Composition Masterclass / Composition Workshop for electric guitar

The Composition masterclass is open to all those interested in composing a piece for electric guitar and who wish to gain this experience under the guidance of Pierluigi Billone, working closely with the performers of the contemporary Electric Guitar workshop held by Francesco Palmieri.

The starting point will be the organic integration of direct and creative manipulation of the instrument (preferably excluding additional tools, apparatus, extensions, etc.) with the possibilities of electronic sound processing programmes.
The privileged technical focus will be on the principles and formalisation of preliminary sound explorations, the creative and conscious use of the programmes and the development of an effective and coherent notation.
The compositional focus will be on the open and critical consideration of the principles of processing and development of the sound material chosen by the participant.
The culmination of the experience is the composition of a short piece for electric guitar (recommended duration 6/8 minutes, maximum duration: 10/12 minutes), also in the form of a Studio, or a preliminary study and/or a portion of a larger subsequent work, or as a documentation of a preliminary exploration of open possibilities.

The organisation of the course foresees a selection of candidates, after which pairs of guitarists and composers will be formed. The possibility of online meetings with Pierluigi Billone is planned to take place in spring 2024 on dates and in a manner to be agreed upon, in order to discuss the compositional process of the guitar piece. It will also be the task of the organisers to put each composer in contact with a guitarist to exchange drafts and ideas, so that the piece can be finalised profitably during the Masterclass days.

In the days leading up to the start of the course (29-31 July), CDM’s facility and accommodation are available (upon reservation and at a flat rate of €25/day) for students who wish to begin work with the performer independently.
In the event of particular needs or difficulties, the guitarists Francesco Palmieri and/or Giulia Pastorino (Collettivo_21) will be available to assist the student guitarists and/or take care of some of the composers’ pieces, handling their creation and recording.

The course also includes the possibility of presenting further own pieces (for any instrument) and working with the teacher.
The new works for guitar will be presented in a final concert organised by Foresty International Music Festival, with a live recording (audio and video) that will be given to each composer and guitarist and (subject to agreement with them), published on the social pages and website of CdM San Michele and Foresty International Music Festival.

EVENT CALENDAR

• 29-30-31 July: days available for students, both composers and guitarists (reservation required) to start work on new pieces for electric guitar. The work will take place at the CDM facility, accommodation is available at a flat rate of 25€/day
• 1-2-3 August: Composition workshop for electric guitar – lessons with teachers Pierluigi Billone and Francesco Palmieri, working on new pieces for electric guitar
• 2 August: Lecture-Concert on the music of Pierluigi Billone with Francesco Palmieri and Alberto Anhaus (Collettivo_21)
• 3 August: Workshop final concert (pieces for electric guitar), with live recording
• 4-5-6 August: Composition Masterclass (for student composers only) on free repertoire