MYSP 2025 Student Composition Workshop
Location: Rhodes College
• Sunday, August 10, 2025
(All Workshops)
1pm-5pm
• Saturday, August 16, 2025
(Intermediate/Advanced Workshop only)
11am-4pm
Questions: Contact executivedirectior@myspmusic.org
Register Here
About the Workshop
This workshop is for middle school, high school, and incoming college students who are interested in composing their own original music and/or playing contemporary classical music. The workshop is taught by composers of ICEBERG New Music, a collective of composers based in New York City who currently teach at universities and work with orchestras around the world, along with Memphis-based chamber group Blueshift Ensemble.
There are 3 ways you can participate!
1. Intermediate/Advanced Workshop
Sunday, August 10 & Saturday, August 16
Schedule below
This workshop is for students with some composing experience. Students prepare an original composition (completed or in progress) in advance and workshop their piece individually with professional composition faculty on Sunday, August 10th. During the week, they will check-in with faculty virtually on their progress. This workshop concludes with a performance and recording of their piece on Saturday, August 16th by Blueshift Ensemble. Enrollment is capped at 4 students for this workshop. Tuition: $75
Not sure if you qualify for this workshop based on your composing experience? Email mysp@myspmusic.org and we'd be happy to discuss!
Students may compose pieces using any combination of these instruments: violin (2), viola, cello, flute, oboe, clarinet
2. Beginner/Introductory Workshop
Sunday, August 10th, 1:00-2:00pm
This workshop is for students who do not have much or any experience composing their own original music but would like to learn more about how to begin and what "composing" means! This is a group class and a great place to start if you're curious about what it means to be a composer or you just want to learn some skills to begin writing your own music! Tuition: Free
3. Contemporary Performance Workshop - Sunday, August 10th, 2:30-3:45pm
This workshop is for students who may not be interested in composing their own music but would like to play contemporary classical music. This group class includes demonstrations of the wide variety and styles of music composed in the 20th and 21st century. Students will rehearse and perform a piece with members of Blueshift Ensemble. Tuition: Free
Schedule
Sunday, August 10th - Rhodes College
1:00-2:00 PM - "What Does it Mean to Compose?"
Introductory seminar, open to all, introducing basic composition ideas, followed by Q&A
2:30-3:15 PM - Individual composition lessons 1 (Intermediate/Advanced Workshop)
2:30-3:45 PM - Performance Workshop led by Blueshift Ensemble
3:15-4:15 PM - Time for composition students to work on their pieces alone
4:15-5:00 PM - Individual composition lessons 2 (Intermediate/Advanced Workshop)
Friday, August 15 - Beethoven Club of Memphis
7:00 PM - Blueshift Ensemble performs works by ICEBERG New Music composers. The concert is free and open to the public!
Saturday, August 16 - Rhodes College
11:00 AM-12:30 PM - Final meetings (Intermediate/Advanced Workshop), focusing on editing and notation issues
12:30-2:00 PM - Lunch/print completed parts
2:00-4:00 PM - Reading/recording session with Blueshift Ensemble
Workshop Location
Rhodes College - McNeill Hall (613 University St, Memphis, TN 38112)
Who is ICEBERG New Music? https://www.icebergnewmusic.com/about
ICEBERG New Music is a collective of ten composers based in New York City. ICEBERG's mission is to promote the idea that substance, not surface, is the heart of music creation and perception. The collective's ten member composers hail from different schools of thought and cultivate radically different sounds – from musical theater and indie rock to avant-garde sounds and electronic installations – but their contrasting musical languages belie a shared emphasis on structure and depth of meaning. When these artists compose for the same ensemble and present their works during a joint concert, the result is a glimpse into the ever-widening possibilities of art music in the twenty-first century.
ICEBERG composers are dedicated to engaging directly with the community as energetic advocates of contemporary music. The collective participates in an annual residency at Crosstown Arts in Memphis, TN, during which they present public concerts, free lectures, and other educational outreach activities. In 2018, ICEBERG unveiled its Young Composer Award, a scholarship fund aimed at pre-collegiate composers from underprivileged and underrepresented backgrounds. In 2020, they began the ADVICEBERG project, which offers free career counseling to young composers.
