SICPP - Welcome

Welcome to SICPP: six days and nights of explosive new music!

A message from Artistic Director Stephen Drury:

One hundred years ago John Cage was born and over the course of his career profoundly changed our musical world. I was deeply privileged to be able to work with Cage several times toward the end of his life. SICPP 2012 will have John Cage's music as a central theme, using his work as a lens to explore the widest possible landscape of American and contemporary music. We are enormously proud to have Christian Wolff as our composer-in-residence, who worked alongside Cage for nearly half a century, along with three of today's leading Cage interpreters (Joseph Kubera, Steffen Schleiermacher, and Louis Goldstein) as guest artists.

SICPP began as an intensive performance seminar on music of the twentieth century, first for advanced pianists, then also for percussionists, vocalists and instrumentalists. It has now also grown to include a chamber music program, an electronic music workshop, and the New Works Program - a composition workshop where advanced composers have the opportunity to study with the Composer-in-Residence (this year, Christian Wolff), engage in colloquia fellow composers, and work directly with performers in the rehearsal and performance of their work.

The experience is intense and demanding - eight full days of master classes, lessons, colloquia, rehearsals and concerts. It's an opportunity to open your ears and your mind, to immerse yourself in hearing where music has been going for the last 100 years, and to try to understand where it might be going next.

SICPP is an invaluable experience for anyone interested in new music and ready to tackle the challenges of 20th/21st century repertoire under a faculty uniquely experienced in learning, performing and teaching these pieces. In many cases the SICPP faculty have worked directly with the composers themselves, and can impart first hand information about the music.

SICPP's daily masterclasses never fail to challenge and inspire, whether led by the faculty of the program, or by special guest artists or the Composer-in-Residence.

The SICPP Ensemble Program is an exciting way to work with other players who share a love of the avant-garde.

The New Works Program gives composers and performers incredible opportunities to collaborate and make connections.

The Electronic Music Workshop provides an opportunity to learn and share knowledge about the use of electronics in composition and performance, with opportunities to collaborate with performers and create installations in connection with the final marathon concert.

"This program was amazing beyond all words. It was THE perfect week for me...getting to perform, learn, rehearse and be exposed to all this music and all of those people was fabulous."

"It was so great to be around so much great music and be surrounded by people who are as hard core about new music as I am. Sick puppy is basically new music heaven."

At SICPP, you're not alone in wanting more from music than a key signature and a steady beat!

SICPP is sponsored in part by the kind and generous support of:

The BnG Foundation