Ink Still Wet 2027: Composer-Conductor Workshop with Steve Reich

Ink Still Wet is Grafenegg Festival's fully funded workshop pairing up to five early-career composers with Steve Reich, the festival's 2027 composer in residence, and conductor David Robertson, with the Tonkünstler Orchestra performing the results. There's no age limit, English is the working language, and conducting experience helps but isn't required — the festival covers accommodation, international travel (reimbursed up to a cap that depends where you're flying from), local transport, meals and festival tickets for both phases, with no fee to apply. You'll need, by 25 November 2026 through MUVAC: an application form, a two-page CV naming your current composition teacher if you have one, full scores (with recordings where possible) of three existing works written for different instrumental combinations, either a three-minute video or a short motivation letter, and a brand-new, unperformed orchestral piece of 5 to 7 minutes, submitted as at least two minutes of elaborated score plus a short concept description, with a rough sketch optional for the rest. Reich chooses participants after the deadline, with results by 10 February 2027; admitted composers then keep developing their piece, with full conducting scores and parts due 9 June. The workshop runs in two parts: analysis and score-development sessions in New York in April 2027, including a session on preparing professional notation, followed by orchestra rehearsals and conducting coaching at Grafenegg in August, where each composer conducts their own work, closing with a public performance of all five pieces on 26 August 2027.