2022 Festival: Week 1 in Review
2022 Festival: Week 1 Recap
Check out the first week of our 2022 festival!
We had a wonderful first week of our 2022 festival. Between seminars with our guest presenters, our core composition faculty, and student work shares (and a craft night!), we have been busy making music and community together.
Here are just a few highlights of our first week:
Workshop with Performers
On Wednesday, our amazing performers came for a workshop session with our students. Jessica Beebe (soprano), Hanchien Lee (piano), Emmalie Tello (clarinet), and Andrew Yee (cello) played through each composer’s piece, exchanged feedback, and shared ideas. These pieces will be premiered next Friday, July 22 at our free festival concert.
Wildflower Composers Festival Concert
Friday, July 22 at 3pm
Temple University Rock Hall, 1715 N. Broad St.
This performance will also be live-streamed and archived on our YouTube page.
RSVP to watch the livestream here
Tip: you must be signed into YouTube to sign up to be notified when we go live!
Guest Presenters
We are thrilled to have welcomed the following amazing guest presenters to speak with our student in our first week:
Melissa Dunphy discussed making money from our music, networking with composers, and publishing pieces.
Rene Orth shared about her compositional process, what to ask singers when writing for their voice, and how to compose using texts.
Josh Quillen explored the nature of collaborations and the fostering of relationships amongst artists and composers.
Seminars with Core Faculty
Flannery Cunningham explored capturing and manipulating field recordings and performative electronics.
inti figgis-vizueta shared about unique notations, eccentric sounds, and writing with the rehearsal process in mind.
Rajna Swaminathan shared about intercultural and hybrid music with a focus on rhythm and temporality, especially within improvisation.
New Music Ensemble
Core faculty member Rajna Swaminathan has also been leading our students in a New Music Ensemble. During this, the students experience performing together and making music together in new and unique ways. This week, the ensemble played The Tuning Meditation and 13 Changes by Pauline Oliveros, Spur 6: Blazes by Anna Webber, Origins by Rajna Swaminathan, and ensemble forecast and Form the fabric by inti figgis-vizueta.
Students were also encouraged to write their own compositions for the ensemble in small groups.
Faculty Concert with Arcana
On Thursday night, Bowerbird and Arcana hosted a wonderful concert, featuring six works by Wildflower Composers faculty composers and founder, Erin Busch. Check out some pictures from the concert!
Photo credits to Ryan Collerd @ryan_collerd
Follow us on instagram @wildflowercomposers to get daily updates about our 2022 festival.
Meet our 2022 festival composers!
Meet our students
Wildflower Composers 2022 Festival Participants
We are excited to share the wonderful composers who are participating in this year’s Festival! Make sure to come out to Temple University’s Rock Hall next Friday, 7/22 at 3pm to hear a world premiere by each of these young composers.
P.S. Don’t miss our concert of faculty works with Arcana tomorrow! Scroll for more details.
Danity Pike
Gabriella Carrido
Gabrielle Smith
Hannah Chen
Ilana Rahim-Braden
Jack Gjaja
Jill Wilson
Lydia Hawley-Brillante
and Zoe Fischthal
Upcoming Events
Please join us for the following Festival events:
Faculty Concert with Arcana New Music (tomorrow!)
Thursday, July 14 at 7pm
University Lutheran Church, 3637 Chestnut St.
Works by inti figgis-vizueta, Flannery Cunningham, Rajna Swaminathan, and Erin Busch performed by members of the Arcana New Music Ensemble. Admission is pay-what-you-wish.
Register to attend our Wildflower / Arcana concert
2022 Festival World Premieres Concert
Friday, July 22 at 3pm
Temple University Rock Hall, 1715 N. Broad St.
World premieres by 2022 festival composers and performances by the Wildflower New Music Ensemble. Free admission.
This performance will also be live-streamed and archived on our YouTube page.
RSVP to watch the livestream here
Tip: you must be signed into YouTube to sign up to be notified when we go live!
July Newsletter
July Newsletter
Meet our July featured alums: Lux Onigman and KiMani Bridges
In January, Lux Onigman (‘20) became the first winner of the UUCWC Crossing Chorale Commission. This is a new commission for Wildflower alums sponsored by the members of the Crossing Chorale, a volunteer choir at the Unitarian Universalist Church at Washington Crossing. The winner receives a $400 commission to write a new work for SATB choir with optional piano accompaniment. Lux’s commissioned work, “A Welcome Thought”, was premiered on July 3rd.
About the piece, Lux says:
“The text of this piece is based on the central principles of Unitarian Universalism, and the music is meant to help connect and develop the bonds of community as more people join in the song.”
Congratulations, Lux!
In May, KiMani Bridges (‘21) had her first orchestral commission and premiere with the Louisville Orchestra.
KiMani says:
“My orchestral premiere was wonderful! This was my first time writing for orchestra and the experience was very professional. I was, and still am, impressed by the amount of dedication and effort but into the piece by the orchestra. With STATiC, I was able to create a collection of textures, dive into graphic notation, explore the capabilities of the orchestra, and what sounds can be created with the instruments and the performers themselves.”
Congratulations, KiMani!
Thank you to our 2022 sponsors!
Recognizing our supporters
Wildflower Composers 2022 Sponsors
As we approach the start of our 2022 in-person (!) festival on July 11, we are so grateful to the many foundations, organizations, and individuals who have made our season possible. Thank you to all who took action to support the next generation of female, trans, and nonbinary composers. Truly, we are so appreciative of your support.
Learn more about our support levels
Core Sustainers ($5,000+)
CHG Charitable Trust
Philadelphia Cultural Fund
The Presser Foundation
Advocates ($2,000+)
Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts - Program Stream
Musical Fund Society
Melissa Dunphy
The Nararo Foundation
Director’s Grant Program of the Barra Foundation
Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University
Supporters ($250+)
Rachel Segal
Yumi Kendall
Savannah Green
Wendy Schaffer
Brian Lawlor
Barbara Chernak
L. Priori Jewelry
Judith and Allen Freedman
Andrea Clearfield
Sarah Williams
Paul Marone and Margery Covello
The Crossing Chorale at UUCWC
The Amphion Foundation
Neiman Marcus King of Prussia
Patricia Mahoney
Helen Ella
Friend of the Arts (up to $249)
Rachel Feldman
Susanna Payne-Passmore
Melany Barr-Patz and Corey Patz
Valerie Gay
Flannery Cunningham
Bob and Sue Busch
Stuart Diamond
Vivian Fung
Kristin Gornstein
Lisa DeSpain
Evan Kassoff
Alex Shapiro
Grace Bonds
Andrew Lovett
Jana Pugsley
Chris House
Pearl Pagarigan
Kira Mahoney
Julia Stein
Esther Kang
Avalon Lee
Michele Eisenberg
Paul Rardin
Paula Kelberman
Anna Weesner
Esther Chernak and Ira Kelberman
Alize Rozsnyai “A Celebration of Women in Song”
Sigma Alpha Iota Philadelphia Alumnae Chapter
Brett Herman
Joanne Simmonds-Childers
Marcia Wittmann
Veronica Olszewski
Margin Zheng
Erica Cherry
Michelle Eisenberg
Grace Bonds
Hope Aria
Jennifer Ortiz Valverde
In-kind support provided by Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance, Yumi Kendall, Josh Quillen, Will Blair, Melissa Dunphy, and Paula Kelberman. Thanks also to our 2022 collaborators: So Percussion Summer Institute, Arcana New Music Ensemble, Women’s Sacred Music Project, Network for New Music, the Crossing Chorale at UUCWC, and EXTENSITY. Thank you for donating your time, resources, and expertise to support our mission of amplifying the work of young composers.
Annual Commission Update
Annual Commission Update
Women’s Sacred Music Project Commission Winner: Hope Salmonson
Congratulations to alum Hope Salmonson (‘21) for winning the 2022 Women’s Sacred Music Project commission!
The Women’s Sacred Music Project (WSMP) offers an annual commission and $500 prize to a Wildflower alum from any year. The winning composer will write a new work for SSAA or SATB choir (with or without piano accompaniment) to be premiered by the WSMP choir during their annual season. The winner will also receive a virtual composition lesson with Wildflower Executive Director, Erin Busch, and WSMP Director, Ted Latham.
WSMP also offers a runner-up prize of $250 and the opportunity for future performances of pre-existing works. This year’s runner-up is Hannah Sobel (‘21).
“It was a delight to receive the WSMP commission this year, and I am eager to begin my choral setting of "Ubi Caritas" later this year. I look forward to musically engaging with the text to navigate questions on what we pray for, and who we pray to.”
Congratulations, Hope and Hannah!
June Newsletter
June Newsletter
Meet our June featured alum: Joan Tan
From January through May, Joan Tan (‘21) participated in an exchange at Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki. She studied composition under Veli-Matti Pumala and learned electroacoustic composition from Alejandro Montes de Oca.
Joan also recently received a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and will be doing a summer German language program at Leipzig University in June 2022.
Last but certainly not least, she has been accepted into the Valencia International Performance Academy & Festival 2022 (VIPA). Joan is currently writing a string quartet for the Mivos Quartet, entitled Constellation Configurations, which will be premiered in Valencia, Spain this July.
Check out Joan’s SoundCloud, where her piece will be uploaded after the performance.
Congratulations on your many accomplishments, Joan!
May Newsletter
May Newsletter
Wildflower Alumni: College Update
This month’s newsletter features alums who have committed to undergraduate and graduate programs starting this fall. Congratulations to all of the talented composers below! We are so proud of what you have accomplished so far, and can’t wait to see what you do next.
Mahri Lunn (‘21) will be attending Full Sail University for a Bachelor's degree in Show Production.
Sarah J. Adams (‘19, ‘20) will be attending Westminster Choir College at Rider University for Music Education and Vocal Performance.
Emily Liushen (‘18) will be attending Yale School of Music to pursue a Masters degree in composition.
Molly Leach (‘21) will be attending The University of Maryland for a Masters of Music in Music Composition with a Music Theory teaching assistantship.
Lux Onigman (‘20) will be attending Smith College, undecided major, but likely Neuroscience and/or Music.
Cecelia Olszewski (‘20, ‘21) will be attending Northwestern University to major in Composition.
Maddie Goldsborough (‘20, ‘21) is transferring to CalArts as a Performer-Composer major.
Madeline Cheng (‘20) will be attending the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music to major in Music Composition.
Hope Salmonson (‘21) will be attending the University of British Columbia to pursue a Master of Music in Composition.
Anna Lisa Patti (‘20, ‘21) has committed to Berklee College of Music.
Zoe Fischthal (‘19, ‘20, ‘21) has committed to Berklee College of Music.
Congratulations to all Wildflower alums! We are honored to have been a part of your compositional journey.
Best,
Wildflower faculty, staff, and board
2022 Festival Announcement
Wildflower Composers Festival
2022 Festival Announcement
We are excited to welcome Hannah Pearson as our new Operations Manager for the 2022 Wildflower Composers Festival! Hannah hails from Chicago, IL where she is a clarinetist and music administrative professional. In addition to her role as Operations Manager with Wildflower Composers, Hannah has held administrative positions with Fifth House Ensemble, the Eastman Theatre Box Office, the Geva Theatre Center Box Office, and the Gateways Music Festival.
Welcome to the team, Hannah!
“ I'm so excited to join Wildflower Composers during this summer's festival! Wildflower's mission to support gender-marginalized composers is a mission that resonates with me personally as a queer woman, and I'm looking forward to having the opportunity to work with festival participants at this exciting time in their lives and careers. I can't wait to get started! ”
We are also disappointed to share that composer Tanyaradzwa Tawengwa and harpist Elizabeth Steiner are unable to join us this summer due to unforeseen circumstances.
However, we are pleased to welcome pianist Hanchien Lee, who will be joining us to work with 2022 students and premiere new works!
Praised by the Philadelphia Inquirer as a pianist whose playing is “warmly charismatic” and “calm maturity with naturalness” by Seen and heard International, pianist Hanchien Lee is recognized for her eloquent and virtuosic performances as a soloist and chamber musician. Since her debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra at age sixteen, Ms. Lee has performed throughout the US, in Europe and across Asia in such prestigious venues as Steinway Hall in New York, Academy of Music, Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Phillips Collection in Washington DC, the Basilica San Pietro in Italy, and the National Concert Hall in Taipei, Taiwan.
Following graduation from Curtis, she continued her studies at Yale University with Claude Frank, earning both a Master of Music degree and an Artist Diploma. She holds the Doctor of Musical Arts from Peabody Conservatory of John Hopkins University where she worked with Boris Slutsky. Currently, she resides in Philadelphia and teaches at University of Pennsylvania.
Auction Update
Thank you to everyone who donated to our first virtual fundraiser auction! We raised $1,720 (exceeding our goal of $1,000) all of which will go directly towards subsidizing tuition for 2022 students who express financial need. A special thank-you to all of the board and community members who contributed goods and services to make this fundraiser a success.
Missed your chance to bid? You can still support Wildflower Composers directly by making a donation, offering goods or services in-kind, or volunteering. Get in touch with us by sending an email to erin@wildflowercomposers.org, or make a donation by clicking the link below.
April Newsletter
Psst… our 2022 auction is now live! Click the link below to bid & grab a Wildflower Composers t-shirt before May 1. Link to Auction
April Newsletter
Meet our April featured alums: Grace Coberly, Sydney Norwood, and Chloe Smith!
Grace Coberly (‘20) will have their piece, “We Two in a Park at Night”, premiered with Heritage Chorale on April 2nd and 3rd. Congrats, Grace!
“ I sang with Heritage Chorale (Oak Park, IL) in the spring of 2016 and am delighted to be returning to the community with this commission. Translated from Chinese, “We Two in a Park at Night” describes in vivid detail a damp, chilly evening in spring. My unaccompanied choral setting uses harmonic instability and the occasional bird call to bring that landscape to life. Heritage Chorale will premiere the piece on April 2-3. ”
A sneak peak of Grace’s score, We Two in a Park at Night
Sydney Norwood (‘21) will have their piece “Exploring Connections” premiered April 25th and 26th at 7:30pm at UNC Charlotte. Congrats, Sydney!
“ Queer in nature not in narrative. Think of a relationship between a barista and yourself, these nontraditional relationships and values. This is what the dance is built off of. Last year I was asked if I would ever be interested in composing music for a dance. At first I didn’t know if it would actually happen. Near the end of December I got performers and scheduled rehearsal times for this semester.
This project has meant a lot to the choreographer, M, and I. Working together to bring dance and music together here at our school. Something that is never done because of too many conflicts. Collaboration is one of the most important ideas in learning to grow. I can not wait for the next collaboration with M or any one else. "
Chloe Smith (‘21) recently had her piece, “Snowfall”, premiered at The Arts at Covenant “A Celebration of Women in Song” concert in Wilmington, DE.
In honor and celebration of Women’s History Month, The Arts of Covenant presented this special concert event featuring music of living, female composers, organized by singer Alize Rozsnyai.
About her piece, Chloe says:
“The gentle fall of snow has always made me reminisce about my childhood in Maryland, when I could make a snowman bigger than myself, have snowball fights with my siblings, and enjoy a nice cup of hot cocoa after a day of fun. But recently, especially with my move to Boston, the winter has lost its magical aura and instead feels somber, sober, and dark. Though not depressing, it is quite the change from home and this song encapsulates my journey toward working through this new environment.”
Concert organizer and singer Alize Rozsnyai said:
“ I am passionate about supporting Wildflower Composers because as a classically-trained singer and performer, I feel that supporting and nurturing the next generation of composers, particularly those who come from identities which have not had a significant opportunity to have representation on classical music stages, is critically important. We must support and BE the change we wish to see on the concert stage, and not just for equity’s sake, (although this in itself is of course a critical and noble mission) but because the art that we consume in our culture directly reflects back at us the values and priorities that we hold, and so they must be those we WISH to see. In other words, we ARE and BECOME the stories we tell ourselves - we become those truths.
Think of media, the good and bad. Therefore, diversity of these voices and perspectives in art is absolutely essential to building a future where all voices can be not only heard, but understood, and resonated with. "
Thank you for supporting Wildflower Composers, Alize!
Our application deadline is extended until April 15!
We still have some spots available for the 2022 Wildflower Composers Festival! Join us at Temple University from July 11–22 to enrich your journey as a composer.
Several full tuition + housing scholarships still available!
No prior composition training or experience needed
All musical styles welcome
No fee to apply
Our 2022 Auction Fundraiser is now live!
Our Auction Fundraiser is now live!
We are excited to announce that our 2022 Auction Fundraiser is now live and open for bidding! We are grateful to the many organizations and individuals who have donated goods and services to our first virtual auction. Link to Auction
Bidding ends May 1
Bid on items like:
Two tickets to a performance of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Opera Philadelphia, or the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia (three-concert subscription!)
Signed scores from Wildflower faculty composers inti figgis-vizueta and Flannery Cunningham
Two nights in Melissa Dunphy’s stunning AirBnB in Old City, Philadelphia
Gift cards to Federal Donuts, Goldie Falafel, or Rooted Coffee Roasters
Composition lesson with Wildflower staff and board members Erin Busch, Susanna Payne-Passmore, Melissa Dunphy, and Andrea Clearfield
And so much more!
100% of the proceeds from our auction will go towards providing financial aid to Wildflower students.
This is also your chance to snag a Wildflower Composers t-shirt!
Show your support for Wildflower Composers wherever you go with this 100% cotton blend t-shirt! Available in sizes YXS - 4XL, unisex fit. All proceeds go towards providing financial aid to Wildflower students.
Purchase a t-shirt from Custom Ink through the sidebar link on our auction website, or by clicking the link below.
Not able to donate today? Get in touch to volunteer or provide in-kind support!
We are always in need of volunteers to assist with various aspects of our summer festival, especially for in-person activities between July 11 and 22. Get in touch if you’d like to be involved as a volunteer, or if you think you can offer in-kind support!
Meet 2022 faculty member Flannery Cunningham!
Wildflower Composers Festival 2022 faculty member spotlight
Flannery Cunningham
Flannery Cunningham is a composer and musicologist fascinated by vocal expression, text, and auditory perception. She aims to write music that surprises and delights. Called “silken” by the Washington Post, her work has been performed at festivals such as Aspen, June in Buffalo, Toronto Creative Music Lab, SPLICE Institute and Festival, and Copland House’s CULTIVATE and by performers such as International Contemporary Ensemble, TAK, New York New Music Ensemble, and Music from Copland House. Current projects include commissions from PRISM Quartet, Musiqa Houston, and Princeton University’s Glee Club.
Check out an excerpt of “Groundwater”, a multimedia musical work that will premiere this spring.
Flannery is attracted to the very old and very new; she has presented at the International Medieval Congress and performed at the International Computer Music Conference. In addition to acoustic ensembles she writes for players and singers (sometimes including herself) with interactive electronics, always striving to foreground the musicality of human performers. Flannery holds degrees from Princeton University, University College Cork, and Stony Brook University, and she is currently a PhD candidate in composition and musicology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Our 2022 festival application closes on April 1!
We invite any gender-marginalized composer between the ages of 13–19 to join us from July 11–22 at Temple University! Student composers will receive private composition lessons, participate in coursework and new music ensemble, and receive a world premiere performance of a new composition. Apply by April 1.
Check out our Festival page for more information about our season, eligibility, and financial aid.
Want to support our work? Click below to make a tax-deductible donation today!
Meet 2022 faculty member inti figgis-vizueta!
Wildflower Composers Festival 2022 faculty member spotlight
inti figgis-vizueta
NYC-based composer inti figgis-vizueta (b. 1993) writes magically real musics through the lens of personal identities, braiding a childhood of overlapping immigrant communities and Black-founded Freedom schools—in Chocolate City (DC)—with direct Andean & Irish heritage and a deep connection to the land. Her musical practice is physical and visceral, attempting to reconcile historical aesthetics and experimental practices with trans & indigenous futures.
Check out inti’s “Music for Transitions”, commissioned and premiered by cellist Andrew Yee (one of our 2022 Wildflower performers!)
The New York Times speaks of inti's music as “alternatively smooth & serrated” and “slyly warp[ing] time”, The Washington Post as “raw, scraping yet soaring”, and The Strad Magazine as “between the material and immaterial”. Recent honors include the 2020 ASCAP Foundation Fred Ho Award and a 2022-23 Music Fellowship from the Civitella Ranieri Foundation. inti is currently in residency at Sō Percussion’s Brooklyn studio for the ‘21-22 season. Upcoming projects include new works for the American Composers Orchestra, Kronos Quartet, and Roomful of Teeth, in collaboration with visual artist Rose Bond.
Our 2022 festival application closes on April 1
We invite any gender-marginalized composer between the ages of 13–19 to join us from July 11–22 at Temple University! Student composers will receive private composition lessons, participate in coursework and new music ensemble, and receive a world premiere performance of a new composition. Apply by April 1.
Check out our Festival page for more information about our season, eligibility, and financial aid.
Want to support our work? Click below to make a tax-deductible donation today!
Meet 2022 faculty member Rajna Swaminathan!
Wildflower Composers Festival 2022 faculty member spotlight
Rajna Swaminathan
Rajna Swaminathan is an acclaimed mrudangam artist, composer, and scholar. Her ensemble RAJAS has been a prominent medium for her expansive compositions, which involve a lattice of rhythmic, textural, and modal approaches. The ensemble's sound has been described as “unlike any other on the scene” (New York Times), and their debut album, Of Agency and Abstraction (Biophilia Records, 2019), received much critical acclaim.
Check out a live performance of “Offering” from
RAJAS’s debut album, Of Agency and Abstraction:
Rajna’s scholarly work also intersects with her musical study and informs her creative curiosities. She was recently appointed as Assistant Professor of Music (Integrated Composition, Improvisation, and Technology) at UC Irvine's Claire Trevor School of the Arts. She holds a PhD in Music (Creative Practice and Critical Inquiry) from Harvard University, and degrees in Anthropology and French from the University of Maryland, College Park. Her dissertation, titled Time, Virtuosity, and Ethics Otherwise: Queer Resonances for Diasporic Play, catalyzes a creative dialogue between artistic and academic engagements with uncertainty and openness in geography, archive, and embodiment.
In addition to leading seminars and private lessons, Rajna will also direct the Wildflower New Music Ensemble.
All students will participate in our New Music Ensemble, where they will read contemporary scores, improvise, and collaborate on new works. We are thrilled to welcome Rajna to lead this new component of the Wildflower Composers Festival!
Our 2022 festival application closes on April 1!
We invite any gender-marginalized composer between the ages of 13–19 to join us from July 11–22 at Temple University! Student composers will receive private composition lessons, participate in coursework and new music ensemble, and receive a world premiere performance of a new composition. Apply before April 1.
Check out our Festival page for more information about our season, eligibility, and financial aid.
Want to support our work? Click below to make a tax-deductible donation today!
March Newsletter
March Newsletter
Meet our March featured alums: Anagha Kapsi, Molly Leach, and Hope Salmonson!
Anagha Kapsi (‘21) was recently announced as one of eight composers selected by ACF Philadelphia for a workshop with violinist Min Young Kim this winter. Each composer received feedback and a recorded reading of their composition with Kim.
“I composed “Chaconne” for solo violin in 2020 during the pandemic. It began as a Baroque-inspired improvisation and turned into a passionate Chaconne. It was really wonderful working on this piece with Ms. Min Young Kim at the ACF workshop. I got so much feedback on my piece, and it was great to hear it performed by such an accomplished violinist! The workshop was a great experience and was very helpful.”
A sneak peak of Anagha’s score, Chaconne
Molly Leach (‘21) received a performance of her piece, Glow, on March 5th by the Canton Symphony Orchestra. Congrats, Molly!
“Written for the Canton Youth Symphony Orchestra, “Glow” is a fast paced, vibrant, and exciting attempt to capture the feelings of confidence and happiness we experience in our day to day lives.”
Photo from the premiere of Leach’s Glow by the Canton Symphony Orchestra.
The Tuba-Euphonium Social Justice Initiative is working on a directory of compositions including tuba or euphonium by underrepresented composers. This project, led by Hope Salmonson (‘21) and Chris Fiol, aims to highlight and amplify music involving our instruments, and the composers who write it.
Submissions for the directory are still being accepted! Read more about this opportunity below.
About the directory, Hope says:
“We accept any original work in which the tuba or euphonium is a solo instrument (unaccompanied, w/ piano, w/ ensemble, w/ electronics, etc) or otherwise a key player (euphonium-tuba ensembles, brass quintets, other chamber works with strong tuba/euph presence). *note: the form may say that we don’t accept brass quintets, but we do!* We have never said no to a score that follows the above criteria; we’re excited to share and aggregate the compositions we want to see represented in the world!
If you submit to us, you and your composition(s) will be shown in our directory with only the information you give us. We want to be absolutely sure to represent you the way you want to be represented. In addition to the options given in the form, we accept score samples via email. Additionally, if you ever want information changed or removed for any reason, that is 100% your right and we will work to remove it ASAP if you contact us.”
Questions and concerns can be directed to hope.salmonson@gmail.com.
Our 2022 festival application is now open!
We invite any gender-marginalized composer between the ages of 13–19 to join us from July 11–22 at Temple University! Student composers will receive private composition lessons, participate in coursework and new music ensemble, and receive a world premiere performance of a new composition.
Check out our Festival page for more information about our season, eligibility, and financial aid.
Want to support our work? Click below to make a tax-deductible donation today!
February Newsletter
February Newsletter
Meet our February featured alum: Chloe Smith (‘21)
Chloe’s piece for solo bassoon, Three Tragedies, will be premiered later this month at the Boston Conservatory by bassoonist Lizzie Sylves.
About the piece, Chloe said:
"Three Tragedies was originally the product of a 48-hour composition challenge at my college. I wrote it for solo cello, but after hearing my friend play it on bassoon so I could get a sense of how it would sound, I found that I enjoyed its dark timbre just as much as the cello’s. I was surprised that I could write so quickly and efficiently in such a short span of time.
This opportunity was both fun and educating for me and it became a template for what this piece has become. I really enjoy projects that challenge your mind and your capabilities, taking you places you never thought you could go. I’m very grateful for this opportunity which has led me to discover a new fascination for wind instruments and I hope to explore this sound world even more.”
Chloe’s piece will be premiered on February 23rd at 8pm, and can be viewed via livestream!
Young Women Composers is now Wildflower Composers!
Our Name
Wildflowers are not constrained by specifics. They are a mix of colors, of sizes, of scents. They can (and do) grow anywhere, without restraint.
We are thrilled to announce our new name: Wildflower Composers.
We decided to change our name from Young Women Composers to Wildflower Composers to better represent the young composers we have promised to support, all of whom bring with them different experiences, backgrounds, and identities.
Our mission: to amplify the voices of gender-marginalized composers and work toward a more equitable future for contemporary music.
Check out our new website at wildflowercomposers.org and follow us @wildflowercomposers to learn more about our work.
Who We Serve
We serve composers who identify as part of the gender-marginalized community, which includes cis-women, trans-women, trans-men, and nonbinary persons.
The Wildflower Composers Festival (formerly the Young Women Composers Camp) will take place this summer at Temple University from July 11–22.
We are looking forward to our return to in-person programming this July! Our 2022 festival is open to any gender-marginalized student who is between the ages of 13 and 19. This summer, we will welcome an incredible faculty of composers and performers to lead students in group classes, private lessons, workshops, and a world premiere performance of new compositions.
All Wildflower composers receive:
1. Mentor–mentee relationship with a private composition teacher.
2. The chance to have a new work rehearsed & premiered by a professional performer.
3. Expand your knowledge of composition and related topics through workshops led by experts.
4. Join a growing community of young composers from all across the country.
Apply by April 1.
Full scholarships are available!
Apply now at wildflowercomposers.org.
Your donation is 100% tax-deductible.