Young Composers Program
About
The Young Composers Program is an immersive week dedicated to developing emerging creative voices. Designed for students ages 11–19 (entering grade 6 through first year of college), the program helps young artists refine their craft through score study, guided writing sessions, and direct mentorship with professional composers and musicians. Whether students are just discovering their creative voice or preparing for conservatory-level study, every participant has the rare opportunity to hear their music performed, receive real-time feedback, and learn how to transform ideas into polished works.
2026 Faculty
Gabriel Novak is a composer, performer, and educator whose work synthesizes elements of jazz, blues, rock, and American vernacular traditions with classical and contemporary music. Currently serving as Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at Reed College and winner of the 2025 Charles Ives Prize for his catalogue, Novak creates music that explores the intersection of improvisation, form, groove, and expectation—pushing the boundaries of genre while maintaining a deep connection to tradition. His recent collaborations with world-renowned musicians and ensembles include Calapitter for The Grossman Ensemble, Spur for Axiom Brass, and languor | torpor for Quatuor Diotima. His compositions are marked by a balance of subverting and confirming aural expectation, structural complexity, soaring melody embedded in intricate harmony, and an immediacy that engages both performers and listeners.
As an educator, Novak has taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, offering a wide range of courses in Composition, Music Theory, Jazz, Pop, and Electronic Music at institutions such as the Cleveland Institute of Music, the University of Chicago, and Reed College. His teaching philosophy centers on connecting abstract theoretical ideas to students’ tangible creative work, encouraging them to engage deeply with diverse repertoires and musical traditions while developing a personal artistic identity. Novak completed his PhD in Music Composition at the University of Chicago, where he studied under Augusta Read Thomas. He continues to pursue new compositional projects while contributing to academic and musical communities through teaching, collaborative work, and performance.
Dates:
Program Dates: June 21 – 26, 2026
Final Concert: Saturday, June 26, 2026
Tuition & Fees
Application fees are non-refundable
$25 application fee through February 28
$40 application fee March 1 – April 1
Applicants are encouraged to apply early as selected participants may be selected on a rolling basis
- February 28 - Priority Application Review Deadline
- March 1 – Priority Notification
- March 15 - Financial Aid application due
- April 1 – Final Deadline
- April 1 - $300 non-refundable enrollment deposit is due upon accepting your admission offer. This deposit will be applied toward the total tuition due.
Tuition: $1250
Housing: $490
Dining: $420
Financial aid is available to CIM Summer Programs participants and is primarily need-based and merit-informed. Applicants may request to be considered for financial aid at the time of application.
Upon acceptance to a program, students will receive information on how to complete the financial aid application. Awards are determined by committee prior to the start of the program and may cover up to the full cost of attendance. Any financial aid award is subject to revision or proration if registration details or student status change.
Limited funds are available; early application is encouraged. For questions about financial assistance, please email CIMSummerInstitute@cim.edu
All travel expenses are the responsibility of the participant. All students are required to pay the CIM Summer Institute dining fee, regardless of whether they use on-campus housing.
For international students: proof of visa requirements for entry to the USA are required at the time of acceptance of admission offer.
Application Requirements
- Applicants must submit 2 scores (any instrumentation)
- 1 Letter of Recommendation
- List of compositions with instrumentation included
- Personal Essay