CoMA Midwinter Composers Course 2024

Coma

Treat yourself this New Year to a vibrant creative boost with CoMA’s intensive mid-winter five-day composition course, in partnership with Allcomers Music. This course has an impressive track record in taking early-stage composers onto an entirely new level, providing the technical capacity and confidence to realise more ambitious musical projects.

Well-known Scottish composer Alasdair Nicolson will be in residence throughout, structuring the course, offering friendly and supportive advice to composers at all stages of their development, whilst challenging them to push their skills and knowledge. With a focus on string writing, composers will be required to write for amateur strings as well as for a professional string trio. In addition there is the option for participants to create and perform works together as a composers’ ensemble.

We actively encourage applicants from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, including those from the Global Majority, d/Deaf and disabled people, working class backgrounds and LGBTQ+ identifying. Two spaces will be reserved and fully funded for those identifying as from an underrepresented background.

Please note: this course is for people aged 18+

The course offers composers:

• Pre-course guidance on writing for mixed ability amateur strings, with the option to write for an orchestra of around 30 players or for smaller sized ensembles. Both options requiring an independent double bass part
• Group tuition classes and one-to-one composition tutorials with Alasdair Nicolson
• Attendance at all workshops, performing composers’ submitted works with feedback offered by professional string players and by the amateur players
• Sessions with a professional string trio to inspire and develop new musical ideas
• Opportunity to come together as a ‘composers ensemble’ to create a collective work for performance on the final day
• Right to record all composition sessions