2023 Composition Program
Valencia International Performance Academy and Festival, July 5-14, 20232023 Festival Quick Facts
Composition Faculty
- Jorge Villavicencio Grossmann, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY
- Arlene Sierra, Cardiff University School of Music, UK
- Stratis Minakakisi, New England Conservatory, MA
Ensembles in Residence
- Valencia International Contemporary Ensemble (VICE)
- Mivos Quartet
No application fee if you apply before March 10, 2023.
Each student will compose a new piece to be rehearsed and premiered in a public concert during VIPA Concert Festival
Each student will receive a lesson from each member of the Composition Faculty
All pieces will be audio recorded and delivered to each student after the festival (Video recording is optional)
Students can take active part in all workshops, like Introduction to Flamenco Music Performance, with flamenco flutist Oscar de Manuel.
About the Program
Overview
The 2023 edition of the Composition Program at the Valencia International Performance Academy & Festival will showcase the music of emerging and established composers, and offer qualified composition program participants the opportunity to work with the VIPA Composition Program faculty members and performers in lessons, workshops and masterclasses. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to work with and have one piece performed by our resident performers at one of the VIPA concerts.
VIPA will also offer workshops and/or panel discussions on special topics. Participants will be able to get feedback from faculty members during reading sessions with soloists and ensembles-in-residence.
The program will take place on July 5-14, 2023, at the facilities of the Ateneo Musical del Puerto in the beautiful city of Valencia, Spain. Boasting a breathtaking coastline, a vibrant cultural life and world-class cuisine, Valencia is one of the most sought-after summer destinations in Europe.
Participants and Auditors Welcome!
Composition candidates for the VIPA Composition Program must either be enrolled at a college-level degree-granting institution or higher, or hold one such degree to be eligible for participation at VIPA 2023, although some exceptions could be accepted.
As a COMPOSITION PARTICIPANT, you will receive private lessons from each member of the composition faculty. Your participation also allows you unlimited attendance to all lectures and workshops and participation in reading sessions with the resident ensembles and soloists. Participants also have access to free admission to all recitals, concerts, and masterclasses happening at VIPA.
Each participant will be commissioned to write a piece, ranging from solo to ensemble, to be premiered by one of VIPA’s ensembles-in-residence. Commission assignments will be made by the Director of Composition by early March. The deadline for the submission of the score and parts will be announced to the selected composers once accepted. Technical abilities for the performance of works with electronics will be discussed with the composers, but shall be generally limited to stereo (2-channel diffusion).
Participants will also have the opportunity to workshop their work with the performers during rehearsals of their piece. All concerts for the 2023 VIPA Composition Program will be professionally recorded and participants will receive an audio recording after the end of the festival.
AUDITORS are entitled to observe lessons, classes, and all other VIPA events but will not receive lessons or have a piece performed.
Application to the 2023 VIPA festival
APPLICATION DEADLINE:
Apply to VIPA Composition by March 10, 2023 without any application fee!
Late applications will be accepted until March 31, 2023 with a non-refundable application fee of €30.
For late applicants, application fees are payable through PayPal and must be paid before applications are reviewed.
SUBMISSION MATERIALS:
All application materials are to be sent electronically through the Composition Application Form. Please provide direct links to all your PDF, audio and/or video files. You will not be able to upload any files into the application.
PDF, audio, or video files should be uploaded to platforms such as YouTube, Dropbox, Google Drive, or SoundCloud, etc., or on any personal hosting space. Your materials must be available at the provided URL until at least May 31, 2023.
CURRICULUM VITAE, RESUME and BIO in PDF (include: educational background, schools, teachers, degrees, awards, prizes, previous festivals attended, and any relevant performances and/or professional experience).
TWO (maximum) REPRESENTATIVE SCORES in PDF files and audio or video recordings (if available). VIPA encourages all participants to write new works to be premiered by one of our ensembles-in-residence during the festival; however, if you would like to have an existing work performed, submit it as one of the two representative scores and make note of this on the application form. Make sure such work is suitable to one of the ensembles-in-residence (ranging from solo to the full ensemble) and around eight (8) minutes or under in duration.
Please indicate your preferred ensemble/instrumentation for your commissioned work. Please be advised that whereas we will consider your preference(s), we cannot guarantee that your choice(s) will be honored.
Pieces composed for the VIPA Festival will be for one of the following groups:
Option A: Mivos Quartet
Option B (2-5 players): VICE (available ensemble – in full or a subset – will be assigned by the director of the Composition Program)
ELECTRONICS: Works involving electronics are eligible for performance by the Mivos Quartet and VICE. If the work is selected, we will provide equipment for stereo (2-channel) diffusion, including speakers, a USB-C audio interface (composers need to provide any adapters necessary for this interface to work with their computer), and the necessary cables. Composers using electronics will be expected to bring their own laptop, all necessary software, and any equipment needed beyond this support, and to run their own patch/software with the technical assistance of a staff member.
SELECTION PROCESS: Members of the composition faculty will review your work and CV. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance right after the first deadline and given their specific assigned commission. Although there’s a late deadline on March 31, VIPA doesn’t guarantee open positions for it, so we encourage you to apply by the first deadline. Scores and parts for the finalised commissioned works are due May 31, 2023. The composition program will accept a limited number of participants and auditors. All conditions of participation will be specified in the acceptance letter. Questions may be directed to: [email protected].
Tuition and Housing
- Composition Participant: 1,350€
- Returning Composition Participant*: 1,200€
- Auditor: 150€
*Applicable to participants from previous VIPA editions
A non-refundable deposit of 650€ is due upon notification of acceptance and will be credited toward tuition.
The cost of tuition includes participant status, performance of your work, audio recordings, lessons, masterclasses, workshops and reading sessions. Previous VIPA Composition Festival participants will receive a 150€ tuition reduction.
METHOD OF PAYMENT: Upon acceptance to the program, participants will receive instructions as to how to make payments through either bank transfer or credit card. Any bank transaction fees are the responsibility of the student.
HOUSING: VIPA encourages (but does not require) students to get the tuition+accommodation bundle, as prices in Valencia have a tendency to be significantly higher. There are only a limited number of rooms available to VIPA students, so the sooner you book once you’re accepted, the more possibilities you’ll have to get one!
The lodging package for VIPA Composition students includes 11 nights (July 4-15) at Marina Real student dorms, in a single room with a private bathroom and kitchen. The cost of this package is 594€. Please note that this is a complete package and no additional nights can be added or subtracted.
There are a limited number of double rooms available, if you need to share with another student. In this case the total cost is 484€ / each student.
More information about Marina Real can be found here.
2023 Composition Faculty
Jorge Villavicencio Grossmann
Faculty, Composition Program Director
Ithaca College
Ithaca, NY
Jorge Villavicencio Grossmann
Faculty, Composition Program Director
Ithaca College
Ithaca, NY
Jorge Villavicencio Grossmann
Faculty, Composition Program Director
Ithaca College
Ithaca, NY
Ensembles in Residence
Resident ensembles for the Composition Program will be, once again, the critically-acclaimed Mivos Quartet (New York, USA), which will be featured in two concerts during the 2023 festival, as well as the Valencia International Contemporary Ensemble! VICE, a star-studded ensemble directed by our very own Carlos Amat. Students will create works for the VICE Ensemble in either full ensemble, quartets, trio or duo combinations, to be assigned by the Composition Program director, at the time of acceptance to the Festival.
Mivos Quartet
New York, NY, USA
Valencia International Contemporary Ensemble
Valencia, Spain
The Valencia International Contemporary Ensemble
This star-studded ensemble counts with the participation of Giorgos Panagiotidis (Ensemble Modern; DE), Gregor Schulenburg (mam.manufaktur für aktuelle musik, Ensemble Extrakte, guest musician of Ensemble Modern; DE), Luis Fernández Castelló (Naxos Recording Artist; Spain), Mariel Roberts (Wet Ink Ensemble, International Contemporary Ensemble; USA), and pianist Anna d’Errico (Ensemble Interface, Germany; Syntagma Ensemble, Italy).
Giorgos Panagiotidis
Germany; Greece
Violin
Gregor Schulenburg
Germany
Flute
Luis Fernández Castelló
Spain
Clarinet
Mariel Roberts
USA
Cello
Anna d'Errico
Italy
Piano
Testimonials
With one of the distinguished artists and faculties, I was enchanted such a wonderful experiences. For me, The Festival shouldn’t belonging in only one Musical Aspect and Peoples but in VIPA is different. Expanding new horizons of musical worlds always start with when Composers, Performers speak their valuable experiences and knowledges, not for self-esteem but trying to sharing for all of us. It’s unexchangeable and couldn’t gain without time-spending on conversation with those amazing artists. This tremendous 10 days never makes disappointed out for whom trying to looking applications, and guarantee for spending in passionate country and all musicians flew from all over the world. Recommend for all composers.
VIPA gave me the opportunity to work with dedicated musicians who brought my work to life with great attention to detail. I have always found the conversations with faculty and fellow composers–often held at the most incredible restaurants in town–inspiring and encouraging. Additionally, I received one of the most comprehensive packages of video and audio recordings I’ve ever received from a composer’s festival. The mix already sounds wonderful, but there is also the option for me to do a remix from recordings of multiple mic positions, taken during dress rehearsal and the performance. I truly appreciate their effort of documenting all the hard work that was put into creating the piece. I would love to come back for more!
Fellows at VIPA get to engage with world-class performers like Erik Drescher, the Mivos Quartet, and Ensemble Interface, allowing participants to cultivate important connections. The energy, care, and guidance they provided made for smooth rehearsals and performances. I am also grateful for having been encouraged to explore new media – it was at VIPA that I gained the confidence to incorporate electronics into my music. I think the most important part of my experience, though, as a woman composer, was the strong female presence at VIPA – for the first time I witnessed in a festival more than 3 people, who identified as female, as attendees. This small facet allowed a conversation and empower fellows to discuss diversity issues within the new music scene. My time at VIPA was invaluable, and I would definitely encourage all young artists to attend.
The VIPA festival provides an invaluable experience for the aspiring composer. The connections built between and knowledge gained from the students, faculty and ensembles will have lasting impacts in the pursuit of a career in music.
I have spent a fantastic 10-day in Valencia, Spain this past summer. From the rewarding guest lectures to inspiring participant presentations, from the amazing performances to the equally contemporary and historical sceneries of Valencia, as a composer, VIPA is a remarkable program for me to grow and cultivate a unique compositional approach to sound.
