Frequently asked questions
Q: What kind of composer should apply to Connecticut Summerfest?
A: Any composer who is interested in a collaborative, in-depth, educational, exploratory experience! We value relationships at Connecticut Summerfest; this is not the festival to “just get another premiere.” Our festival composers work collaboratively with our ensembles-in-residence, while also expanding their creative community by getting to know other festival composers, our composition faculty, guest lecturers, and staff. Check out testimonials from past festival composers!
Q: What kind of composer should not apply to Connecticut Summerfest?
A: Composers who do not wish to work collaboratively; are not interested in forming lasting, meaningful artistic relationships; and are not respectful of all musical styles and backgrounds are discouraged from applying to Connecticut Summerfest.
Q: How much is tuition for the Connecticut Summerfest 2024 Composition Program? Are scholarships available?
A: Tuition for those accepted is $1400, which we are proud to say decreases every single season! Connecticut Summerfest embarked on our long-term Tuition Free Initiative, generously kickstarted by a 2020 Impact Award from the Eileen Weiser Fund at the EXCEL Lab, University of Michigan.
A non-refundable deposit of $250 is to be submitted within 7 days of acceptance to confirm a position on our roster. Two types of scholarship are available for accepted composers: the Gender Diversity Scholarship and the Composers of Color Scholarship. Please check the appropriate boxes on your application to be considered for these scholarships.
Q: Although Connecticut Summerfest has a pay-what-you-wish application fee, why is the suggested fee $30?
A: One of the founding principles of Connecticut Summerfest was to create a summer composition program accessible to composers of all backgrounds. One of our primary ways of doing this is keeping our recommended application fee low--$30 was our former Early Bird Application fee--and our 2024 Composition Program application is pay-what-you-wish. No composer will be turned away due to an inability to pay the application fee. We want any composer to be able to apply to Connecticut Summerfest, regardless of their financial situation.
Furthermore, part of Connecticut Summerfest’s mission is to amplify the voices of composers from historically underrepresented groups. It is important to us that these composers are included in our application pool and go on to have the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from our ensembles-in-residence, composition faculty, and guest lecturers. We are proud to be a platform for emerging composers, and we specifically seek to amplify art by composers of color and gender diverse composers.
When you apply to Connecticut Summerfest, four adjudicators are carefully listening to up to 15 minutes of your music. Every single submitted work is critically evaluated, scored, and given feedback, and we compensate our adjudicators for these professional assessments. In order to provide a fair evaluation to all applicants, we engage an independent board of adjudicators each year and require that all scores and recordings be anonymous.
Q: Who will be adjudicating these anonymous applications?
A: The application adjudicators for Connecticut Summerfest 2024 are Lindsay Kesselman (soprano of 2023 ensemble-in-residence Haven Trio), Andrey Stolyarov (composer and educator), Gilda Lyons (2024 composition faculty), and Jeff Scott (2024 composition faculty). Our 2024 Composition Program application will be open in Fall 2024.
Q: What is the Auditor Program and what does it include?
A: The Connecticut Summerfest Auditor Program allows composers to expand their creative community while engaging in many meaningful educational and artistically exploratory sessions. This program is meant for composers who cannot afford our current tuition cost, cannot add a new piece to their spring compositional schedule, or cannot attend our entire week-long festival. Accessibility is important to us, which is why we have recently embarked on our long-term Tuition Free Initiative as well.
Connecticut Summerfest 2024 Auditors are composers who wish to attend Connecticut Summerfest in-person in West Hartford, CT, either by commuting to festival events if they are local or by residing in the dormitory if they are joining us from far away. Auditing composers will have the opportunity to attend all composition faculty presentations, composition seminars, guest lectures, and concerts. Auditing composers may also meet one-on-one with Joshua DeVries, Founder and Creative Director of our publishing partner, Just a Theory Press, to discuss possible publication of their music, if desired. Auditing composers will not present their music at composition seminars, have private lessons with composition faculty, or write a new work for one of our ensembles-in-residence.
Q: How do I apply to the Auditor Program?
A: Registration for Connecticut Summerfest's 2024 Auditor Programs will open in spring 2024. Registration will be on a first come, first served basis. Questions? Please reach out via our Contact Form.
A: Any composer who is interested in a collaborative, in-depth, educational, exploratory experience! We value relationships at Connecticut Summerfest; this is not the festival to “just get another premiere.” Our festival composers work collaboratively with our ensembles-in-residence, while also expanding their creative community by getting to know other festival composers, our composition faculty, guest lecturers, and staff. Check out testimonials from past festival composers!
Q: What kind of composer should not apply to Connecticut Summerfest?
A: Composers who do not wish to work collaboratively; are not interested in forming lasting, meaningful artistic relationships; and are not respectful of all musical styles and backgrounds are discouraged from applying to Connecticut Summerfest.
Q: How much is tuition for the Connecticut Summerfest 2024 Composition Program? Are scholarships available?
A: Tuition for those accepted is $1400, which we are proud to say decreases every single season! Connecticut Summerfest embarked on our long-term Tuition Free Initiative, generously kickstarted by a 2020 Impact Award from the Eileen Weiser Fund at the EXCEL Lab, University of Michigan.
A non-refundable deposit of $250 is to be submitted within 7 days of acceptance to confirm a position on our roster. Two types of scholarship are available for accepted composers: the Gender Diversity Scholarship and the Composers of Color Scholarship. Please check the appropriate boxes on your application to be considered for these scholarships.
Q: Although Connecticut Summerfest has a pay-what-you-wish application fee, why is the suggested fee $30?
A: One of the founding principles of Connecticut Summerfest was to create a summer composition program accessible to composers of all backgrounds. One of our primary ways of doing this is keeping our recommended application fee low--$30 was our former Early Bird Application fee--and our 2024 Composition Program application is pay-what-you-wish. No composer will be turned away due to an inability to pay the application fee. We want any composer to be able to apply to Connecticut Summerfest, regardless of their financial situation.
Furthermore, part of Connecticut Summerfest’s mission is to amplify the voices of composers from historically underrepresented groups. It is important to us that these composers are included in our application pool and go on to have the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from our ensembles-in-residence, composition faculty, and guest lecturers. We are proud to be a platform for emerging composers, and we specifically seek to amplify art by composers of color and gender diverse composers.
When you apply to Connecticut Summerfest, four adjudicators are carefully listening to up to 15 minutes of your music. Every single submitted work is critically evaluated, scored, and given feedback, and we compensate our adjudicators for these professional assessments. In order to provide a fair evaluation to all applicants, we engage an independent board of adjudicators each year and require that all scores and recordings be anonymous.
Q: Who will be adjudicating these anonymous applications?
A: The application adjudicators for Connecticut Summerfest 2024 are Lindsay Kesselman (soprano of 2023 ensemble-in-residence Haven Trio), Andrey Stolyarov (composer and educator), Gilda Lyons (2024 composition faculty), and Jeff Scott (2024 composition faculty). Our 2024 Composition Program application will be open in Fall 2024.
Q: What is the Auditor Program and what does it include?
A: The Connecticut Summerfest Auditor Program allows composers to expand their creative community while engaging in many meaningful educational and artistically exploratory sessions. This program is meant for composers who cannot afford our current tuition cost, cannot add a new piece to their spring compositional schedule, or cannot attend our entire week-long festival. Accessibility is important to us, which is why we have recently embarked on our long-term Tuition Free Initiative as well.
Connecticut Summerfest 2024 Auditors are composers who wish to attend Connecticut Summerfest in-person in West Hartford, CT, either by commuting to festival events if they are local or by residing in the dormitory if they are joining us from far away. Auditing composers will have the opportunity to attend all composition faculty presentations, composition seminars, guest lectures, and concerts. Auditing composers may also meet one-on-one with Joshua DeVries, Founder and Creative Director of our publishing partner, Just a Theory Press, to discuss possible publication of their music, if desired. Auditing composers will not present their music at composition seminars, have private lessons with composition faculty, or write a new work for one of our ensembles-in-residence.
Q: How do I apply to the Auditor Program?
A: Registration for Connecticut Summerfest's 2024 Auditor Programs will open in spring 2024. Registration will be on a first come, first served basis. Questions? Please reach out via our Contact Form.