DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM

Overview

• The Master of Arts and Doctor of Musical Arts are awarded by the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences [7].
• The MA in Composition takes two years to complete.
• The DMA takes three or four years to complete.
• One can apply for and enter into the DMA program directly, with an MA degree from another institution and advanced standing received for coursework.
• Degree requirements and a full list of courses can be found in the GSAS Bulletin ( [8]http://www.columbia.edu/cu/gsas/departments/music/bulletin.html).

Composition lessons and seminar

• Students take individual composition lessons weekly for three years. Usually they are encouraged to change teachers after a year's study, so as to benefit from the faculty's diverse orientations.
• In addition to lessons, sections meet together in a weekly two-hour seminar to hear one another's music and to engage aesthetic, technical, and professional issues. Colloquia by visiting composers also take place during the time of this combined meeting.

Other requirements and procedures

• Reading competence in one foreign language is required for the MA degree and in a second foreign language for the DMA degree. Students who are not native English speakers must pass English as their second foreign language unless exempted by a high TOEFL score.
• Unless exempted, composers in the DMA program must fulfill the MA requirements of two semesters of music theory (including anything from fugue-writing to a seminar on contemporary pitch or rhythmic organization), two semesters of computer music, and a two-semester analysis course, "Music Since 1900."
• For electives, students are encouraged to take courses not only in music but also in other disciplines, such as historical musicology or ethnomusicology within the Department, or philosophy, literature, psychology, or computer science.
• In their third or fourth year, students take two qualifying analysis exams, an oral presentation on a tonal piece to a committee of three faculty and an hour-long presentation on a contemporary work to the composition seminar.
• After completing formal lessons, students work informally with the composition faculty.
• Prior to beginning the dissertation, students submit to the composition faculty, for review, a portfolio of compositions written during their time in the composition program.
• More information can be found in the GSAS Bulletin: [9] http://www.columbia.edu/cu/gsas/departments/music/bulletin.html

The dissertation

• A sponsor and committee are established for the dissertation, which comprises two parts, a major composition and a short accompanying essay.
• The essay may be about the piece or about some other topic approved by the committee.
• The doctoral defense committee consists of three members of the composition faculty and two professionals not at Columbia (typically composers, conductors, or performers).

The music theory connection

• In contrast to most other American graduate programs in music, composition and theory are closely interwoven at Columbia.

The Computer Music Center

• The CMC [10] is a major center for computer music in the United States, and computer music forms an integral part of the graduate composition program.
• The CMC's introductory course, Basic Electroacoustics [11], exposes students to basic concepts and techniques in computer music.
• Advanced work in computer music, including signal-processing techniques and programming, is taught by Professor Garton [12], who directs the CMC.
• Professor Murail [13]offers a seminar on compositional and aesthetic issues in computer music, including relevant topics in psychoacoustics and instruction in IRCAM's compositional software.
• On the CMC staff are Douglas Repetto [14], who teaches hardware development and installation work, and Terry Pender [15], who teaches interactive performance.

Performance opportunities

• The most important performance outlet for student composers is a series of chamber music concerts presented in venues around New York City, including Merkin Hall next to Lincoln Center and Miller Theatre on the Columbia campus. These concerts are organized by Columbia Composers [16], a student-run organization.
• Performers for Columbia Composers concerts are New York free-lance professionals and our own students. Sometimes performing groups are brought in from other cities.
• Jeffrey Milarsky [17], director of the Columbia University Orchestra [18], directs a large professional contemporary music ensemble, the Manhattan Sinfonietta. The ensemble is committed each year to a concert of works composed for it by advanced graduate students in the composition program.
• More broadly, music performance at Columbia exists within the context of New York City, with its incomparably rich musical life. Many former students have had works performed by New York professional ensembles, and some have formed performing groups that take their place within New York's lively contemporary music scene.

Visibility of the composition program

• The program has an international face, with many students coming from abroad. Several students have participated in the Cursus at IRCAM or have been employed by IRCAM, and student attendance at European festivals and seminars is common. Exchanges and funded opportunities take place with institutions in Japan and Europe.
• The program has a strong success rate in placing former students in academic positions. Composers from Columbia have also won national and international composition awards, distinguished commissions, and performances by renowned orchestras and opera companies. Composers doing sound installation/video work have exhibited in major museums and galleries throughout the world.

APPLICATIONS AND FELLOWSHIPS

Applications

• Applications, including supporting materials, are to be submitted to the Admissions Office of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, not to the Music Department.
• Applications are due December 15th, 2007 for admission in 2008-9.
• The primary criterion in judging applications is the talent and achievement shown by the music submitted. We seek composers with skill and imagination.
• Applicants are encouraged to submit two or three professional scores (no more than three, please) with recordings (CDs preferred). Recordings of MIDI realizations of instrumental pieces are discouraged.
• Students with a strong interest in computer music are encouraged to provide examples of their technological work along with the application.
• Secondary criteria include the quality of the personal statement and the accompanying essay, recommendations, and GRE scores.
• Foreign applicants for whom English is not a native language must take the TOEFL test.
• All applicants must take the GRE.
• Interviews are not required of applicants. Visits are welcome. The weekly group composition seminar at 4:10-6 on Wednesdays is an especially good time to meet students and faculty.
• Applicants wishing to interview should contact Professor Murail [19] to set up an appointment.

Fellowships

• On average, we award four fellowships per year (split between the MA and DMA levels).
• Students on fellowship receive full tuition, health benefits, and an annual stipend, for a period of four years (if they enter with the MA) or five years (if not), provided that they maintain adequate progress toward the doctorate.
• After the first year they become teaching assistants for courses such as Music Humanities [20] (Columbia College's core-curriculum introductory music course), ear training, the undergraduate theory sequence [21], undergraduate composition, and computer music [22].
• All full-time graduate students have access to Columbia housing [23], which provides good apartments in the vicinity at below-market rents.

Location

• The Music Department office and most faculty offices are on the sixth floor of Dodge Hall at Columbia's Morningside Campus.
• The Music Library is on the seventh floor of Dodge.
• The Computer Music Center is on the third floor of Prentis Hall, on 125th Street just west of Broadway. A smaller CMC facility is on the eighth floor of Dodge.
• To visit the Music Department, take the #1 subway to 116th & Broadway. Dodge is to the left of Columbia's main gate. Enter the campus, take the steps twice up to the left, and enter Dodge from the north side. Take the elevator to the sixth floor.