Details

The Basics

All young composers who participated in the project wrote a short composition (five minutes or less) for oboe duet, trumpet and french horn, violin and cello, or viola duet. In addition, participants werel each be paired with a Composer-Mentor, who gave them constructive feedback as they wrote their short pieces. Approximately halfway through the cycle (in March), participants had the opportunity to hear their in-progress pieces read by student musicians at The Juilliard School. Then, in April, students at Juilliard read and record the finished pieces, and the participants received edited video and audio recordings.

Eligibility

We looked for participants who:

• Were 16 years old or younger at the time of application

• Had some experience writing music in the past and could notate their compositions on staff paper/sheet music

• Had very few (if any) opportunities for their music to be performed

We included 16 young composers in the 2023 Cycle, and they hailed from 9 US states and 3 countries!

Writing the Music

Once applicants are accepted into The NowBeat Project - 2023 Cycle, they each wrote a piece for oboe duet, trumpet and french horn, violin and cello, or viola duet . They spent between February and April working to write a short piece for the ensemble they selected.

Connecting with Composer-Mentors

Once applicants were accepted into The NowBeat Project - 2023 Cycle, they were paired with one of our talented and motivated Composer-Mentors, all of whom are undergraduate or graduate music composition students at The Juilliard School, Columbia University, Mannes School of Music at The New School, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at NYU, and the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. Each participant met with their respective Composer-Mentor several times between February and April to receive informal, constructive feedback about their composition.

Click here to learn more about our amazing Composer-Mentors!

Reading the Music

In March, participants had the opportunity to submit their in-progress pieces (including scores & parts) to be read by wonderful young musicians who are currently students at The Juilliard School. The readings took place on Zoom, allowing participants to tune in in real-time. Each piece was for approximately 15 minutes, and the goal was to give participants the opportunity to hear their music played by real people before they had to turn in the completed version. 

Recording the Music

In April, participants turned in their completed pieces (including scores & parts). Then, each piece was read and recorded by student musicians at The Juilliard School in New York City, NY. After we made sure each recording was up to our standards, we sent each composer their respective recording, which they can then use and publicize as they wish!

Presenting our Concert

On June 10, 2023, we presented our third-annual Virtual Showcase Concert, which featured nine of the completed pieces from the 2023 Cycle. To check out the concert, click here!