Irish Composition Summer School 2025

Deadline: 13 June 2025 23:45

The 2025 Irish Composition Summer School will run at the Technical University Dublin Conservatory of Music, Grangegorman, Dublin City, Ireland, from July 7th to 16th. Prospective participants should be composers at the early stages of their career, and students taking composition and considering it as a career.

  • Course Directors: David Bremner and Garrett Sholdice
  • Guest Director: William Anderson
  • Instruments/Performers: voice with Michelle O’Rourke, flutes with Lina Andonovska, guitar with Marco Ramelli and cello with Ailbhe McDonagh.
  • Technology director: Ian Brabazon
  • Admin: John McLachlan

Sponsored by the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon. Supported by IMRO—the Irish Music Rights Organisation

We will offer a full day timetable that allows for composing time: the days feature group seminars (mostly mornings) and individual tutorials (afternoons).

This year's school will offer a range of lectures, presentations and demonstrations on all aspects of contemporary composition, focusing on writing for combinations of the available forces, with an emphasis on trios, with optional electronic fixed media. The school offers advice on writing for the instruments, and on all aspects of contemporary art music composition. There is considerable one to one guidance on your piece as you write it, therefore we welcome composers at any stage of their development. At the end of the course, the students' works will be presented in workshop, rehearsed and recorded by the performers. Throughout the course, students will receive guidance from experienced course directors and nationally and internationally renowned composers. This year, the ICSS is delighted to welcome Guest Director William Anderson a composer-guitarist from New York. He will present seminars on his own work, as well as giving individual tutorials to all students. Garrett Sholdice and David Bremner will also give tutorials and seminars on music.

Due to the limited duration of the course students are expected to come with some sketches/ideas prepared.

LEVELS
The course involves a great deal of individual tuition and so is suitable for a range of music students from postgraduate to undergraduate. Seminars will cover the major aspects of contemporary composition such as harmony, rhythm, formal structure and instrumental writing.

FEES & APPLICATIONS

– Course fee: €380

– Applicants should send their details to Dr John McLachlan at johnrmclachlan@gmail.com (note the middle r).

Details should include:
• your name, location and a contact detail
• a summary of musical qualifications and present place of study (if studying)
• a brief summary of your experience in composition
• a list of any works composed
• the name and contact details of one composition-related referee

– Applications should be emailed to the administrator by Friday, June 13th 2025.

– Course directors will assess applications, and applicants will be contacted within one week of closing date.

- 50% of fee will be due by June 27th.