The Symposium
2021 ONLINE SYMPOSIUM
June 28 - July 2 & August 2-6
COMPOSITION | GUITAR
CHAMBER PERFORMANCE
The Twisted Spruce Online Symposium enables advancement of musicianship through composition, critical career skills, and project development for guitarists and composers.
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The Symposium is divided into two, one-week sessions that are spaced one month apart. The first week, June 28- July 2, introduces students to key concepts through classes and facilitates participants to engage with each other. At the end of the first week, students break away in groups and work together on a composition and performance project. During the week of August 2-6, the students and instructors convene for individual consultations on projects.
Students
Students interested in advancing their musicianship and understanding of compositional techniques and contemporary music stylistic practices for guitar should register for the Twisted Spruce Online Symposium.
Composition Registration
Participation in Core Classes
Project development workshops
Musicianship and notation
Pairing workshop (with guitarist)
Career skills workshops
Composition Competition (details below)
Guitar Registration
Participation in Core Classes
Project development workshops
Musicianship and notation
Pairing workshop (with composer)
Career skills workshops
Possibility to be featured in 2021 festival
Auditor Registration
Open access to observe classes, and access to 2021 World Ensemble animation Pre-Screening
Registration Level
Registration Fee
Composition
Guitar
Auditors
Fees
$30.00
$180.00
$180.00
$75.00
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2021 Participants
Twisted Spruce Participants
Students interested in advancing their musicianship, technique, or understanding of composition technique and stylistic practices for guitar should register for the Twisted Spruce Music Festival. Students are encouraged to share work samples of recent performances, video samples, or scores to enable
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Participants younger than 18 are welcome to attend but must have consent of their parents. Parents will sign a consent form during the registration process.
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Composition Lessons: students are free to work on any repertoire regardless of orchestration. We recommend composers select pieces that represent their best work. Lessons are 40-minutes long.
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Guitar Masterclasses students are free to play works from any stylistic period in masterclasses. We recommend guitarists select pieces they are most comfortable with. Lessons are 40-minutes long.
Composition Registration
Composition Competition (details below)
Daily guitar technique classes
Daily musicianship and notation
Composer pairing workshop
One guitar lesson
Three arranging or composition lesson
Open access to audit all lessons
*Open access to all concerts (2022)
*Daily breakfast - coffee and snacks on site (2022)
*Daily catered lunch (2022)
Guitar Registration
Perform chamber and solo works in the festival
Daily technique classes
Daily musicianship and notation
Composer pairing workshop
Guitar masterclasses
One arranging and/or composition lesson
Open access to audit all lessons
*Open access to all concerts (2022)
*Daily breakfast - coffee and snacks on site (2022)
*Daily catered lunch (2022)
Composition Competition
Composition students who participate in the Twisted Spruce curriculum will have until Sept 15, 2021 to complete the work they began during the festival. Compositions by finalists will receive free tuition and have their works premiered during the 2021 Composition | Guitar Festival. First prize, and honorable mentions winners will be named.
Auditor Registration (2022)
Open access to audit all classes and lessons
Open access to all concerts
Breakfast - coffee and snacks on site
Catered lunch
2021 Competition
Registration Deadline: Sunday, May 30, 2021 - midnight
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The Twisted Spruce Competition is about collaboration between composers and guitarists (C-G). Prizewinners will be decided upon by the overall creativity of their project, quality of the score, and quality of the recording. Please see the list of important dates below.
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Guitar performance must include a video recording of three works: a work composed on or after January 1, 1991; a virtual performance for violin or piano and guitar; and the work that is composed in collaboration during the 2021 symposium.
First place collaborative team will be invited to open the August 2022 Festival in Colorado Springs, CO. Top prize for the guitarist is a handmade concert guitar by Wilson Burnham. Top prize for composition is $500.00 for a short chamber work to be premiered at the 2022 Festival in Colorado Springs and performed by the World Ensemble and set to animation.
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Registrants for the competition must also attend the symposium. One of our aims is to create an environment for sharing ideas and contributing to the creative process. Please do not register for the Symposium if you simply want to compete. We are only interested in participants who wish to open up their personal network and engage with each other.​
2021 Instructors
2021 Management
Week of June 28 - July 2:
Project overview and development
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Aug 2
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Aug 3
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Aug 4
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Aug 5
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Aug 6
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EST
12:00-13:50
15:00-15:50
12:00-12:50
13:00-13:50
15:00-16:00
13:00-13:50
14:00-15:00
13:00-13:50
15:00-16:00
12:00-12:50
13:00-13:50
Return from break: Initial composition presentations
Class:
Consultations
Consultations
Consultations
Class:
Class:
Class:
Class:
Final composition presentation (finished or in progress)
Class:
Orientation
Ben Verdery - On the Creative Process
Class:
Class:
Class:
Class:
Class:
First week conclusion: students break to develop their compositions
EST
12:00-13:50
12:00-12:50
13:00-13:50
15:00-16:00
12:00-12:50
13:00-13:50
15:00-16:00
12:00-13:50
June 28
June 29
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June 30
July 1
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July 2
Week of August 2-6:
Project Coachings
COMPETITION DEADLINES
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August 6, 2021:
Ends week 2 of Symposium
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August 15, 2021:
Deadline for final draft scores
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September 15, 2021:
Deadline for guitar performance videos
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October 1, 2021:
Winners Announced
2021 Schedule
FAQs
1. If I compose a work for the Symposium can I keep the copyright to that work?
Yes. The Twisted Spruce Music Foundation does not claim rights to any works by students or collaborators who participate in our events.
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2. I have a friend who is a composer or guitarist, may we register as a pair?
Yes. We welcome pre-formed pairs! However, the composition you collaborate on must be a new work developed after the start of the first week of the Twisted Spruce Symposium.
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