"Orchestrating for the 21st Century"

Is orchestra music my calling??

I spent June 4-9th at Albany Symphony's 2024 American Music Festival, for the composition workshop with fantastic composer and educator Christopher Theofanidis. It was an intense (in the best way possible) few days analyzing orchestral techniques of 20th century composers (listed below for anyone interested). I admire his arsenal of adjectives for describing various textures and colors of specific orchestration techniques.

Each participant wrote a short sinfonietta piece for a small group of Albany Symphony members to read and perform. I wrote the third movement of my work-in-progress Scarlet Symphony, and I got a much needed experience of solving problems and efficiently voicing my wants within precious minutes. It was a joy working with Maestro David Alan Miller again. [Pearl of the Brook]

I learned that time works differently in an orchestral setting compared to a smaller ensemble, and that an orchestra piece is a playground for exploration and fun. I recommend this workshop (for advanced undergrad—grad students) whole heartedly!