COPLAND HOUSE

Listening to a discussion by composition mentor Derek Bermel

In 2016 Michael was a Fellow at the Copland House’s “CULTIVATE” composition program. Along with 5 other participants, he workshopped his piece “the sky a silver” (recording below) with the Music from Copland House ensemble.

During the week, the group also attended rehearsals of new works by John Corigliano and William Bolcom in NY as part of the 2016 New York Philharmonic Biennale, and kindly gave talks to the composers afterwards.

The Cultivate scheme is a remarkable and extremely valuable experience for any young composer. I personally found it to be one of the best of any of my professional experiences, especially given the quality of musicianship of the players, their openness, and the balance of scheduled work time with free time to provide a space for more relaxed discussion amongst the composers. I recommend it highly!

The extensive grounds at Merestead provide a wonderful environment for music making.