The Suncoast Composer Fellowship Program 2025
May 16–19 | Recording Workshop
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN! The deadline is March 7, 2025 at 11:59pm Eastern.
The SCFP 2025 Recording Workshop offers opportunities to all composers at various stages of their careers (students through professional) to develop their portfolio, receive excellent mentorship from acclaimed composer faculty members, workshop and record their compositions at a high level with extraordinary performers, and preview the working environment of a composer’s career path in a supportive and nurturing environment.
Please read all program details and application information carefully!
SCFP Recording Workshop:
Participants in this program will have one of their existing work workshopped and recorded by Soundbox resident artists. These works may be “premieres” (i.e., unperformed) or previously performed. In this SCFP 2025 Recording Workshop, participants will:
Workshop an existing work of approximately 3 to 7 minutes. Please review the instrumentation requirements below.
Receive a recording of their new work by resident musicians
Receive one lesson from your assigned faculty mentor (please see our faculty page for more details)
Travel to Sarasota, FL for a weekend residency. (Participants are responsible for arranging their own travel.)
Stay in luxury apartments in downtown Sarasota with other participants, faculty, and resident artists
Attend lectures, seminars, and discussions led by faculty and resident artists.
OPTIONAL! Automatic FREE registration and access to all Music and Storytelling conference events taking place immediately after the workshop (May 19–21). This spring, the workshop and conference share related topics; the conference is designed as a natural extension of the workshop. Workshop participants who decide to stay for the conference will need to pay for housing on additional conference days.
The Suncoast Composer Fellowship Program offers a suite of programs each year for composers from students to early-career professionals. Participants in previous iterations have included students from top composition programs all across the United States and beyond, including The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory, Peabody Conservatory, University of Southern California, Brown University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Michigan, University of Miami, University of Denver, and many others.
Composition Requirements
For the application, you must submit at least one score (at most three) that you would like to be considered for the workshop.
Your work should be approximately 3 to 7 minutes in length.
You may submit a solo or chamber music work, i.e., it must be performable without conductor.
Resident artists will cover the following instruments: violin, viola, cello, bass, flute, clarinet, piano, and percussion. (If you choose to submit a work with percussion, please email info@soundboxventures.org to request information on which percussion instruments are available).
Application Details
You can prepare the following materials to facilitate your application.
Application Form
Score Samples for Workshop: You may submit scores for up to three works that you would like considered for the workshop.
Each submission must have a score in PDF format.
Recordings (live or MIDI mockups) are encouraged but not required.
Your CV as a PDF (please include education history, mentors, festivals, etc.)
A list of completed works (include titles, instrumentation, duration, composition and premiere dates, links to recordings where applicable)
1 Recommender Contact (this can be a professor, mentor, or colleague/collaborator who we will reach out to for a letter)
A brief statement describing your aims in attending the workshop.
Quick Facts
Dates: May 16–19, 2025
Eligibility: Composers of any age may apply. Minors (under the age of 18) must travel and attend with a parent or legal guardian.
Maximum Available Spots: 10
Program Cost: $1550 (Includes lodging. Financial aid available. See details below.)*
Application Fee: $20
Faculty: Ania Vu, Will Stackpole, Sean Friar, Marc Migó Cortes
Resident Artists: To be announced, comprised of alumni from top North American music schools such as Juilliard, Curtis, and New England Conservatory.
*This covers all program costs including lessons, lectures, workshopping sessions, recording, lodging, and inner-city transportation. Flights to and from Sarasota are not covered. Meal costs are also not included, although boxed lunches at a discounted price will be offered. Please see program description for more details
Program Schedule
Note: When participants have free time outside of their assigned workshop, they are permitted to observe the workshops of other participants. Otherwise, participants are expected to optimize their free time to revise their compositions based on their workshop.
Residency Accommodations
Accommodations for all participants of SCFP 2025 Recording Workshop will be at the Steinwachs Artist Residences.
Participants who are minors, defined as 17 years of age or younger, must travel and attend SCFP with a parent or legal guardian. Apartment arrangements at the Steinwachs Artist Residences can be made; if no apartment units are suitable, minors and their parent or legal guardian must book accomodations at a nearby hotel.
Photos of the Steinwachs Artist Residences are shown below.
Tuition and Fees
We understand that cost may be barriers to attendance. Soundbox is committed to working with admitted applicants to make their participation possible.
Application Fee Waivers are available, subject to certain requirements. Please email info@soundboxventures.org for more details. Financial Aid is available. Please note that as a relatively new program, we regrettably will not have the capability to offer full scholarships this year.
TUITION: $875
BREAKDOWN
Curriculum and Workshop (1 lesson, workshop, panels and seminars on compositional, business, and philosophic topics): $450
Recording Session Fees (Workshop session with musicians, audio and video recording with some editing, venues): $425
WORKSHOP RESIDENCY PACKAGE: $675*
Additional Costs (not paid to the program):
Flight: $200–550**
Estimated Food: $300***
Participants who stay for the Conference (extra 2 nights) will be responsible for an additional housing cost of $200. You may also choose to switch housing to join other conference attendees at the Marriott Aloft Hotel, which would be approximately $159/night for two additional nights.
Notes:
*This cost is for a participant over 18 years of age, and for a room in a 3-bedroom/2-bath apartment at Steinwachs Artist Residences. Participants who are minors will have a different cost if lodging at Steinwachs, as the unit will be a 2-bedroom/1-bath apartment. If these units are unavailable, then minors and their parents and/or guardians must book a room at The Modern hotel just down the street or the Marriott Aloft hotel in downtown Sarasota. It is possible to book at a different hotel if a participant finds a more competitive rate, but the participant will then be responsible for all of their transportation within Sarasota.
**Roundtrip flights between major airline hubs in the continent United States will cost between the range indicated. Participants will be responsible for their own travel to and from Sarasota. Participants who fly into Sarasota will be picked up by Soundbox personnel. It is also possible to fly into Tampa, but there will be no guaranteed transportation from Tampa International Airport unless it can be coordinated with other participants who are arriving or departing as a group.
***All units at Steinwachs have a kitchen fully stocked with pots and pans, knives, dishes, cutlery, and other essential cooking equipment. The refrigerators can be stocked with groceries by participants, who are encouraged to cook. With exception of two or three group meals, it is not essential to eat out around town every day. The food cost for a week for an individual, including eating out, is estimated.
