California Symphony’s Composer-In-Residence Program is designed to give early-career professional composers and/or graduate students in composition an opportunity to work with a professional orchestra and conductor for a three-year residency from August 1, 2026, through July 31, 2029.

The residency provides a unique opportunity to compose, rehearse, premiere, and record multiple orchestral compositions for three consecutive years. Each season, there will be a recorded 30-minute reading workshop with the complete orchestra, from which study recordings will be provided. The composer, conductor, and orchestra become partners in the creative process, working together as the composition develops.

APPLY HERE: https://www.californiasymphony.org/composer-in-residence-application/ 

Previous California Symphony composer alumni have won national & international awards, serve as faculty at universities across the country, and continue to compose and receive commissions.

All rounds in the selection process are assessed in a blind review process, meaning your work will be considered anonymously and without prejudice.

We’re eager to hear your work, and we invite you to apply for the unique opportunity to build a relationship with one of the premier regional orchestras in the United States.

The resident composer will receive the following:

• An honorarium/commission fee for each work
• Three world premieres to be performed during 2026-27, 2027-28, and 2028-29 seasons
• Three recorded 30-minute reading workshops with the orchestra
• Accommodation and airfare for two residency weeks each season
• Collaboration with Artistic & Music Director Donato Cabrera and California Symphony musicians
• Engagement with community members, California Symphony Board of Directors, donors, and staff
• Publicity and marketing for each premiere

The Composer will participate in the following activities:

• On-site visits to local schools
• Pre-concert lectures
• Special receptions and/or cultivation events
• Assist with the search for the next composer in residence
• Support concert promotion, including writing guest blogs, providing social media content, and interviews with the press

Qualifications

• Early career professional composer and/or graduate student in composition
• A citizen or a permanent resident of the United States