bergen Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and NHK Symphony Orchestra among others. MacMillan was Composer in Residence at the 2012 Grafenegg Festival and a London Symphony Orchestra Portrait Artist in the 2009/10 season.

Highlights of the 2016/17 season include the world premieres of his Stabat Mater with the Sixteen and Britten Sinfonia, his Trombone Concerto with the Concertgebouw Orchestra and a new Horn Concerto arrangement. MacMillan will be the focus of a Glasgow-wide celebration of his music in March 2017 and as part of this he will conduct the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, who join the MacMillan festival alongside the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, BBC Radio 3 and the Nash Ensemble. Elsewhere this season MacMillan conducts the English Chamber Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Flemish Philharmonic and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

In October 2014 MacMillan founded his music festival, The Cumnock Tryst, which takes place annually in his native Ayrshire. MacMillan was awarded a CBE in 2004 and a Knighthood in 2015.

MacMillan has directed many of his own works on disc for Chandos, BIS and BMG, most recently a series on Challenge Records including MacMillan’s violin concerto A Deep but Dazzling Darkness and percussion concerto Veni, Veni, Emmanuel with Colin Currie and the Netherlands Radio Kamer Filharmonie. His latest release on Harmonia Mundi with Britten Sinfonia included his Oboe Concerto and won the 2016 BBC Music Magazine Award.

www.intermusica.co.uk/artist/James-MacMillan

 

 

Polska Music 

 

The Polska Music programme actively supports performances of Polish classical music by renowned international artists worldwide, aiming to increase its popularity across the globe. As well as initiating international stage productions and concerts, commissioning new work, and nurturing contemporary composers, Polska Music also promotes recordings, books and events. Polska Music has collaborated with a host of high-profile partners around the world, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker, Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Cité de la Musique – Philharmonie de Paris, Ensemble Musikfabrik, Klangforum Wien, Chandos Records, Bregenz Festival, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Lincoln Center Festival, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Royal Opera House, Opera Australia, Welsch National Opera oraz Rambert Dance Company.

 

The Polska Music programme was established in 2011 by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, a national cultural institution promoting Polish culture abroad and actively contributing to the international cultural cooperation.

 

For more information on presentations of Polish culture worldwide, please visit the Institute’s website culture.pl For detailed information on the Polska Music programme, please refer to:

 

www.polskamusic.iam.pl