Society for New Music

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Composer's Sandbox Summer Intensive with the Society for New Music, June 2–15, 2024

The Hobart and William Smith Colleges Composer's Sandbox Summer Intensive is an opportunity for composers in the early stages of their career to study with a renowned faculty of composers. Students selected for the acclaimed Society for New Music. The two-week-long Intensive will culminate in a performance and recording of their work by the Society for New Music All Stars.

Program

  • Daily meetings with composition faculty to discuss works in progress
  • Faculty-led composition seminars that provide evaluative and formative feedback on student work
  • Improvisation workshops
  • 48-hour composition challenge
  • Composition/orchestration seminars
  • A seminar on entrepreneurship: building marketing skills as a composer

Faculty

  • Mark Olivieri
    Composer/Director Composer's Sandbox
    Hobart and William Smith Colleges
  • Jennifer Bellor
    Assistant Professor of Composition and Theory
    University of Nevada, Las Vegas
  • Marc Mellits
    Associate Professor
    University of Illinois
    School of Theater and Music
  • Douwe Eisenga
    Freelance Composer
    Netherlands

Lodging and Meals

  • Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included
  • Bed linens included; towels on request
  • Early check-in or late check-out can be accommodated upon request

Tuition: $2,200
Room and Board (optional): $750

DEADLINE EXTENDED: April 20, 2024 (midnight EST)
Applications reviewed on a rolling basis. All submissions will be contacted with a decision and information for further steps.

For more information or to apply, visit composerssandbox.org

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Neva Pilgrim: In Memoriam

In Tribute – Neva Pilgrim (1938-2024)

For over six decades Neva Pilgrim served as a guiding light in the music community, her influence extending far beyond Central New York. A highly respected singer specializing in new music, she worked with many of the foremost composers of the late 20th century and had a national profile with many recording credits. She advocated tirelessly for new music, composers, and musicians throughout her life, founding the Society for New Music in 1971 with the mission of presenting and promoting new music and the vitality of the broader music community.

For over 52 years Neva ran SNM from her home, growing the Society and its programs to include a year-round season of over 30 concerts, including the month-long summer arts festival Cazenovia Counterpoint. Under her guidance SNM has commissioned new works every year by Central New York-based composers; staged several chamber operas, including several celebrating the history and cultural figures of New York State; and produced the annual Vision of Sound programs. SNM has released recordings of works from over 36 composers commissioned by the ensemble. A recently released recording won a SAMMY and was nominated for a Grammy. SNM is the oldest year-round new music ensemble in the state outside of New York City. Under Neva’s leadership SNM has received awards and recognitions from ASCAP, Chamber Music America, the American Music Center, and the American Composers Alliance, and has received numerous grants from NYSCA, the National Endowment for the Arts, and other foundations and funds supporting the arts.

For 27 years Neva produced the weekly new music radio show Fresh Ink on WCNY Classic FM, which she also hosted for the last 20 years. The show reached audiences nationally and even internationally. Her knowledge of new music and composers was encyclopedic, and her programming prowess and radio presence made new music accessible across the radio station’s local and streaming audiences, reaching around the globe.

Neva was also a sought-after and greatly respected teacher, known for her deep technical understanding of the voice; she served on the voice faculty at both Syracuse University and Colgate University, as well as teaching in her own studio. She personally coached and rehearsed the singers in the many vocal works and chamber operas that SNM produced. Another cause especially important to her was supporting young and emerging musicians and composers; her initiatives in this area included the Rising Stars program and Young Composers Corner (both part of Cazenovia Counterpoint), and Composers in Schools.

Finally, Neva was regarded as one of the true pillars of the music and artistic community in Upstate New York. Her work brought together multiple generations of musicians from around the region, gave them encouragement and artistic opportunities, forged collaborations with artists across disciplines, and helped demystify new music and bring it to new audiences. She was one of those individuals who continually elevated and transformed her community and the countless individuals whose lives she touched. The composer Robert Morris aptly described Neva as a “bodhisattva of new music” – a being who works tirelessly for the benefit of others. As we work to carry on her vision, we are inspired daily by her boundless energy, by her selflessness in service to new music, musicians, and the arts, and by the grace and beauty she brought into the world.

To make a donation in memory of Neva, click below or send a check to:
Society for New Music Treasurer
109 Military Dr.
Manlius, NY 13104

Donate

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Thank You to Our 2023 Cazenovia Counterpoint Advertisers

Society for New Music thanks these advertisers for their support of the Cazenovia Counterpoint festival in the village during July.

20/EAST
Alan Byer Volvo
Artist Pianos
Buyea’s True Value Hardware
Cazenovia Artisans
Caz Arts Creative Alliance
Cazenovia Heritage
Cazenovia Jewelry
Cazenovia Preservation Foundation Music in the Meadow
Cazenovia Public Library
Cazenovia Republican
Cazenovia Welcomes Refugees
Central New York Community Foundation
CNY Latino
Community Bank
Crouse Hospital
Darco Manufacturing
Dave’s Diner and Purpose Coffee
Edgewood Gallery
Everson Museum
First Presbyterian Church of Cazenovia
Golden Paints.
H. Grey Supply Co.
Hamilton College Music
Hansen's Advisory
Hematology-Oncology Associates of CNY
Horned Dorset Inn
Howard Hanna Real Estate and Pewter Spoon
Judy Winslow Realtor
Kerner & Merchant
The Key
Leigh Baldwin & Co Investment Brokerage
LeMoyne College
Lincklaen House
MacKinnon Liquors
Manlius Pebble Hill School
Route 20 Sofa Company
Skaneateles Festival
St. James Catholic Church
St. Peter's Episcopal Church
Stone Canoe
Stone Quarry Hill Art Park
Symphoria
Syracuse Friends of Chamber Music
Syracuse Shakespeare in the Park
Syracuse Stage
Syracuse University Setnor School of Music
WRVO-FM

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