<p>The L.A. Philharmonic has a great program to nurture young composers. They get to work with the LA Philharmonic musicians and professional composers and ensembles. Is this happening anywhere else? The Bay Area has the John Adams Young Composers Program, which has similar aspirations but on a much smaller scale. I’ve heard that Bowling Green State has a program for young composers. What about the Chicago Symphony or the NY Philharmonic? What other large orchestras have young composer programs? I know they all have their music education outreach into the local schools… [L.A</a>. Philharmonic’s young composers program fine-tunes talent - latimes.com](<a href=“http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-young-composers-la-phil-20130407,0,1695661.story]L.A”>L.A. Philharmonic's young composers program fine-tunes talent)</p>
<p>What a wonderful program. How I wish we had something like that in our area! Anyone else have the good fortune to have a similar opportunity in your city?</p>
<p>Not quite at the professional level, but the Harmonium Choral Society in Morristown NJ runs an annual choral composition contest for high school students who are New Jersey residents. First prize award is $1000 and two professionally-recorded performances of their work. Several past winners have gone on to study composition in college, having used their piece and the recording of it in their portfolio, and a few are now in the field professionally. [Harmonium</a> Choral Society](<a href=“http://harmonium.org/contest.shtml]Harmonium”>http://harmonium.org/contest.shtml)</p>
<p>The Cleveland Orchestra has had the Daniel R. Lewis Young Composer Fellow program since 1998.</p>
<p>Mezzo’sMama - the LA Phil program is for high school students - not young professionals already into their career which is what it seems the Cleveland Orchestra does- which I also applaud, of course, but it’s quite different. What’s so wonderful about the LA Phil’s program is that they provide mentors, and performers and performances for gifted young composers, in the way, perhaps, that a top youth orchestra nurtures gifted young performers. It would be so wonderful if every orchestra could provide such opportunity and support.</p>
<p>The term “young composer” means different things to different people. To me, it means under 40!</p>
<p>Even without an organized program like this, various people tend to give a lot of support, mentoring and opportunities to high school composers. There can be a drawback in that that attention can drop off once they are in college, where they are one among many and kind of low on the totem pole, so to speak. But these kinds of efforts can really launch someone into a school and other opportunities after high school, and it’s great to read about them.</p>
<p>I would especially love to see more help going toward lower income schools and students, whose talent may never be revealed. There are performance programs that do outreach, so I wonder if anyone knows of any outreach programs for young composers.</p>
<p>Compmom, I know in the Bay Area there are Composers in the Schools programs in the public schools. And there is a new national organization to help foster school/composer partnerships: [CSIC</a> - Connects Composers and Music Education Programs](<a href=“http://www.composersandschools.com/]CSIC”>http://www.composersandschools.com/) My guess is that there are small scattered programs all over the place, but it’s hit or miss whether a student gets the benefit of one!</p>