The hottest summer academy for emerging talents

04 — 13 July 2025

An international gathering for emerging composers and conductors from all over the world, an intense and in-depth Academy is taking place in Ticino, Switzerland, to exchange, learn, create, and premiere new works specially written for the occasion by today's youngest generation of talents for the most acclaimed champions of contemporary music.

the 2025 ensemble in residence:
Ensemble Modern

the 2025 composition professors: Francesca Verunelli
Andile Khumalo Oscar Bianchi

the 2025 conducting professor: Titus Engel

Awards and exchange programs include Archipel Festival Geneva and Quatuor Diotima Academy.

meet the 2025 team

Ensemble Modern

ensemble in residence

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Francesca Verunelli

Distinguished Guest Professor

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Andile Khumalo

Distinguished Guest Professor

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Oscar Bianchi

Professor and Artistic Director

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Titus Engel

Distinguished Guest Professor

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2025 concerts:

Friday, 11 July, 20:30 —World premiere concert, Chiesa di Loco (Onsernone Valley): Ensemble Modern, Titus Engel, and friends.

Sunday, 13 July, 11:00 — World premiere concert II, LAC Lugano (in collaboration with LAC and LongLake Lugano): Ensemble Modern, Titus Engel and friends

2025 events at Casa Schira:

Friday, 4 July, 10:30 — Francesca Verunelli, presentation
Saturday, 5 July, 10:30 — Andile Khumalo, presentation
Sunday, 6 July, 10:30 — Oscar Bianchi, presentation
Monday, 7 July, 14:30 — Visions for a prosperous future, round table with Titus Engel, Francesca Verunelli, Andile Khumalo, Oscar Bianchi & guests
Tuesday, 8 July, 10:30 — Senior Composer Guest, presentation
Wednesday, 9 July, 14:30 — The tribal and the universal, visions for a post--identitarian future, round table with Andile Khumalo, Francesca Verunelli, Oscar Bianchi & guests
Friday, 11 July, 14:30 — TBA

with friendly support from:

con il patrocinio del:

Municipio di Onsernone

con il patrocinio della:

ringraziamo sentitamente la:

What participants will experience:
• world premieres of your brand new work by Jack Quartet and International Contemporary Ensemble at public concerts in three prestigious locations in the Onsernone Valley and Lugano

• ad hoc coaching and individual lessons with each faculty composer throughout the entire compositional process
• masterclasses with the Neuevocalsolisten Stuttgart and Musikfabrik

• lectures, seminars by faculty & guest composers, participants’ showcase

• ‘‘state of the art’’ audio and video recordings will be made public after the concerts, streamed and broadcasted on our online channels, providing excellent exposure and direct access from the professional and academic worlds

Application Fee: CHF 0
Tuition Fee: CHF 399

Scholarships will be awarded.

TIMELINE

• 15 January 2025: submit your application by this date

• 1 February 2025: announcement of selected participants

• 7 February 2025: deadline for payments. If selected, to secure your participation, tuition fees shall be paid by this date. If a scholarship is awarded, the tuition fees will be automatically refunded (partially or entirely) after the course (14 July 2024)

• 15 February 2025, 2 pm CET: a preliminary online session including guidelines, advice, and compositional tips by the ensembles in residence and faculty

• 1 — 6 April 2025: intermediate online sessions with faculty and ensembles in residence. Individual lessons and discussions about ongoing drafts and compositional processes of your work

• 31 May 2025: delivery of score and parts

• 04 — 13 July 2025: Academy in Ticino

• 06 July 2025: opening concert

• 07 to 13 July 2025: rehearsals, coaching, and concerts with the Jack Quartet and International Young Composers Academy

• 11, 12, and 13 July 2025: world première of your work by the ensembles in residence at prestigious locations in the Onsernone Valley and at LAC Lugano

Full or half scholarships can be awarded, covering tuition fees and possibly lodging and board costs. The procedure for awarding scholarships follows the jury’s discretion concerning merits and the administration’s discretion concerning needs (analysis from the composers' pledge requesting it). If you would like to forward your pledge for support, please send us a letter including the following:
-Incomes: Please provide the previous two years’ tax slips, along with a statement that you are currently not the recipient of private or public subsidies.
-family status: a letter signed by your parents stating that no or negligible financial support is currently provided to you.
A pledge of support does not guarantee the award of a scholarship.
Detailed info will be provided after the selection process. The current 2025 edition focus on composing for instrumental ensemble
Ten days of lodging in either single or shared rooms (max. two persons per room) arranged by our partners (Villa Rosa, Wild Valley, and co.). Dinners catered by our chef (Bio and sustainable products and farming): CHF 595
All of the above but individual room guaranteed: CHF 795

The vision behind the « International Young Composers Academy in Ticino » is to create a viable, valuable, and durable relationship between young composers from all corners of the world and today's beacons of contemporary music. Since the 2017 edition, Oscar Bianchi, its artistic director, has been seeking to enhance a fruitful exchange between renowned actors of the contemporary music field (Quatuor Diotima in 2020, ICTUS ensemble in 2021, Les Percussions de Strasbourg in 2022, Musikfabrik & Neuevocalsolisten in 2023, JACK and International Contemporary Ensemble in 2024) and the new vibrant voices of today's composition landscape. Further pivotal aspects of the course lay on academic training (through one-to-one lessons and daily lectures by faculty and guest composers) while coaching and accompanying the making of a brand-new work.

Inclusion, gender equality, and diversity are keystones of this Academy, where challenging cultural and stylistic diversities are embraced and questioned.

Among the guest Faculty at the Academy: Simon Steen-Andersen, Clara Iannotta, George Lewis, Farzia Fallah, Bernhard Gander, Juste Janulyte, Dmitri Kourliandski, Mauro Lanza, Samir Odeh-Tamimi, Lisa Streich, Francesca Verunelli, DuYun

The IYCA found its seeds within the framework of Ticino Musica, a summer course for young musicians. To better serve the needs and demands of a constantly evolving cultural and social context, the IYCA graduated as an independent entity, self-governed by its non-profit association.

What People Are Saying

“The whole atmosphere during the time of the Academy, the wonderful mixture between very young and more experienced composers and the very friendly, wise, concentrated, and open-minded supervision by Oscar Bianchi made this workshop for all participants an important and unforgettable experience in their education...”

— Andreas Fischer (Neuevocalsolisten Stuttgart)

“This is one of the most important opportunities for the professional formation of young composers. Besides the highly renowned names of guest professors and musicians (most attractive for the young composers), it has a distinctive organization of lessons, lectures, and presentations, assuring a steady and continuous engagement from the students and making it unique in the field of composer academies...”

— Dmitri Kourliandski (Composer and Professor)

“The organization of the course was extremely professional, and the people behind it charming and always helpful. The composers' selection was impressive, as passionate composers, expressive and intelligent, reflected intellectual curiosity and commitment. The successful concerts that occurred in different beautiful locations around Lugano were both an accomplishment and the consequence of a focused and inspired environment thriving during the course.”