ACADEMICS


tive,” Vores says. “Our instruction is centered in the private lesson, which is important when addressing a student’s specific strengths and weaknesses. The one-on-one time they receive with faculty is invaluable to their training.” He explains that as in sports, composers need coaches— experts to steer students from dead ends and stretch them from their comfort zones.


“We’re like very ‘wise’ personal trainers in music,” he says with a grin.


That, combined with the program’s rigorous curricu- lum, makes it clear that when students sign up for the composition degree program, they’re going to get the experience they need to build successful careers. “Any one of our students can tell you that the program is practical. We want our composers to be as versatile, informed and nimble as they can be,” Vores says, adding, “And they should have a wide cultural knowledge about other art forms.”


The curriculum that Vores and his team have developed immerses students in pre-professional training. They are required to research pieces, attend concerts, write reviews and program notes, study scores, and conduct and coach performers. But, most uniquely, students are surrounded by numerous opportunities to hear their music performed live. “What’s interesting about The Boston Conservatory is that there’s an unusual openness to new music and a rare eagerness to perform new works,” Vores explains. The Composer Recital Series, which has grown expo- nentially over the past ten years, now offers a season of 30 concerts of new works composed and performed by Conservatory musicians, including two concerts given by


The Boston Conservatory Orchestra each year. In addition, two of the Conservatory’s ensembles-in-residence— Ludovico Ensemble and Juventas—dedicate one of their performances entirely to student composers, giving them a unique opportunity to work with professionals. The growth of the program has encouraged many com- munity members and financial donors to take notice and find ways to contribute to students’ successes. In 2003, Frances Caudill established the Gardner Read Scholarship, the Conservatory’s only standing composition scholarship. Caudill says she was inspired to give after attending a per- formance and learning more about the school. “It seemed to be a unique educational institution,” Caudill explains. “I was pleased to establish this scholarship for the students and at the same time, honor my great friend Gardner Read and his wife. The Reads were dedicated musicians who transmitted their enthusiasm to me and my husband.” The scholarship is awarded annually to a promising composition student, and while Caudill acknowledges the fund is modest, she hopes that the honor will “serve as encouragement to the students.”


Vores agrees that more scholarship money will strengthen the program and help an increased number of talented students complete their degrees. “It’s not easy to express complex emotions and concepts through sound,” he says. “But with the strong foundation that the Conservatory’s composition program provides, our students become fluent in their discipline and become more aware that musical opportunities and inspiration can be found at anytime, in any place, as long as they look and listen.”


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