Workshop on Perception-Based Orchestration for Composer-Performers

Course Description

This intensive online workshop aims to expose participants to contemporary research in music perception and cognition relevant to orchestration and composition (broadly defined) and to help the participants apply this knowledge to their composition and performance in practice. This is achieved through two main modes of teaching: theoretical lectures and practical application in creative projects.

Schedule

Each day starts with a theoretical lecture curated for an intended audience of active musicians with diverse practices. The topics of these lectures range from music cognition and psychoacoustics to musical repertoire examples and considerations in notation. The lecture portion of each day is followed by a group session where course participants apply theoretical ideas through discussion, critique, and realization of each other’s works.

Who Can Apply

Anyone who is interested in the course topics should apply. We have a limited number of spots for this workshop, and registration is on a first-come-first-served basis. We do not have any expectations of style or genre for participants of this course, and we believe the topics we discuss can be broadly applicable across different practices. However, the workshop is best suited to musicians that compose and perform music, have some experience with sound recording, can read and write notation, and that are comfortable working collaboratively in a group. We will strive to accommodate a large range of practices; electronic musicians, vocal artists, folk musicians, orchestral composers, and any other sonic practitioners are all encouraged to apply.

Participation Fee: $300
No Application Fee
Registration Deadline (Early): Monday, July 15th, 2025
Registration Deadline (Late): Friday, August 1st, 2025

*Participants are encouraged to register early due to limited space availability.

About the Instructors

Nick Virzi, D.M.A. in Music Composition from Stanford University. He also completed the H&S Dean’s Fellowship at Stanford, where he was a Lecturer in the Department of Music and a researcher at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA). He is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music at Connecticut College, where he teaches courses in musical acoustics, electronic music composition, and audio recording and engineering. Dr. Virzi is a composer from New York City whose work includes acoustic, electronic, and electroacoustic music, as well as intermedia pieces and multichannel installations.

Yuval Adler, PhD Candidate at McGill University. His research is based at the Music Perception and Cognition Laboratory (MPCL), the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT), and the Analysis Creation and Teaching of Orchestration (ACTOR) partnership. He has an MA in Music Science and Technology from Stanford University. Yuval is a composer, researcher, music-technologist, and trumpet player.