Student Composer Residency Program

Atlanta Freedom Bands is committed to supporting the next generation of wind band composers. Since 2016, Atlanta Freedom Bands’ Student Composer Residency Program has invited collegiate students to partner with us for each concert cycle. Over the years, AFB has presented 19 works from 14 composers to our off-campus audience. Our band members love interacting with composers at the beginning of their careers. Our audience loves hearing the best of tomorrow’s composers today. We would LOVE to work with you to feature YOUR work at an upcoming concert!

The Opportunity We Offer

• Atlanta Freedom Bands’ Concert Band will perform your music to our off-campus audience during a concert in our regular performance season.
• You will work directly with the band in as many weekly rehearsals as you are able to attend and receive commentary from experienced musicians and directors.
• You will have the option to conduct the band in the performance of your piece if you choose.
• You will receive a professional concert recording of your work.  (Note: It is possible that the recording could appear on a future broadcast of WABE’s Atlanta Music Scene program.)
• We will welcome you to the concert, feature you in the concert program, and provide tickets for family members and close friends to the show.
• We may have a live stream of the performance available from our YouTube channel depending on the concert venue’s capabilities.
• The program offers a $500 stipend.

The Pieces We Are Looking For

• Grade 3 or 4, capable of being performed by non-professional adult musicians. (You can work with our music director on the specific details.)
  For reference, please refer to the GMEA rubric for grade level determinations.
  GMEA Rubric for Music Submissions to the LGPE List.pdf
• Length around 5 minutes with flexibility for longer ideas
• An existing piece you have written or a new piece that has not been performed yet
• Standard wind band instrumentation for a 70 to 80 piece wind ensemble:
  • Woodwinds – Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Bari Sax
  • Brass – Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Euphonium/Baritone, Tuba
  • Percussion – An extensive set of instruments used by most modern wind band composers, including piano
• Flexibility for a solo instrument with band (a short solo or a concertante)

AFB’s concerts typically have a theme around which we organize the program and the marketing.  While it is nice to have a work that matches a particular concert’s theme, it is not a requirement.

Submissions

Atlanta Freedom Bands will accept submissions for consideration on a rolling basis through the year as it prepares for each concert rehearsal cycle.  We would prefer to receive the final score and parts at least three weeks prior to the start of the rehearsal for the cycle.  Upcoming concert cycles are:

Other Terms and Conditions

• The composer must be enrolled in a college or university at the time of submitting the piece.
• The composition must be original work or an arrangement that draws inspiration from public domain music sources such as folk songs. The composition may not make use of stock music, other sounds, other source materials, or previously written or recorded music.
• AFB may request adjustments or edits to fit our ensemble’s unique configuration and abilities.
• The composer agrees to allow AFB to perform the piece in one concert (with live streaming if available). AFB will include the performance in its reporting to ASCAP and BMI for royalty purposes.
• AFB may use the winning composer’s photograph and biographical details in promotional materials. AFB may also produce a video interview with the composer to appear on its social media channels.
• AFB reserves the right to remove a composition from consideration and rescind a stipend for any reason at any time and shall not be liable for any refund or claims of any kind arising out of such removal.
• By submitting a work, the composer agrees to these general rules and terms and conditions. The composer agrees that failure to adhere to any of the general rules or terms and conditions may result in disqualification for which no refund or compensation is due.

How to Apply

Applying to be a part of AFB’s Student Composer Residency Program is as simple as filling out the form at the link below. Your composition does not have to be complete or written at the time of application. So you can prepare all the materials, the application asks for:

• Your contact information
• Your website and social media information that you use to promote your work if available
• The name of your educational institution, level, and any faculty member with whom you are working
• Information about your work (name, description or your idea, link)
• Whether you would like to conduct AFB’s Concert Band in the performance of your work
• A PDF version of the score if available (drafts are acceptable)
• A link to a recording or computer-generated audio file if available
• A resume or CV if available

Meet our Previous Student Composers

Season 33

Bert Agripino, University of West Georgia
“Starbound”

Gilberto “Bert” Agripino, 21, was born in Dahlonega, GA, later raised in Gainesville, GA. He grew up with video games being one of his biggest influences and even today, being an important factor in why he pursues music as a career. He started band in 2014 in the 6th grade as a percussionist and started to use this new understanding of music to begin arranging video game soundtracks as a hobby. He is currently a fourth-year music composition major at UWG, having composed a total of seven works, with “Starbound” being the most recent and largest to date.

“Starbound”, as the title implies, shows how beautiful I think the stars can be and how much fun it would be to chase them. This piece was the first wind ensemble piece I have written since receiving classes at UWG. I have been arranging and writing music since 2014 and one of my ultimate dreams was to write for a large ensemble; therefore, this piece is also a love letter to my past self to where any dream can be achieved as long as you’re facing Starbound.

Tyson Washington
“The Dance and the Feast”

Born on March 20, 2004, Tyson Washington is an award-winning composer, pianist, and clarinetist with a passion for music that has shaped his life and career. With over 600 subscribers on his YouTube channel, TheOmniWasher, Tyson shares his compositions and arrangements all over social media.

His musical journey began in the 5th grade when he joined his school’s band program, choosing the clarinet as his first instrument. At the same time, he taught himself to play the piano, developing a deep love for music that would later evolve into a career in composition. In 2018, he began composing short piano works, marking the start of his journey as a composer. His talent quickly gained recognition, and in 2021 and 2022, he was a finalist in the National Young Composers Challenge. In 2023, he won the CSO Young Composers Competition, where his piece Terry’s Trial was premiered by the Carroll Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Terry Lowry. During this year, two other pieces were premiered by the Bremen High School Symphony Band under the direction of Chuck Jindrick.

Currently, Tyson is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Music Composition at the University of West Georgia. He is an active performer, playing clarinet in the UWG Wind Ensemble and the Carrollton Community Band while serving as the pianist for Whitesburg United Methodist Church. His dedication to both performance and composition continues to drive his career.

Outside of music, Tyson has a love for classic Namco arcade games, with favorites like Pac-Man and Galaga. His favorite movie is Twister, and he possesses perfect pitch. He is also a huge fan of Olivia Rodrigo, drawing inspiration from her music and acting.

As a composer, Tyson strives to create music that speaks to the audiences, blending his classical training with modern influences. His journey is just beginning, and he remains committed to pushing the boundaries of his craft while sharing his passion with the world.

The composer writes about “The Dance and the Feast”: “Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, an annual banquet was being held, hosted by the king himself. Everyone is here, the peasants, the noblemen, the knights, and the maidens. After the banquet was a communal dance. The entire kingdom celebrates with a dance and a feast. You can hear the King’s mighty entrance being represented by the trumpets. You can also hear the maidens being represented by the flutes, oboes, and clarinets. This piece is based on the Dorian mode, a common mode used during the Renaissance era. Overall, this annual tradition always prevails.”

Season 32

Matthew Cline, Princeton University
“Semper Incedendo”

Matthew Cline is a composer, arranger, conductor and trumpeter originally from Shanghai.  Born to a Chinese mother and a Canadian father, Matthew grew up in a multicultural household that encouraged the exploration of creative arts and music.  Matthew’s primary instrument is the trumpet, but he has also learned the drums and the piano from a young age and also plays the violin.

Matthew has written and orchestrated over a hundred original pieces, many of which have been performed by top-level orchestras and ensembles. Well-versed in a wide array of musical styles and genres, Matthew often writes for big bands, Latin ensembles, as well as traditional Chinese ensembles.  In addition to composing for concert, Matthew has written the score and worked as a sound designer for several student films and independent film productions.

From 2018 to 2023, Matthew was the Assistant Conductor and Student Composer in Residence for the New Shanghai Orchestra, as well as the Co-conductor and lead arranger for the New Shanghai Orchestra Elite Chamber Group.  Matthew founded “Three’s Company” – a Shanghai-based jazz group that performed at high-profile events across the city – in 2020, playing trumpet and bass whilst arranging and managing the band.  In 2021, Matthew wrote the complete original music and lyrics to a full-scale musical, titled “Shanghaied”, featuring over 40 musical numbers.

Matthew is pursuing undergraduate studies at Princeton University, intending to major in Music with a certificate in History and the Practice of Diplomacy. He is currently the Student Conductor for the Princeton University Playhouse Choir and Chamber Ensemble.

“Semper Incedendo” was the winner of the National Association for Music Education’s 2022 Student Composition Contest.  The composer writes about the piece: “The piece’s title, Semper Incedendo (pronounced in-che-DEN-do), is a Latin phrase that translates to ‘Always Moving Forward’. I gave this piece that title because I realize that, no matter where we are in the world, the circumstances around us force us to be in a constant state of motion. We move from home to home, from classroom to classroom, city to city, and from one group of friends to another. Despite our innate desire for good things to remain as they are, it is inevitable that some things must move forward.”

Katahj Copely, Michigan State University
“Celestia’s Horizon”

Georgia native Katahj Copley (b. 1998) has a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and Composition at the University of West Georgia. Copley’s first work, “Spectra”, premiered in 2017 by the University of West Georgia’s Saxophone Ensemble. Since then, Copley has written over sixty pieces, including over twenty-five for Wind Band, which have been performed and commissioned by colleges, organizations, universities and professional ensembles, including the 1st Infantry Brass Choir, Rhode Island Recording Ensemble, Axos Saxophone Quartet, the Admiral Launch Duo and the Nu Alpha chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi at Georgia State University.

In February of 2020, Copley’s “Sunshine” was featured at the Georgia Music Educators Association’s District XIII’s performance and NOVA was premiered by the University of West Georgia’s Wind Ensemble at the College Band Directors National Association Southeast Division Conference. In March, “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band premiered his new work “Dope”. Copely was an AFB Resident Student Composer in 2021 during his senior year at the University of West Georgia. AFB premiered his work “Unspoken” in a virtual concert in March 2021. Aside from composing, Copley is an excited educator who teaches young musicians the joy of discovering music and why music is a phenomenal language.

The composer writes about “Celestia’s Horizon”:  I have had a fascination with the sunrise. I love the way the colors appear from nowhere to brighten the world and begin the day with wonder and curiosity. I wanted to create a piece that would see the night sky turning into a new day. With “Celestia’s Horizon” (celestia– a latin name for the heavenly sky), I was able to create that sound. “Celestia’s Horizon” illustrates the beginning of a sunrise. Using different pairings of the ensemble, the piece transforms from a dark and cold beginning to a warm, awe-inspiring climax. The piece ends with a sense of warmth and curiosity as the day finally begins.

Abdo Timejardine-Zomeño, University of Illinois-Chicago
“A Child’s Desperate Call”

Abdo Timejardine-Zomeño (b. 2000) is a Chicago-based clarinetist, woodwind doubler, composer, conductor, and educator. He is currently earning double bachelors degrees in Clarinet Performance and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

With an active schedule, Abdo regularly performs with the Lakeside Pride Symphonic Band and the Middle East Music Ensemble of the University of Chicago. He has also performed with The Naperville Winds, Northshore Concert Band, and Chicago Philharmonic.

As a soloist and chamber musician, he’s had the opportunity to collaborate with clarinetists from across the United States, South America, Europe, and the Middle East. His recent travels have taken him to Denver, Colorado for the 50th Anniversary of the International Clarinet Association, as well as Phoenix, Arizona for the first ever Low-Clarinet Festival. In March 2023, he had the opportunity to play for renowned clarinetist Julian Bliss in a masterclass during Bliss’s residency at UIC for the consortium premiere of John Mackey’s clarinet concerto, Divine Mischief.

As a composer, his works have been performed by the UIC Saxophone Quartet, ~Nois Saxophone Quartet, Third Coast Percussion, and members of New Music Chicago. His compositions have acquired attention from notable composers such as Jennifer Jolley. He credits his mentors: José Oliver Riojas, Nicholas Carlson, Marc Mellits, Jennifer Jolley, Kaitlin Bove, Janet Song Kim, Alan Theisen, and Serena Weren for his successes as a clarinetist, composer, and conductor.

His professional affiliations and memberships include the International Clarinet Association (ICA), North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA), National Flute Association (NFA), New Music Chicago (NMC), Lakeside Pride Music Ensembles, Pride Bands Alliance, and ASCAP.

The composer writes about “A Child’s Desperate Call”:  On May 24, 2022 at 11:30 AM CDT, the lives of twenty one families were changed forever. An armed gunman entered the doors of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde Texas, killing nineteen beautiful children and two teachers, wounding several more. The days that followed were particularly chilling.

I was inside a gas station waiting in line to check out when I noticed one of the TVs inside was playing the local news. I usually don’t ever pay much attention to these kinds of things, but this time was different. The headline was regarding the recent tragedy in Uvalde, and it showed a little girl at the podium in front of her school board. The question that I heard her ask is one that stayed with me:  “My best friend needed help. Why didn’t you do more to help her? To help us?”

Immediately I had to set my items down and take a few minutes to myself outside because of how much that one phrase made an impact. My first experience with news of this sort of weight came after Sandy Hook. I could’ve very well gone to school with many of the children lost in that, and the many more school shootings that have been seen in the United States.

I thought to myself, how can I artistically respond to something so horrific and brutal while still capturing the very reason why this little girl’s message needs to be heard nationwide?

Uvalde was not the first, and lamentably will not be the last. Our most desperate, and vulnerable need their school to be a safe place to learn, grow, and prosper.  “A Child’s Desperate Call” is written to honor the nineteen beautiful children and two teachers lost in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.  May our schools once again be a safe place to learn.

Season 31

Gwenyth Lark – University of Wisconsin Eau Claire
“Through the Asteroid Belt”

Gwenyth Lark is an undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire studying music composition under Dr. Chia-yu Hsu. At their time in university, they’ve gotten many opportunities to compose. They wrote a Fanfare for the Wind Band there, pit orchestra parts for a show choir, a research project about being queer, and many more small ensemble pieces for the studio recitals held every semester. They’ve received the Ross Hastings Scholarship, which is given to those at UWEC that show commitment to composition. They are also involved musically in their community, playing violin for the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra (ECCO), Chippewa Valley Symphony Orchestra (CVSO), and playing violin and piano at St. James the Greater Catholic Church. As they enter their last undergraduate year, they hope to have even more chances to have their music played.

Gwen got into composition during their time in High School, though music has always been a large part in their life it took them awhile to learn that they could create it. In college they started as a Music Education major, but quickly changed their major when meeting Dr. Hsu. Since then, they have been trying to learn as many composition styles as possible. They took classical and jazz piano lessons. In composition lessons they’ve studied minimalism, neoclassicism, and modern music. Though they are still experimenting with their own personal style of composition, they enjoy composing neoclassic works with jazz-like harmony. Some future projects for them are: composing for other student’s senior recitals, including a violin viola duet, a viola duet, a bassoon solo, and a piano solo. They are preparing a full symphony orchestra piece and a full wind band piece for composition competitions. They are working on another set of pit orchestra parts, and they have their own senior recital coming up in the Spring of 2024.

The composer writes about their piece: “To my great surprise, the asteroid belt is not jam-packed with asteroids, huge intergalactic boulders crashing at breakneck speeds as I had imagined. A Google search originally meant to help me find compositional inspiration led me to instead discover the true, unexpected nature of the belt. The new picture forming in my head was of a cold, dark, spacious asteroid belt, with hundreds of thousands of miles between each lonely chunk of rock. “Through the Asteroid Belt” depicts this solemn, eternal atmosphere with a cold, at times hollow sound.

One melody stretches throughout the entire piece, representing the infiniteness of space. The melody is supported by a simple underlying texture, adding to the portrayal of a peaceful, lonely outer space. From far away, it would seem that each asteroid is floating slowly, mindlessly, through a space that never ends. As the viewer gets closer, however, it becomes clear that the asteroids are sailing through the belt quickly and smoothly, with a trajectory determined by physics and energy transferred eons ago. Brass swells depict the power of the asteroids’ velocities, traveling through an endlessly-stretching space.”