Sponsored in part by
SMP Press at Sheet Music Plus
Composers and Schools
and through the generous support of Evelyn Nussenbaum and Fred Vogelstein
San Francisco Contemporary Music Players is pleased to announce our 2023 Victor Salvo Music Composition Scholarship for high school students. One San Francisco Bay Area high school music student will receive five mentoring sessions with advising composer Brian Baumbusch, a private score reading by San Francisco Contemporary Music Players of the student’s work, feedback from the musicians, and a video recording of the reading session.
SCHOLARSHIP OUTLINE
Students can apply by submitting a video (2-min max) and a copy of a score that is in progress written for a trio of mixed instruments (see below). The video will describe the motivation behind the music as well as an idea for where the music is going and why the student would like to take part in this educational program. Through five mentoring sessions, the draft score will be developed into an excerpt, a section, or a full piece that is ready for a reading session with a professional ensemble. Brian Baumbusch will work with the student as our Advising Composer on the development of the piece, notation, and print preparation. The scholarship panel is looking for a student with a passion to compose and a desire to learn.
SCORE SUBMISSION CRITERIA
- The score must be written for Flute plus TWO of the following string instruments: Violin, Viola, AND/OR Cello [possible trio configurations: FL/VN/VA, FL/VN/VC, or FL/VA/VC].
- The duration of the draft score must be a minimum of 30 seconds and no longer than 15 minutes.
- The score can be any genre of music e.g. rock, classical, jazz, etc.
- The score must be unpublished and never performed by a professional ensemble.
- A student may include an additional part for electronics; however, if a student writes for electronics, they must provide the equipment for performance and run the equipment themself.
THE STUDENT RECEIVES:
- 5 mentoring sessions with the advising composer during the period of June – August 2022. Mentoring sessions will be a combination of Zoom and in-person.
- A professional score reading session with SFCMP in the late summer/fall of 2022.
- Feedback on the performed piece by the advising composer and the musicians.
- A video recording of the reading session.
- A pair of season tickets to SFCMP’s upcoming season concerts.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY
- Students enrolled in high school during the spring term of 2023.
- Students whose permanent address is in the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA or Sacramento-Roseville Combined Statistical Areas
- Students available for 5 hours of mentoring sessions during the time period of June-Aug 2023. Sessions will be a combination of Zoom and in-person (if available).
- Students available for a reading session in late summer/fall 2023, in person, in San Francisco, and with the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE
May 1, 2023 at 11:59 Pacific. The winner will be notified by mid-May.
HOW TO APPLY
Send an email to director@sfcmp.org with the information listed below.
Please provide the following information in the body of the email:
- Use the Subject line “Scholarship 2023 entry”
- Address the email to “Dear Scholarship Committee”
- Provide applicant’s information: student’s full name, grade level, phone number, email address
- Provide the name and phone number of the person giving a recommendation.
- Provide the name, email address and phone number of one of the student’s guardian(s)
Please attach the following information:
- Attach the score (duration min. 30 sec and no longer than 15 min)
- Attach one letter of recommendation signed by the endorsing teacher/mentor
- Attach one high-res image of you (informal is okay!)
- Attach or enclose a bio (max 200 words)
- Attach one letter from a guardian stating approval of the mentoring sessions and approval to submit a video
- Attach a video or provide a link to the video (max 2 min.)
For questions about this application please contact Richard Aldag, Executive Director at director@sfcmp.org
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION
(Q) Is it possible to submit a draft score for piano or another instrument and transcribe it during the mentoring sessions?
(A) Yes, but not encouraged. Try writing for the trio and the advising composer will help you develop the piece.
ABOUT BRIAN BAUMBUSCH
Brian Baumbusch is a composer based in Alameda, California, whose “harmonically vivid… intense… simmering” (NY Times) compositions push the boundaries of new music. He has spearheaded projects of both western and non-western music, which are considered a “cultural treat” (Maryland Gazette). His 2015 composition, “Hydrogen(2)Oxygen” for the JACK Quartet and Lightbulb Ensemble is described by the Washington Post as being “exuberantly complex, maddeningly beautiful, and as intoxicating as a drug.” He has headlined performances at the Bali Arts Festival in Denpasar, The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, The Clarice Smith Center of Maryland, and The Yerba Buena Center of San Francisco, among others. He has collaborated with musicians such as The JACK Quartet, I Made Subandi, Pauline Oliveros, David Behrman, Paul Dresher, and Larry Polansky.
ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO CONTEMPORARY MUSIC PLAYERS
San Francisco Contemporary Music Players is Northern California’s longest standing and largest new music ensemble, comprised of twenty-two highly skilled musicians. For more than 50 years, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players have created innovative and artistically excellent music and are one of the most active ensembles in the United States dedicated to contemporary music. Holding an important role in the regional and national cultural landscape, the Contemporary Music Players are a 2018 awardee of the esteemed Fromm Foundation Ensemble Prize, and a ten-time winner of the CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming. The Players have performed more than 1,200 works by over 600 composers; over 300 of these performances have been premieres, and the organization has commissioned over 80 major works including pieces from composers such as John Adams, John Cage, Earle Brown, Olly Wilson, Michael Gordon, Du Yun, Myra Melford, and Julia Wolfe. The Contemporary Players have been presented by leading cultural festivals and concert series including San Francisco Performances, Los Angeles Monday Evening Concerts, Cal Performances, the Stern Grove Festival, the Festival of New American Music at CSU Sacramento, the Ojai Festival, and France’s prestigious MANCA Festival. The Contemporary Music Players nourish the creation and dissemination of new works through world-class performances, commissions, and community and education programs. The Players perform the music of composers from across cultures and stylistic traditions who are creating a vast and vital 21st-century musical language featuring the work of iconic and emerging composers while shining a spotlight on works for large ensemble and California artists.
PREVIOUS SCHOLARSHIP AWARDEES AND ADVISING COMPOSERS
2022 Sebastian Lopez Bossi, Advising composer Amadeus Regucera
2021 Siddharth Pant, Advising composers Edward Simon and Artistic Director Eric Dudley
2020 Zak Mustille and Emile Serper. Advising composers Gloria Justen and Artistic Director Eric Dudley
2019 Kellan Ta. Advising Composer, Vivian Fung
2018 Nick Main. Advising composer, Kurt Rohde
2017 Wyatt Cannon. Advising composer, Belinda Reynolds
2016 W. Alyssa Deocampo. Advising composer, Ralph Burnett