With a mission that emphasizes collaboration between the arts, the ensemble vim Composer Fellowship Program supports the development of new work through collaboration, mentorship, experimentation, workshops and readings.
The ensemble vim Composer Fellowship Program is a unique opportunity that supports a composer through the development and creation of a new musical or inter/multi-disciplinary work, in close collaboration with ensemble vim.
During the fellowship year, the composer works with vim Composer Mentor, Emily Koh, in composition lessons and mentorship; as well as vim musicians through experimentation, workshops, readings. The exact schedule for each composer fellow is determined based on need. Each work developed as part of the ensemble vim Composer Fellowship is premiered by ensemble vim in a mainstage performance the following season.
Vim Composer Fellows are selected in a call-for-proposals that open every Fall. All composers with ties to the Southeastern US are eligible. Composers from historically-excluded identities are especially encouraged to apply.
In 2024, ensemble vim expanded the Composer Fellowship Program into spark which supports three composers each year.
The ensemble vim Composer Fellowship
call-for-proposals is currently closed.
About Ryne Siesky https://www.rynejsmusic.com/
Ryne Siesky (b. 1996) is a Filipino-American composer, educator, and new music consultant. Described as “beautifully haunting” (Robert Avalon Competition), “attractive and inventive” (Dorothy Hindman), and “patiently evocative” (George Lewis), Ryne’s music explores the relationships between art, community, and identity. His music has been performed by Hypercube, Duo Sequenza, and Robert Black, among others. His music has also been featured at several festivals including the Aspen and Atlantic Music Festivals, International Trumpet Guild, and SEAMUS, among others.Ryne is currently ABD status and working towards his Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Miami – Frost School of Music. Ryne is currently a member of the Society of Composers, Inc. (SCI) National Student Council, Author and Curator of the Charlotte New Music Opportunity Newsletter, and Co-Founder of the -NESS Composer Collective.
Outside of music, Ryne is an active foodie, chai and matcha connoisseur, and a semi-professional racquetball player.
Vim with Ryne at one of the composer fellowship workshops
2020-21 Composer Fellow, Luke Blackburn, had his work, “Menagerie of Endangered Creatures,” premiered by ensemble vim in spring 2022.
About Luke Blackburn https://www.luke-blackburn.com/
Luke Blackburn is an American composer and bassoonist based in Boston, Massachusetts. As a composer, Luke focuses on depicting various scenes based on his observations and experiences from around the world. Though, often representing his many memories growing up near the ocean in his hometown in Florida. However, Luke is shifting his compositions and research in innovative ways by combining his musical platform with issues of nature conservation. This collaboration is happening personally through his ecomusical study, and on a local and national level promoting awareness of endangered species and how to preserve our ecosystems.
Menagerie of Endangered Creatures: Georgia Aves (2021)
Luke’s work, Menagerie of Endangered Creatures: Georgia Aves (2021), composed as part of the fellowship program, was premiered (after a pandemic delay) on ensemble vim’s concert “A Breath of Fresh Air” on April 22 2022 at St Luke’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta, GA.
Recording of Luke’s Menagerie of Endangered Creatures: Georgia Aves (2021)