Lucerne Festival Academy 2027
Composer Seminar for Orchestra by Dieter Ammann and Unsuk Chin
Dates in Lucerne
Composer Seminar 23 August - 29 August 2027
Arrival Day: Sunday, 22 August 2027
23 August - 29 August, two days of group seminars, three rehearsal days + final concert
Final Concert: Sunday, 29 August 2027
Departure Day: Monday, 30 August 2027
Program
The Composer Seminar for Orchestra offers six emerging composers the opportunity to engage in an intensive artistic dialogue with Dieter Ammann, Unsuk Chin, and internationally renowned young performers. Throughout the compositional process, participants receive online guidance from Dieter Ammann. The seminar in August begins with an in-person session in Lucerne, where the composers present their works in plenary sessions and discuss their own music in individual lessons with the two mentors. In the later phase, the composers collaborate with young conductors from the Lucerne Festival’s Contemporary-Conducting Program and the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra (LFCO) to rehearse their new orchestral pieces specially created for the seminar to be premiered during the Lucerne Summer Festival 2027.
Profile of Participants
Documents to be submitted (all documents can be submitted online except the scores)
Please upload the recordings of your work and the scores (as PDF) online.
Further, send one printed copy of the scores to the following address:
Lucerne Festival Contemporary
Composer Seminar
Hirschmattstrasse 13
CH-6003 Luzern
Important: The printed scores have to be delivered until October 31, 2026 at the latest!
Later entries of scores are not accepted and the application cannot be considered.
The course management will decide on active participation upon receipt of the registration forms and scores. The results of the selections will be announced before Christmas 2026. There is no right of legal appeal. No correspondence regarding the decisions will be conducted.
New works
Composers must create a new piece lasting about 5-7minutes for orchestra
Maximum cast
Maximum: 3.3.3.3 - 4.3.3.1 - tmp+4. - hp.pno - 14.12.10.8.6
The composers are under no obligation to use the maximum orchestral forces. However, the work shall involve all sections of the orchestra (woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings).
Doublings: Piccolo Flute, Alto Flute, English Horn, Contrabasson, Bass Clarinet
No amplifications for instruments, no live electronics (except*)
*sampler/tape/fixed media with simple stereo amplification (including one sound engineer) are possible.
Preparations of instruments: Permitted only if they can be applied and removed within a maximum of 2 minutes and do not cause any damage or lasting alteration to the instrument.
Application Deadline
Saturday, 31 October, 2026 (23:59 CET, Swiss time)
The composers will be informed of the result of the call for entries by mid-December.
Delivery dates for new works
March 16, 2027: Confirmation of instrumentation including list of percussion instruments
June 1, 2027: Delivery PDF score and parts to Lucerne Festival
Course fee
There is no fee for active participation in the Composer Seminar.
Travel
The Lucerne Festival Academy will cover the travel expenses for each active participant.
Accommodation
Lucerne Festival will arrange and cover the costs of accommodation for each active participant in a local host family.
Meals
Each active participant will receive a per diem for meals.
Scores
Each participant must provide his/her own scores.
Contact
academy@lucernefestival.ch
DATA PROTECTION AND PRIVACY
By submitting the application documents, the applicant confirms that he/she has been informed of Lucerne Festival's privacy notice. The privacy notice is available at the following link.