THE SEATTLE SYMPHONY’S MERRIMAN-ROSS FAMILY YOUNG COMPOSERS WORKSHOP RETURNS, FEATURING ELECTROACOUSTIC COMPOSITION

THROUGHOUT THE WORKSHOP, 10 YOUNG COMPOSERS WILL CRAFT INNOVATIVE ELECTROACOUSTIC PIECES UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF LOCAL COMPOSER MARCIN PĄCZKOWSKI, RETURNING AS THE 2024/2025 WORKSHOP DIRECTOR

Seattle, WA — The Seattle Symphony is excited to announce the 2024/2025 Merriman-Ross Family Young Composers Workshop, featuring a focus on electroacoustic composition. From January to May 2025, 10 students from the Puget Sound region will delve into this innovative genre under the guidance of returning Workshop Director Marcin Pączkowski, an acclaimed composer and electronic music specialist.

The 2024/2025 season’s workshop once again offers students an exciting opportunity to explore the fusion of electronic music with live symphonic instruments, this time while writing for chamber ensembles. Participants will enhance their compositional techniques, learn to seamlessly integrate electronic and acoustic elements, and expand their creative horizons. The Seattle Symphony eagerly welcomes students from diverse musical backgrounds, encouraging exploration beyond classical traditions to inspire a wide range of innovative ideas and artistic expressions.

“I am thrilled to be directing the Young Composers Workshop again this year,” said 2024/2025 Young Composers Workshop Director Marcin Pączkowski. “While we will continue exploring instrumental and electronic sounds, this time we are expanding the instrumentation to include a variety of chamber group settings. I am eager to see how the participants rise to the challenge of composing music for a chamber ensemble with electronics.”

“The Seattle Symphony's Young Composers Workshop centers on music composition as a creative endeavor that fosters imagination and innovation,” said Seattle Symphony Senior Director of Education & Community Engagement Jérémy Jolley. “From thinking about the sound and ideas they want to express, to the practicality of getting these musical ideas performed, 10 young composers each season not only explore what music can be with Seattle Symphony musicians, but also build a community and establish friendships with like-minded teens around their passion.”

After months of preparation and workshopping their scores, the young composers’ works will be brought to life during a final concert performed by Seattle Symphony musicians in Benaroya Hall’s Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall. The concert, open to the public and free of charge, takes place on June 8 at 7:30pm. Reservations are recommended; walk-ups are also welcome.

Ticket Information 

For more information on tickets, visit seattlesymphony.org or contact the Seattle Symphony Ticket Office. The Seattle Symphony Ticket Office is located in Benaroya Hall, at Third Avenue and Union Street. The Ticket Office can be reached by phone at 206.215.4747 during the following times: Tuesday–Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

THE MERRIMAN-ROSS FAMILY YOUNG COMPOSERS WORKSHOP

The Merriman-Ross Family Young Composers Workshop has a long history involving many prestigious names in music composition, providing local students the opportunity to connect with exceptional expertise in this field. The program began in 1992 under the direction of Rebecca & Jack Benaroya Conductor Laureate Gerard Schwarz, who was the Harriet Overton Stimson Music Director of the Seattle Symphony from 1985 to 2011, and former Composer in Residence Bright Sheng. It was originally named in honor of David Diamond, recognized as one of America’s greatest composers and the Symphony’s longtime Honorary Composer in Residence. This Education and Community Engagement program represents a rare opportunity for young composers to push the boundaries of traditional composition and to explore new musical landscapes. The Seattle Symphony is proud to support the next generation of composers as they embark on this journey of musical discovery and innovation. 

MARCIN PĄCZKOWSKI WORKSHOP DIRECTOR 

Marcin Pączkowski [‘marr-cheen pawnch-`koav-skee] is a composer, conductor, digital artist and performer, working with both traditional and electronic media. As a composer, he is focused on developing new ways of creating and performing computer music and his pieces involving real-time gestural control using accelerometers have been performed in the United States, Poland, Canada and South Korea. As the Music Director of Evergreen Community Orchestra, he presents concerts of diverse repertoire to local communities. He is also involved in performing new music and has led premieres of numerous works in Poland and the United States.  
  
He has received grants and commissions from the Seattle Symphony, eScience Institute, Adam Mickiewicz Institute and Polish Institute of Music and Dance. He received his Ph.D. in Digital Arts and Experimental Media (DXARTS) from the University of Washington and holds Master's degrees from the Academy of Music in Kraków, Poland, and from the University of Washington.

SEATTLE SYMPHONY 

 The Seattle Symphony unleashes the power of music, brings people together and lifts the human spirit. Recognized as one of the “most vital American orchestras” (NPR), the Seattle Symphony is internationally acclaimed for its inventive programming, community-minded initiatives and superb recordings on the Seattle Symphony Media label. With a strong commitment to new music and a legacy of over 150 recordings, the orchestra has won five Grammy Awards, 27 Grammy nominations, two Emmy Awards and was named Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year. The Symphony performs in Benaroya Hall in the heart of downtown Seattle from September through July, reaching over 750,000 people annually through live performances and radio broadcasts, and through the Seattle Symphony+ streaming service, the orchestra’s concerts reach audiences at home and around the world. 

BENAROYA HALL

Benaroya Hall, the home of the Seattle Symphony, is located in downtown Seattle. Opened in 1998, Benaroya Hall is the most-visited performing arts venue in Seattle. It has received numerous awards, including a 2001 American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Honor Award for outstanding architecture. Benaroya Hall has three versatile performance venues, the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium, the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall and Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center, all renowned for their pristine acoustics, luxurious design and prime location. For additional information, including rental information, event listings and public tour schedules, please visit benaroyahall.org. 

###

The Merriman-Ross Family Young Composers Workshop is generously underwritten by Pamela Merriman, Sonja Ross, and Kelley Ross. Additional support is provided by Patricia M. Davis, Ann Holbrook, and Michel and Christine Suignard.

The Seattle Symphony’s Family, School & Community programs are supported by 4Culture, the Arakawa Foundation, Marco Argenti, ArtsFund, Delta Air Lines, the Merriman-Ross Family, the National Endowment for the Arts, and individual contributions to the Seattle Symphony Annual Fund.