Hello! We would like to invite up to eight CSYO/Nouveau students to participate in a collaborative composition project called “Cincinnati, From Scratch”. Over the course of the project, students will learn about extended techniques, dive into an overview of non-traditional notational styles, and ultimately write a short solo or duo piece of their own. At the end of the project, teaching artists Joe Bricker (percussion) and Hannah Christiansen (violin) will premiere the new pieces and professionally record all of the student works; students are invited to attend the recording sessions in-person for maximum creative input in bringing their pieces to life. Check out these recordings from Spring 2025, Fall 2024, and Spring 2024 and recordings to see pieces from previous students!
HOW WILL THIS WORK?
The first six sessions will be focused on learning about different styles of notated and non-notated music and modern performance technique. The remaining five sessions will be one-on-one work with teaching artists/contemporary performers Joe Bricker and Hannah Christiansen as you write pieces for some combination of violin and percussion instruments.
WHAT IF I’VE NEVER WRITTEN MUSIC BEFORE?
That’s great! No composition background is necessary for this project.
WHAT IS THE TIME COMMITMENT?
Workshops will be one hour each and we will meet about once per week in the fall semester for six weeks via Zoom. These first six weeks will be group meetings with all participants and both teaching artists; we will come up with a schedule that works for all of us once participants are finalized. In the spring semester, we will schedule five one-on-one sessions with each student to work in depth on the new pieces. These sessions will be scheduled individually between the students and the teaching artists.
During the fall semester, there will be very little outside work; all we ask is that you come to the sessions with an open mind and whatever questions you have. As you begin to develop your pieces, you may want to work independently between sessions. In the spring, compositional goals and weekly work outside of sessions will be determined individually between student and teaching artist. We understand that spring is a very busy time of year with school, auditions, and juries all happening and want this work to be a fun and creative supplement, not draining your time and energy!
The workshops will begin in late September/early October 2025, and the performance and recording sessions will take place in early May; dates will be finalized once participants are confirmed. The planned performance is currently scheduled for Sunday May 24th in the afternoon, and the recording session will be Monday, May 25th, Memorial Day (of which you’ll only be required to attend for one hour).
WHAT IF I HAVE PLAYED A LOT OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC OR WRITTEN A PIECE ALREADY?
That’s great too! We can’t wait to hear about your experience and build upon what you already know.
WHAT GOOD IS THIS PROGRAM ANYWAY?
This program offers a unique opportunity to take any idea you have and bring it to life! For students considering a career in music, this kind of experience covers so many skills you’ll need: contemporary music skills, composition skills, creative thinking/problem solving skills, and also provides you with a great video for your resume or any applications in the future. Our alumni have gone onto schools like Eastman and Curtis and have won awards, grants, and other composing fellowships. We also regularly have additional opportunities for young composers to expand the reach of their work!
WHO ARE JOE AND HANNAH?
Joe Bricker is the Associate Principal Timpani/Percussionist with the Cincinnati Symphony. He has done a bunch of different things within music: he’s played with orchestras all over the world, written and recorded music for advertisements, built new band programs in schools, and created new works with lots of people, including golfer Tiger Woods and tons of composers. Joe has spent a lot of time working with young composers to develop their ideas about percussion and helping their visions come to life. He studied at the Juilliard School and DePaul University.
Hannah Christiansen is a freelance violinist based in Chicago. Her musical life takes on many forms; currently she is the violinist for the Varo String Quartet and also plays with the Milwaukee Symphony. She loves to experiment with new ways of producing sound on the violin and has worked on creating new pieces with students at Northwestern, the University of Chicago, and Roosevelt University as well as many other composers. She studied at Oberlin Conservatory and Northwestern University.
WHO CAN I TALK TO IF I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS?
You are welcome to reach out to us with any questions at joe.bricker@gmail.com and hannahlchristiansen@gmail.com. You can also ask any of our alumni what their experience was like if you want a first-hand account!
HOW DO I APPLY?
We’re so glad you’re interested! Here is the application timeline:
September 6th: Applications open at this link
September 21st: Applications close
September 23rd: Selected participants notified
Early October: Workshops begin!
