CULTIVATE 2020 takes place June 7-15 at Copland’s National Historic Landmark home in upstate New York and its primary public venue at the nearby Merestead estate.  A peer-review composer jury selects six composers for Copland House’s flagship, all-scholarship, creative workshop and mentoring program. Fellows are commissioned for a chamber composition (5’-7’) as the focus of an intensive week of daily individual and collective rehearsals and work sessions mentored by CULTIVATE’s Grammy-nominated Director Derek Bermel and Music from Copland House. After the new works are read, Fellows dive deeply into a weeklong immersion with Bermel and MCH preparing, considering, and revising the pieces in a safe-space combining rigor and community to encourage risk and experimentation. Enhancing the week’s experience are evening, career-centered discussions with prominent, visionary industry leaders (publishing, recording, management, promotion, law). Ample daily down-time allows for Fellows’ reflection. Two World Premiere performances of each fully-honed work conclude the week on MCH’s series at Merestead and the City University of New York’s Graduate Center, which telecasts that concert on CUNY-TV to a large regional audience, providing Fellows with considerable media exposure, and portfolio-ready audio and three-camera productions.