The hottest summer academy for young composers

05 — 14 July 2024

An international gathering for young composers from all over the world, an intense and in-depth Academy is taking place in Ticino 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 2024 ensembles in residence:
JACK String quartet International Contemporary Ensemble

the 2024 composition professor: George Lewis
Farzia Farrah Oscar Bianchi

the 2024 conducting professor: Peter Rundel

Awards and exchange programs include Archipel Festival Geneva, Quatour Diotima Academy, and Durand Editions

meet the 2024 team

JACK String Quartet

ensemble in residence

more info
International Contemporary Ensemble

ensemble in residence

more info

George Lewis

Guest Professor

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Farzia Fallah

Guest Professor

more info
Oscar Bianchi

Professor and artistic director

more info
Peter Rundel

Conducting Professor

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Events:

9 July 2024 — Composing while Black, visions for a prosperous future: round table with George Lewis, Farzia Fallah & guests - Casa Schira

10 July 2024 — Asia Ahmetjanova & swiss voices — with Asia Ahmetjanova, George Lewis, Oscar Bianchi, Farzia Fallah & guests - Casa Schira

12 July 2024 — The tribal and the universal visions for a post-identitarian future: round table and performance with George Lewis, Farzia Fallah & guests - Casa Schira

12 July 2024 — Closing Concert, 20:00 — Chiesa di Loco (Onsernone Valley)

14 July 2024 — Closing Concert II and Round Table, 11:00 — LAC Lugano — in collaboration with LuganoMusica and LongLake Festivals.

lectures @ casa schira:

George Lewis: 05.07 —10:30
Farzia Fallah 06.07 — 10:30
Oscar Bianchi: 07.07 —10:30
Asia Ahmetjanova: 10.07 —10:30
TBA: 11.07 —15:00
TBA: 13.07 —14:30

with friendly support from

con il patrocinio della:

con il patrocinio del:

Municipio di Onsernone

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
Participation Fee: CHF 395.— (€ 395)

Scholarships will be awarded.

TIMELINE

• 31 January 2023: submit your application by this date

• 8 February 2024: announcement of selected participants

• 13 February 2024: 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)

• 19 February 2024, 2 pm CET: a preliminary online session including guidelines, advice, and compositional tips by the ensembles in residence and faculty

• 1 — 6 April 2024: intermediate online sessions with faculty and ensembles in residence. Individual lessons and discussions about ongoing drafts and compositional processes of your work

• 31 May 2024: delivery of score and parts

• 05 — 14 July 2024: Academy in Ticino

• 07 July 2024: opening concert

• 06 to 14 July 2024: rehearsals, coaching, and concerts with the Jack Quartet and International Young Composers Academy

• 12, 13, and 14 July 2024: world première of your work by the ensembles in residence at prestigious locations in the Onsernone Valley and at LAC Lugano

Full and half scholarships will 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: previous two years’ tax slips, along with a statement that you are currently not the recipient of private nor public subsidies.
-family status: a letter signed by your parents stating that no or negligible financial support is currently provided to you.
Detailed info will be provided after the selection process. The current 2024 edition focus on composing for string quartet and ensemble (any combination)
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. (€595)
All of the above but individual room guaranteed: CHF 795 (€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 (Ensemble Modern in 2019, Quatuor Diotima in 2020, ICTUS ensemble in 2021, Les Percussions de Strasbourg in 2022) 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: Bernhard Gander, Juste Janulyte, Dmitri Kourliandski, Clara Iannotta, Mauro Lanza, Samir Odeh-Tamimi, Lisa Streich, Simon Steen-Andersen, 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.”