Opportunities
WoCo Fest 2025 Composer Workshops
Boulanger Initiative’s annual multi-day Women Composers Festival (WoCo Fest) features works by women and gender-marginalized composers, performed by local and nationally-acclaimed performers. WoCo Fest 2025: Uplift features our Composer Workshops which are process-based, exploratory music workshops offering women and gender-marginalized composers the extraordinary opportunity to workshop their ideas in real time in front of a live audience and hear their works-in-progress performed by the incredible classical guitar and cello duo, Boyd Meets Girl. These workshops are a safe space for composers to try out ideas which may or may not work and to take artistic risks that could lead them in an exciting new direction. It's also a thrilling opportunity for the audience to watch the creative process, so often behind-the-scenes, at work in real time.
The Composer Workshops will have three categories; students currently enrolled in a music degree program, composers 40 years and older, and an open category for all women and gender-marginalized regardless of age or schooling. Composers interested in participating should send one representative score (does not need to be written for guitar and cello, show us who you are!) and a short cover letter (1 or 2 written or video recorded paragraphs) about what appeals to them about the process by 11:59 PM ET on April 11th. The 6 selected composers will then write 2-4 minutes of unfinished musical material for classical guitar and cello to workshop live with the musicians. Finished pieces will not be accepted. We're looking for composers willing to take an artistic risk, able to workshop their material with an ensemble for approximately 30 minutes, who are comfortable doing so in front of a live audience. Selected composers will be notified April 18th and receive a $200 travel honorarium.
WoCo Fest Composer Workshops will be produced in collaboration between Boulanger Initiative and Boyd Meets Girl and take place Saturday, May 31st, from 3:00 PM-7:45 PM at The Mansion at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD.
Applications:
Boulanger Initiative’s employment decisions are made based on the needs of the organization and the qualifications of the applicants and employees. Boulanger Initiative subscribes to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, religion, ancestry or national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, gender identity or expression, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, matriculation, or political affiliation.