School of Music Indiana University

 

 
 

Crossroads of Traditions 

 

THE SECOND INTER-AMERICAN COMPOSITION WORKSHOP

The Latin American Music Center and the School of Music at Indiana University, with support from the United States Information Agency (USIA,) announce Crossroads of Traditions: The Second Inter- American Composition Workshop for composers from Latin America and the United States.

The workshop will be held for three weeks from June 24 to July 14, 1996, at the Indiana University campus in Bloomington. Participation in the Associate Composer category is open this year to applicants from Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and the United States. Attendance as a conference participant is open to all other composers and interdisciplinary scholars interested in the subject of this workshop.

The Inter-American Composition Workshop aims to provide an environment for intensive and directed exchange of creative ideas and advanced composition techniques.

The subject for the 1996 workshop will be the interaction of the composer with his or her acknowledged tradition and with that of other cultures and historical periods. It is understood that composers themselves define what constitutes their traditions. The participants will explore ethnic and popular music of the Americas and their influence on current art music, as well as the rel ations of contemporary music with that of earlier historical periods and with recent traditions handed down by the modernist movements of our century.

The participants will be guided in their projects and discussions by distinguished composers, conductors, instrumentalists, musicologists, music theorists, ethnomusicologists, and anthropologists. They will also have the opportunity to explore specific traditional and popular instruments and techniques in practical sessions with recognized artists.

Activities

The program will include daily seminars led by the master composers; presentations by master and associate composers; discussions of technical issues with specialists in specific vocal and instrumental techniques; lectures by music and interdisciplinary scholars; and readings and performances of works by the guest artists and associate composers.

The participants will be able to enjoy the concurrent events of the School of Music Summer Festival and the magnificent surroundings of the city of Bloomington.

 

Guests Artists

Confirmed guests are composers Mario Lavista, Juan Orrego-Salas; and conductors Jan Harrington, Carmen Téllez and Thomas Dunn. Remaining guests, who will include one more composer and a group of musicologists and performers, will be announced in th e near future.

Participation Categories

There are two categories of participation.

 

Associate Composers

For each year the workshop is held, the United States Information Agency promotes special attention to specific regions of the Americas. During "Words and Music," the 1994 Inter- American Composition Workshop, USIA sponsored selected composers from Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. In 1996, USIA will fully support the travel, lodging, and per diem of one composer each from Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, and four composers from the United States. Only composers from these countries can apply to the Associate Composer category.

Composers selected for this category will benefit from special dedication to the analysis and performance of their works, as these works reflect the issues under consideration in the workshop. Associate composers will have private sessions with the master composers and performances in concert of their selected compositions. They are also required to present a lecture on their works or on a topic related to the workshop.

 

Workshop Participants

This category is open to all composers and interdisciplinary scholars from the United States and Latin America who are interested in the subject of the workshop.

Applicants accepted as workshop participants will attend all activities and are encouraged to propose lectures on their work or on any issue related to the workshop's topic. However, public performances of works by these participants and private sessions with the master composers cannot be guaranteed. This category involves no financial award from the United States Information Agency for travel and lodging.

Number of Participants

The program will admit nine associate composers from the specially designated countries and a limited number of workshop participants from the United States and Latin America. The number will be determined by the admission jury on the basis of the level of artistic accomplishment of the candidates, the import of the repertory to be performed, and the quality of the lecture proposals, also seeking to balance the different aesthetic positions of the candidates with respect to the subject of discussion.

The applicants who are admitted in either of the two categories will attend the workshop as sponsored participants without a workshop fee payment. However, only associate composers earn the USIA award.

 

Academic credit

The workshop can be taken for one academic credit. There is a credit fee, which must be paid separately to Indiana University regardless of the category of participation or the USIA award.

Applicants must check the appropriate box in the application form to receive information.


Application and competition for admission

All awards, public performances and readings will be assigned through the application and competition process described below.

 

  1. Important Note Composers from Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico who apply for admission as associate composers with consideration for the USIA full awards must be residing in their own countries. They must apply to the USIS Post of their respective United States embassies in their countries. Check for embassy addresses in the workshop's home page menu.

    Composers from the United States applying for either category of conference participant or associate composer must send their application directly to


    Latin American Music Center
    Attn. Crossroads of Traditions
    School of Music
    Indiana University
    Bloomington, IN 47405

    Composers from Latin American countries other than Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico can apply only as workshop participants. They must apply directly to


    Latin American Music Center
    Attn. Crossroads of Traditions
    School of Music
    Indiana University
    Bloomington, IN 47405

  2. Application for the category of Associate Composer
  3. 2.a. In order to apply, the composers must send the following
  4. Completed application form.
  5. Composers from Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico must include proof of nationality (copy of identity card, passport or birth certificate.)
  6. A curriculum vitae, including list of works, documentation of professional training in recognized musical institutions or with established composers, and two letters of recommendation.
  7. Selective documentation of applicant's professional activities, including press clippings, reviews, and commercial and/or concert recordings.
  8. Score(s) of the work(s) to be considered in the competition, according to the specifications stated below in 2.b. Tapes are recommended as an aid to the evaluation, but they cannot substitute for a missing score.
  9. A proposal for a lecture/presentation.
  10. A statement of the composer's relationship to one or more identified musical tradition and the utilization of such traditions in the proposed works.
  11. For U.S. composers, a self-addressed envelope to return the scores. The Latin American Music Center respectfully requests the opportunity of including the Latin American works in its archive.
  12. 2.b. The work(s) must correspond to any of the following formats
  13. Works for solo instruments or solo voice.
  14. Works for ensembles of voices, of instruments, or of mixed voices and instruments that do not involve more than 24 performers, including the conductor.
  15. Works with or without text.
  16. Works with or without a scenic or dramatic component.
  17. Works involving ethnic, popular, or nonconventional instruments. Performance will proceed as long as the Latin American Music Center can procure the instrument, or the composer provides a way for obtaining it or substituting it.
  18. Works for mixed media or electroacoustic compositions, for tape alone, or tape and live instrument(s) [including electronic instruments, computer or sound processing], with or without voice. Viability of production of these and the electroacoustic works will be determined upon evaluation of detailed technical specifications provided by the composer.

     

  19. 2.c. Composers must submit legible copies, printed on both sides and bound. Composers should not send original manuscripts. Those selected as associate composers will provide copies of all scores and parts needed for performance. Works submitted without stamped self-addressed envelopes will be donated to the archives of the Latin American Music Center and to the School of Music Library.
  20. 2.d. To win any of the USIA awards, composers must demonstrate the following characteristics, which will be considered by the jury
  21. Outstanding technical proficiency and originality of musical thought.
  22. Accomplished and/or innovative use of materials, instruments, or compositional techniques derived from an acknowledged tradition, as expressed in the personal statement.
  23. Intellectual curiosity, experience, and ability to discuss the issues chosen by the workshop in an academic setting, as demonstrated in the personal statement, recommendations, curriculum vitae, and professional trajectory.

     

  24. 2.e. The jury will not advocate any style of composition, and will judge each composer according to the intrinsic success of the work. The works should be reasonably classified as "art-music," even if popular, folk or fusion elements are employed. Without superseding individual artistic merit, the jury will try to achieve a balanced group of composers representing different aesthetics and techniques. The jury is obiged to grant all the awards to the composers selected from the above mentioned group of countries.
  25. 2.f. Composers not accepted in the Associate Composer category will be automatically considered for the workshop participant category.
  26. 2.g. Application deadline and announcement of results.
    Composers from Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and the United States are requested to apply by January 1, 1996 (reception date). Results and awards will be announced by February 15, 1996.

     

  27. Application for Workshop Participation
  28. 3.a. Composers and interdisciplinary scholars wishing to be considered as workshop participants must submit the following
  29. Completed application form.
  30. A curriculum vitae, including list of works and/or publications, documentation of professional training in recognized musical institutions or with established teachers, and two letters of recommendation.
  31. Selective documentation of applicant's professional activities, including press clippings, reviews, and commercial and/or concert recordings.
  32. Selected representative scores, recordings and/or writings.
  33. A proposal for a lecture/presentation (not mandatory).
  34. Stamped, self-addressed envelope. In its absence, the materials submitted will be automatically donated to the archives of the Latin American Music Center.
  35. 3.b. Application deadline and announcement of results. Applicants from the United States and Latin America must apply by or before Frebuary 1 (reception date). The results will be announced by March 15, 1996.

 Please email questions or consultations to
Latin American Music Center:
lamc@indiana.edu

 Please email sugestions or comments to
Erick Carballo:
carballo@indiana.edu