The Festival is a summer of immersive music-making in which composition and contemporary music are an integral part of its fabric and history. Each year I look forward to returning to Maine to work with devoted colleagues and young composers whose passion for music and commitment to excellence continues to propel the Festival to greater artistic heights.
Program Overview
The Festival’s Composition Program features ample opportunities for participants’ works to be performed, recorded, and videotaped, along with readings by an internationally acclaimed ensemble, and a collaboration with the Bowdoin Museum of Art. Students work with composers-in-residence Derek Bermel and Andreia Pinto Correia as well as with distinguished guest composers. The Gamper Festival of Contemporary Music, now in its 62nd season, presents three full concerts of music by living composers.
Esteemed guests have included George Crumb, Kaija Sariaaho, Chen Yi, William Bolcom, Tania León, Kenneth Hesketh, Samuel Adler, Gabriela Lena Frank, Sebastian Currier, Dai Fujikura, Joan Tower, John Harbison, Melinda Wagner, Aaron Jay Kernis, Steven Mackey, Missy Mazzoli, Juri Seo, Augusta Read Thomas, Amy Williams, Elizabeth Ogonek, and Zhou Long. Guest ensembles include the JACK Quartet, Sō Percussion, Ensemble Dal Niente, Music from Copland House, Hub New Music, and Talea Ensemble.
Summer 2027 guest composers are Shulamit Ran and Felipe Lara, and the guest ensemble is the internationally recognized percussion/piano quartet Yarn/Wire.
Visit ADMISSIONS HOME for information about program fees, student life, and the application process.
