International Composition Course Barcelona Modern

The Barcelona Modern Festival, with the collaboration of the Institut Français-Barcelona, and the Fundació Conservatori del Liceu, opens the call for dossiers for the Barcelona Modern International Composition Course 12th edition.

The course is aimed primarily at young composers, selected by open call for dossiers, who will be tutored by two guest composers of renowned prestige. The guest composers for this edition are:
 

Edith CANAT DE CHIZY and Agustí CHARLES
 

Structured in three meetings of three intensive days each, the selected active participants develop a composition project supervised by the guest composers and working with one of the guest ensembles: with the ENSEMBLE LINEA –trio ensemble: violin, cello and piano– for

acoustic music, or with the A/B ENSEMBLE –soprano, classical and/or electric guitar, cello and modular synthesizer– for mixed music (with electronics).
Composers selected for a reading session can work with one of the ensembles and have unlimited access to all course activities.

The course is developed around individual and group classes given by the guest composers, lectures, instrumental workshops performed by the musicians of the resident ensembles who are available to students during the course, open rehearsals and concerts. The first meeting is

focused on a lecture/masterclass of the guest composers, and on individual presentations of the participants –the explanation of their music and the future work to be composed throughout the course– and a mixed music workshop. During the second meeting, the individual composition classes of the active students begin, as well as the rehearsals with the ensembles of 50% of the composted work, a mixed music workshop and concerts of the Barcelona Modern Festival. The third meeting includes individual composition classes too, the final rehearsals of the composed work, the third part of the mixed music workshop and the public premiere of the works composed during the course by the active participants. 

The first meeting of the course is held online, the second meeting either in person or online at the participant’s free choice, and the third meeting compulsorily in person in Barcelona.
 

➢First meeting: January 14, 15 and 16, 2026 (online)

➢Second meeting: April 8, 9 and 10, 2026 (in person or online)

➢Third meeting: June 25, 26 and 27, 2026 (in person)
 

April 10_monographic concert Canat de Chizy/Charles: Ensemble Linea and A/B Ensemble

June 26_concert Vortex Temporum: Ensemble Linea

June 27_final concert A/B Ensemble

June 27_final concert Ensemble Linea
 

The course is held at the Institut Français-Barcelona (Carrer Moià 8, 08006 Barcelona) and the Fundació Conservatori del Liceu (Carrer Nou de la Rambla 82/88, 08001 Barcelona) between the months of January and June 2026.

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Guidelines (pdf):

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This call is open to all composers, regardless of age or nationality. 
Composers interested in participating have to complete the registration form, In which the following will be requested: ID/passport, CV, and two scores and their recordings (optional). The application period is open until December 5, 2025.

16 composers are selected as active participants. Of those registered but not selected as active participants, 12 composers are selected for a reading session. The rest can participate as listener participants, who have unlimited access to all course activities.

The results of the call will be communicated via email and social media on December 10, 2025, and different instrumentation options –from solo to tutti– will be given to the selected participants. The final assignment of the instrumentation will be decided by the organisation after the participant has sent a proof of registration –as far as possible, each participant will be assigned one of their three preferences–. The registration period for all participants ends on December 22, 2025 (students who enrol by December 17, 2025 will receive a discount on the registration fee). The assigned ensemble and instrumentation for each active participant and reading session participant will be communicated on December 29, 2025. 

Active participants have to submit 50% of the work in progress by email in pdf format no later than March 16, 2026, so it can be worked during the 2nd meeting. The finished work (general score and parts) has to be sent by May 25, 2026 so it can be properly prepared by the ensembles and premiered during the 3rd meeting. The work composed during the course has to be a new composition, created for and during the course, and to be premiered at the final concert. Adaptations of pre-existing works are not accepted. The maximum duration of the composed work by active participants is 8 minutes. Longer compositions or those not submitted on time will not be programmed for the final concert.

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Participants with a reading session work on an acoustic composition, without electronics, with the assigned ensemble –from solo to tutti– during the second or third meeting to be determined by the organisation –in presence in Barcelona or online, at the participant’s free choice–. They have a working session with the musicians, which can be recorded for personal use, where they can rehearse a finished composition or a fragment prepared previously by the ensemble. Participants with a reading session have to send the complete work (general score and parts) fifteen days before the start of the meeting. The maximum duration of the composed work for reading sessions is 6 minutes.

The course is not responsible for recordings of concerts or rehearsals, recordings for personal use are the responsibility of each participant. Attendance at the three meetings is mandatory for all active participants.
 

The main language used for the course is English, also Spanish and French.

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Registration:

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_Active participants: 830€ (780€ until December 17)

_Participants with a reading session: 420€ (380€ until December 17)

_Listener participants: 180€
 

All documentation has to be sent by the registration form no later than December 5, 2025