New Music Dublin: Hans Abrahamsen composition workshop (deadline 10 February)

Fri 24 Jan 2014

New Music Dublin (NMD) is a partnership initiative of The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon, The National Concert Hall, RTÉ Orchestras and the Contemporary Music Centre (CMC). The second festival will take place in the NCH on March 6 – 9 2014.

As part of the festival, NMD will also have a schedule of workshops, masterclasses and other events facilitated by CMC. Composers are now invited to apply to take part in a composition programme (classes and workshop) with leading Danish composer Hans Abrahamsen and the ConTempo Quartet at the National Concert Hall, Dublin during the New Music Dublin Festival from 6–9 March 2014.

This programme is open to composers registered with the Contemporary Music Centre and who wish to gain experience in writing for the medium of string quartet.

Composer Hans Abrahamsen, whose works Schnee and String Quartet No. 4 will be performed in the festival, will work with four selected composers over the festival weekend, on writing for string quartet.

This will include composition classes and a workshop reading with the ConTempo Quartet, with detailed rehearsal and commentary on each work as well as complete run through and recording at the end of each composer’s session. This workshop reading will also be open to the public.

The Contemporary Music Centre is seeking applications for “expressions of interest” in this initiative.

Composers must be registered with the Contemporary Music Centre and must submit the following by email to eferguson@cmc.ie by 5pm on Monday, 10 February 2014

(please put ConTempo in the subject heading):

  • excerpts from two recent scores,
  • a C.V. to include details of past performances of works
  • a short paragraph outlining your reasons for wishing to attend this workshop.

Participants will then be expected to:

  • confirm your availability for 5–9 March 2014.
  • confirm that you are in a position to submit a work in progress for string quartet of between 2–3 minutes of music in a readable state, or a string quartet completed in the last two years, which has not had a public performance anywhere in the world,
  • provide a score and parts in PDF format no later than Monday 24th of February 5pm.

For further information contact CMC Director, Evonne Ferguson: eferguson@cmc.ie.

Update: deadline extended from 31 January to 10 February.