songSPARKS Composer Program
The Collaborative Piano Institute is proud to announce songSPARKS, led by Sparks & Wiry Cries’ co-founders Martha Guth and Erika Switzer. From June 8th to 16th at the University of Michigan, songSPARKS will gather established and emerging composers alongside song performers to develop and share new works through dialogue, workshop, and world premiere performances showcasing the work of our accepted applicants.
Our featured faculty composers in this inaugural year are Shawn Okpebholo and Juhi Bansal, complemented by program directors, pianist Erika Switzer and soprano Martha Guth, and poet Susan Stewart.
Accepted composers can expect to bring early drafts of two songs to develop during their time at the program, with each composer selecting one of their poems from our faculty poet to set alongside another poem of their own choice. Composers will receive:
- A pre-program virtual meeting with composition faculty, including Shawn Okpebholo and Juhi Bansal, to speak about text setting and the new compositions to be brought to the program in draft form
- Composition lessons, workshop, and coaching of their new pieces; sessions on the business of composition and commission; sessions on text setting with faculty poet Susan Stewart; faculty lectures; and a public performance of their world premiere songs by talented student performers.
