Cortona Sessions for New Music
June 28 - July 12, 2015
open to student and emerging composers & performers of any instrument / voice type
ABOUT THE CORTONA SESSIONS
​The Cortona Sessions for New Music was founded in 2010 by DuoSolo in order to provide an exciting and inspiring summer destination for the collaboration, performance, and study of new music. The Sessions strive to offer emerging and established composers an opportunity to receive world premieres of multiple compositions while giving performers the chance to immerse themselves in the many languages of contemporary music.

Since its inception, the Sessions have enjoyed over 100 world premieres and has provided the spark for many collaborations and projects between its Fellows. The 2012 Cortona Sessions sponsored its first Contemporary Performance Competition providing an opportunity for participating performers to showcase their talents in a variety of solo contemporary repertoire. The annual Iron Composer Competition offers an exciting and fun compositional experience for participating composers. In addition, a new partnership with the Swedish Society of Composers has brought a new International dynamic to the Sessions.

Along with all of the musical excitement the Sessions provides, we strive to offer participants an unforgettable cultural experience as well. Everyone in attendance at the Cortona Sessions has the opportunity to enjoy two fantastic excursions, one to Florence for sight-seeing and shopping, and another into Tuscany's famous wine country for visits to two incredible wineries plus the charming hill-town of Montalcino.
BASIC INFORMATION
Festival Dates: June 28 - July 12, 2015
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Tuition (includes lodging/breakfast):
Performance/Composition Program: $2050 (14 nights)
Chamber Music Initiative (5 or more): $1000pp (14 nights)
Chamber Music Initiative (3-4): $1200pp (14 nights)
Saxophone Sessions (individual): $1450 (10 nights)
Saxophone Sessions (ensemble): $1000pp (10 nights) Auditor/Groupie Program: $1000 (14 nights)

Deadlines:
Application Deadline: February 9, 2015
Tuition Deposit Due: March 16, 2015
Tuition Payment Due in Full: April 13, 2015
2014 SESSIONS REPORT
The 2014 Cortona Sessions were a milestone year. Our fifth year in Cortona, the Sessions were the largest and most successful to date. Thirty-two composers and performers from around the world became new Fellows, and our faculty enjoyed the amazing new additions of mezzo-soprano Rachel Calloway and violinist Ari Streisfeld. The 2014 Sessions presented over 50 world premieres and performed, in total, nearly 100 works. Our relationship with the Civitella Ranieri Foundation continued and we welcomed their composition fellows Eric Wubbles and Alexander Lunsqui to Cortona for fascinating lectures. The Cortona Collective also enjoyed its second visit to the Civitella castle in Umbertide for an exciting and diverse concert. We were graced by the best weather we've ever had over the entire two weeks, with cool evenings and warm but not hot days under the Tuscan sun. The wine tour was, once again, tremendous, with a visit to Biondi Santi, the creator of Brunello di Montalcino, and a return to Terralsole for several hours of joyful time shared with our marvelous hosts Mario and Athena. It's always fun to be in Italy during the World Cup, and thanks to the success of the U.S. team, we enjoyed many evenings watching the beautiful game with our Italian friends up the hill.
Special congratulations to the winners of our annual competitions.
GRANT BINGHAM, bassonist from the University of Kansas, won the Cortona Contemporary Performance Competition and the Hiebert Prize, allowing him to commission a new work from one of our composition Fellows. Grant has chosen composer CLAY ALLEN, and the new work will be performed in the spring of 2015.
DANA MALSEPTIC, composition student at SUNY Purchase, was the winner of the 2014 Iron Composer Competition, which proved once and for all that Rachel Calloway simply MUST have her gelato!
