Young Composers Project

Announcing the 2022-23 season of the Utah Young Composers Project directed by Dr. Devin Maxwell and presented by the Utah Youth Orchestra and Ensembles.

The Utah Young Composers Project is a composition program for young composers interested in writing new music for orchestra. This program is the first of its kind in Utah and is open to any students under the age of 18 that currently reside in Utah and are simply interested in composing original music for orchestra. There is no experience necessary and every composer has the opportunity to have their music played by the Utah Youth Orchestras.  Additionally, students are encouraged to write music in any style they would like.  There are no restrictions on the kind of music you can write in this program.   Pop, jazz, classical style symphonies, and all other genres of music are welcome here as long as the music is written in a way that the orchestras are able to perform the piece.

If composing music feels too daunting, then feel free to audit the program and attend our workshops either as an introduction to composing music or simply to enrich your understanding of concert music compositions.

Participants of the program attend workshops that tackle the creative, aesthetic, and practical issues of writing original compositions for full orchestra and occasionally feature established local or visiting guest composers that share their thoughts on writing music and experience with participants.  Composers in this program have won many composition awards and accolades and graduates of this program have gone on to study music or composition at higher education institutions such as Curtis Institute of Music, Berklee School of Music, the University of Utah, and other prestigious institutions.

As always, the Utah Youth Orchestras will read and record selected original compositions made by attendees of Utah Young Composers Project! We will also be performing as many compositions as possible at the Utah Arts Festival in June. This year, we are also going to be studying and analyzing works that the orchestra is performing during the season in our workshops.

In order to be as inclusive as possible, the Young Composers Project is offered free of charge by UYO&E. For more information please email Devin at youngcomposers@uyoe.org.

Dates and times of workshops and readings will be announced in Fall.

Devin Maxwell, PhD, is a composer, percussionist, and music technology entrepreneur. His chamber music has been described as “amiably strident…clusters hammered insistently” by the New York Times and orchestral works “a beautiful puzzle, … fitting between plucks and pedals that build pyramid melodies” by the American Record Guide.