On May 4, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra will present the world premiere of Nico Muhly‘s new concerto at the Flynn in Burlington. While he’s in town for the performance, the renowned Vermont-born composer will also work with the finalists of the VSO’s third annual MasterClef competition.
Open to students in grades 6 through 12, MasterClef invites young musicians to arrange, perform, compose, produce or improvise a new work based on a melody from Muhly’s piece. Submissions can riff on the melody in any musical genre — “from classical, pop and rock to indie, house and beyond,” reads the announcement on the VSO’s website. “We invite you to transform this theme in any way you like, as long as we can still recognize that what you have created is derived from it.”
The finalists will workshop their music with Muhly on May 3 and 4 and attend the concert. The grand prize winner and two runners-up will also receive cash prizes — $300 and $150 each, respectively.
Novice student composers shouldn’t be intimidated by the challenge. In a 2017 interview, Muhly — who has scored films and received commissions from the Metropolitan Opera and orchestras all over the globe — told Seven Days that he was “a relatively late bloomer” as a musician. “I didn’t start until I was 9 or 10,” he said.
Find more information and submission guidelines at
vso.org/educationarchive/masterclef-competition-2024.
Deadline for submissions is March 31.
This article was originally published in Seven Days’ monthly parenting magazine, Kids VT.
This article appears in Kids VT, Spring 2024.
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