SUPPORT YOUR SYMPHONY

The Young Composers Workshop (participants from last season pictured here in Octave 9) starts a whole new chapter in the 2023/2024 season with electroacoustic composition. Photo by James Holt.
 

The Seattle Symphony is excited to announce the 2023/2024 Merriman-Ross Family Young Composers Workshop, with a first-time focus on electroacoustic composition. From January to May, nine talented students from the Puget Sound region will explore this innovative genre, guided by the expertise of 2023/2024 Workshop Director Marcin Pączkowski, an acclaimed composer and electronic music specialist. His focus is developing new ways of creating and performing computer music, and his pieces involving real-time gestural control using accelerometers have been performed in the United States, Poland, Canada and South Korea. As the Music Director of Evergreen Community Orchestra, he presents concerts of diverse repertoire to local communities.

This season’s workshop is unlike any before as students will master the art of blending electronic sounds with live symphony instruments while utilizing the advanced technology of Benaroya Hall’s Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center. This experience will not only refine their compositional skills in merging electronic and acoustic elements but also broaden their artistic perspectives. The Seattle Symphony looks forward to including students with interest in a broader variety of musical genres, exploring beyond the classical realm and fostering a multitude of creative approaches and ideas. 

“I am looking forward to directing the Seattle Symphony’s Young Composers Workshop this season, and including a stronger emphasis on electroacoustic music than ever before,” said Pączkowski. “During the workshop, students will become explorers of sound and embrace a new sonic universe through their music — let’s open up our compositions to all sounds!” 

“The 2023/2024 Young Composers Workshop will push students to redefine the boundaries of where music can venture, fusing electronic and symphonic instruments together using the incredible technology found in Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center,” said Seattle Symphony Senior Director of Education & Community Engagement Jérémy Jolley. “Under the guidance of Marcin Pączkowski, one of the finest in the field, and working in collaboration with Seattle Symphony musicians, our young composers will take full advantage of Octave 9, using the space as an incubator of expression and art.” 

After months of preparation and workshopping their scores, the young composers’ works will be brought to life in two final concerts performed by Seattle Symphony musicians in the Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center. The concerts, open to the public and free of charge, take place on Sunday, June 2, at 6 and 7:30pm. Reservations are recommended; walk-ups are also welcome. 
 

The Merriman-Ross Family Young Composers Workshop is generously underwritten by Pamela Merriman, Sonja Ross, and Kelley Ross.  

Additional support for The Merriman-Ross Family Young Composers Workshop is provided by Patricia M. Davis, Ann Holbrook, and Michel and Christine Suignard.  

The Seattle Symphony’s Family, School & Community programs are supported by 4Culture, the Arakawa Foundation, Marco Argenti, ArtsFund, Delta Air Lines, Merriman-Ross Family, the National Endowment for the Arts, and individual contributions to the Seattle Symphony Annual Fund.