News | Apr 17, 2023
Usdan Announces New Composition Program
Today, I am singing with excitement to announce that Summer 2023 will be the inaugural summer of Usdan’s Composition Program. We welcome current and prospective students to join new Music Department faculty member Daniel Felsenfeld in his Major and/or Minor composition studios.
We feel we’ve identified a missing piece in NYC’s and Long Island’s summer music educational landscape. Most students who are serious about composition often travel to overnight programs to pursue their artistry during the summer months. Usdan is perfectly situated geographically, artistically, and institutionally to allow NYC and Long Island students to live at home in the summer and still be composers. We also learned through a survey of families that there is already significant composition interest in our current camp community.
This summer, composition students will have unique opportunities to receive mentorship from working composers, such as Artists in Residence Colin Jacobson (Artistic Director, The Knights) and Avi Amon (celebrated for his multimedia work). Students will also have the chance to work with the composers on Usdan’s faculty, including beloved musical theater writer Ben Boecker, and the guest artists at our daily Festival Performances.
I am delighted that Daniel Felsenfeld will be joining us as the lead teacher for both the Major and Minor class this summer. Daniel is a world-class music leader with a special reputation as a life-changing music educator. You can read more about Daniel’s inspiring work in his bio below.
We believe that music composition is the perfect conduit for a musical education environment that focuses on both process and product, a central principle that shapes and inspires our programs. Students will embrace the creative process of writing a musical piece and the effort it takes to produce a finished work. Every student will walk away with a recording of their work, played by either student ensembles or professional musicians.
Usdan thanks an anonymous family for their support of the inaugural summer of the Composition Program.
Sincerely,
Lauren Brandt Schloss, Executive Director
ABOUT THE FACULTY
Composer Daniel Felsenfeld has been commissioned, performed by, or collaborated with a wide variety of people, from Simone Dinnerstein and the New York Philharmonic, to Jay Z, Olympia Dukakis, and The Roots.
When rapper Jay-Z performed in Carnegie Hall, along with Alicia Keys and Nas, backed by a full orchestra, Felsenfeld was asked to do all of the orchestrations and arrangements. He also collaborated with The Roots (offering music on their Grammy-nominated record Undun, appearing with them and conducting the Metropolis Ensemble on the Jimmy Fallon Show) and ?uestlove with Keren Ann and David Murray. He also wrote arrangements for both ShuffleCulture and Electronium, shows at the Brooklyn Academy of Music with ?uestlove, Sasha Grey, Deerhoof, Reggie Watts, and How to Dress Well and the Metropolis Ensemble. He also has written arrangements for Reneé Fleming, George Michael, and Wesley Stace, and is the Court Composer for John Wesley Harding’s Cabinet of Wonders, for which he wrote the theme—and which can be heard as an NPR Podcast. Residencies include Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, The Hermitage, and the Atlantic Center for the Arts.
Felsenfeld is also an accomplished essayist, annotator, and author, with eight books to his name as well as articles for the New York Times, The New Yorker, Listen, Playbill, Time Out New York, Symphony Magazine, Strings Magazine, New Music Box, and Early Music Magazine.
He is a lead teaching artist and mentor at the New York Philharmonic’s Very Young Composers program, as well as holding teaching positions at the Juilliard School, The Curtis Institute, the Walden School, and the New School for Social Research.
CLASS DESCRIPTIONS
4-Week A Major, Grades 6–10
We welcome you to join the inaugural year of Usdan’s Composition Program.
Whether you’re a practicing composer, or a seasoned musician who wants to dive into the world of composition, this class is for you. Composition Major students continue to learn or enhance their skills in music notation, composition, and orchestration under the instruction of an experienced composer and music educator. Students spend their days writing, developing, and refining either a new composition project, or a project they have already begun, primarily in the genres of Classical and Jazz. In class, students have ample time to bring their compositions to life by collaborating with professional musicians and composers, including faculty, Festival performers, and Artists in Residence The Knights. The class culminates in a performance of each students’ work by students, faculty, or guest performers, and each student walks away with a recording of their work.
Major students should have at least one year of experience reading music and have a deep interest in music composition or experience composing. A laptop/tablet with music software, such as Musescore, downloaded is recommended for this class, but not required.
This class is being offered as a Minor in the 4A session as well. Students looking for a more intensive composition experience are invited to take both the Major and Minor classes.
Usdan thanks an anonymous family for their support of the inaugural summer of the Composition Program.
4-Week A Minor, Grades 6–10
We welcome you to join the inaugural year of Usdan’s Composition Program.
Whether you’re brand new to music composition, or already have composition experience under your belt, this class is for you. Composition Minor students learn or develop their skills with music notation, composition, and orchestration under the instruction of an experienced composer and music educator. Students spend their days learning how to compose, beginning a new composition, or developing a piece they’ve already begun. While the primary focus of this class is on the genres of Classical or Jazz, students may explore any genre. In class, students also have ample opportunities to collaborate with professional musicians and composers, including faculty, Festival Performers, and Artists in Residence The Knights. The class culminates in a performance of each students’ work by students, faculty, or guest performers, and each student walks away with a recording of their work.
No prior experience with reading music or composition is required. A laptop/tablet with music software, such as Musescore, downloaded is recommended for this class, but not required.
This class is being offered as a Major in the 4A session as well. Students looking for a more intensive composition experience are invited to take both the Minor and Major classes.
Usdan thanks an anonymous family for their support of the inaugural summer of the Composition Program.