Composition

Western boasts a composition program which is extraordinary in its resources and level of student participation, offering undergraduate and graduate composition degrees and general composition study for music majors. The program consists of weekly private lessons, weekly seminars, quarterly student composer concerts, annual large ensemble performances of student works and regular visits by guest composers. In addition to an outstanding and internationally recognized faculty, students benefit from a state-of-the-art degital/electronic composition studio (WWEAMS) and an excellent library of contemporary scores and recordings. Furthermore, the Western Contemoporary Chamber Players Ensemble provides an invaluable rewource in the concert performance of works of, principally, living composers.

Highlights

Visisting composers such as:

Roshanne Etezady
Wayne Horvitz
Bright Sheng
Frederic Rzewski
Joseph Schwantner
David Maslanka
Michael Daugherty
Samuel Adler

Quarterly Student Composer Concerts

Annual large Ensemble Performances of student compositions

Western Washington Electro-Acoustic Music Studio (WWEAMS)

Music Instruction Technology Lab (MIT)

Biannual Electro-Acoustic Concerts

Western Contemporary Chamber Players Ensemble

Excellent library of contemporary scores and recordings

Faculty

Roger Briggs -- Composition Area Coordinator, Contemporary Music

Lesley Sommer -- Theory Area Coordinator, Composition, Electro-Acoustic Music

Bruce Hamilton -- Electro-Acoustic Music Area Coordinator, Theory, Composition