Tanglewood Music Center

2026 Composition Program

Led by esteemed composers Marcos Balter, Nick DiBerardino, and Nina C. Young, the TMC Composition Program nurtures the next generation of composers while advancing the art form through commissioning new works. Immersed in Tanglewood's rich 85-year tradition of new music, Composition Fellows occupy an integral position in the festival while they foster long-lasting relationships with performers.

Fromm Workshop

Each Composition Fellow composes a 6-to-8-minute work for three to five musicians to be workshopped and performed by the New Fromm Players, the TMC’s elite group of musicians focused on the performance of new music. Composers collaborate closely with performers through several rehearsals and workshops, receiving two opportunities to refine their pieces with hands-on feedback from players and faculty before the concert.

Silent Film Project

Silent Film Night, where Composition Fellows write music to accompany silent film from the past and present, has become a mainstay of every Tanglewood season. These pieces are premiered in Tanglewood's Linde Center for Music and Learning by the New Fromm Players. Previous seasons have included additional run-out performances for Boston-based audiences.

Chamber Music Performance

Each Composition Fellow has a piece of previously composed chamber music performed on a TMC program during the season. Works are performed by Instrumental Fellows and coached by the TMC's world-class Instrumental Faculty, allowing composers opportunities to collaborate with their colleagues during the rehearsal process.

Selected works are approximately 10 minutes in length and written for no more than six players, drawn from a standard orchestral instrumentation: woodwinds, brass, percussion, harp, piano, and strings (excludes saxophone and guitar). Pieces are selected in collaboration with faculty and staff after Fellows have been admitted. 

Classes and Lessons

Fellows attend regular classes with resident Composition Faculty and visiting composers, where they discuss topics including faculty compositions, focused analysis and critique of Fellows' works, and other professional matters. Beyond group classes, each Fellow also receives individual lesson times with faculty.

Instrument Writing Workshops

Composition Fellows also participate in workshops with Boston Symphony Orchestra faculty designed to deepen their understanding of idiomatic writing for a particular instrument. These sessions offer valuable insight into the nuanced inner workings of instrumental writing, from technical possibilities to tonal characteristics to best practices.

Electives

In addition to the above activities in which every Fellow participates, Fellows may elect to engage in either or both of the following: 

Studio 9 Work for Solo Electronics

Each Composition Fellow has the option of writing a new work or adapting an existing work for solo electronics to be performed at Studio 9, the intimate state-of-the-art recording studio and performance venue at the heart of the FreshGrass Institute in North Adams, MA.

Orchestral Reading 

Each Composition Fellow has the option to have an orchestral selection up to 5 minutes long read and recorded by the world-class Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. Selections must be approved by faculty and staff before the summer and should be as close to standard instrumentation as possible (2 2 2 2 – 4 3 3 1 – 2 perc – pn hp – str). Standard doublings (piccolo, English horn, Eb and bass clarinet, contrabassoon) are allowable.

Festival of Contemporary Music

Composition Fellows enjoy unparalleled opportunity to meet a plethora of visiting composers and observe rehearsals during the world-renowned Festival of Contemporary Music. In 2026, the Festival will be curated by luminary composer and conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen.

Commissions

Each Composition Fellow will receive a commission for a new work to be performed at Tanglewood in 2027. Commissions include a $3,000 honorarium, a transportation reimbursement of up to $1,000, and accommodations during their stay at Tanglewood for the world premiere of their work.