Composition V

Composition V is where you stop writing miniatures and commit to a substantial, defensible work — either vocal or for a large chamber ensemble of at least eight players — that holds together stylistically across fifteen-plus minutes of music. The semester is built around your own dossier: you study repertoire and current trends alongside what you're writing, work through textural problems in class, and spend the bulk of your time drafting, orchestrating, and engraving a professional score. It culminates in a jury defense where you have to articulate the intellectual and technical choices behind the piece, which is the real test of whether you can think like a composer rather than just notate like one.