Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey Young Composers Initiative

Deadline

Feb 21 2026 at 12:01 AM EST

Information

CPNJ Young Composers Program – Composer-in-Residence 2026

The Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey is excited to launch a year-long Young Composers Program in 2026 as part of our Composer-in-Residence initiative, funded by a grant from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA). This program is designed for high-school–aged students who are curious about composing for orchestra—whether they’ve already started writing music or have always wanted to try but don’t know where to begin.



What Is the Program?

Up to ten students will be selected to work closely with Dr. Joel Phillips, Professor Emeritus of Music Composition at Rider University’s Westminster Choir College. Over the course of 2026, students will:

  1. Meet with Dr. Phillips for approximately one hour per week (lessons/meetings may be virtual or in-person, depending on circumstances).
  2. Complete independent work between sessions, developing their creative ideas into a full orchestral piece.
  3. Have access to summer sessions for additional support and flexibility.


The program is tuition-free for selected students thanks to NJEDA grant support.


What Do Students Receive?

Each selected student will receive:

  1. Ten one-on-one composition and orchestration sessions with Dr. Joel Phillips
  2. A copy of Samuel Adler: The Study of Orchestration
  3. A license for Dorico Pro notation software
  4. Subsidized printing and binding of their orchestral score and parts
  5. Access to a series of video lessons created specifically for this project
  6. Complimentary tickets to Capital Philharmonic mainstage and chamber concerts in 2026
  7. Invitations to observe select rehearsals, offering an inside look at how a professional orchestra works


Orchestral Reading & Recording

Students who complete a piece that meets the technical criteria for performance will have their work:

  1. Read by the Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey in a public orchestral reading session planned for November 2026
  2. Recorded so the student can use the audio for college applications, portfolios, and future projects

Some works may also be considered for inclusion in future Capital Philharmonic programming, at the discretion of the organization.

Details about awards and recognition connected to this project will be announced as the program develops.



Who Should Apply?

We encourage applications from students who:

  1. Will be in high school through May 2026
  2. Live within a 20 mile radius of Trenton
  3. Are involved in music in any way (school ensembles, youth orchestra, private lessons, songwriting, etc.)
  4. Are curious, creative, and eager to learn
  5. Are willing to commit to regular lessons and independent work throughout 2026


No prior composition experience is required. A strong interest in music and a willingness to work are most important.


Time Commitment

  1. Approximately one hour per week in lessons or meetings with Dr. Phillips
  2. Additional independent composing and score-preparation work between lessons
  3. Optional summer sessions are available for students who want or need extra support
  4. Participation in the public reading session in November 2026


Who is Dr. Joel Phillips?

Professor Emeritus of Music Composition and Theory, Joel Phillips served Westminster Choir College for nearly forty years. In 2009, he received Rider University’s Distinguished Teaching Award. Supporters of the Capital Philharmonic will likely recognize him as providing pre-concert talks at many of the orchestra’s mainstage events.

Phillips is recipient of a number of composition awards, including those from BMI and ASCAP, and his works appear in the catalogs of G. Schirmer, Inc., Transcontinental Music Publications, GIA, and Mark Foster Music (Shawnee Press). What he enjoys most as a composer is commissions because they provide the opportunity to work closely with a community of performers and their audience.

Dr. Phillips has dedicated much energy to the pedagogy of teaching music. He is co-author of three music theory textbooks published as part of W. W. Norton & Company’s Musician’s Guide series. The Musician's Guide to Fundamentals is the most widely used text in its market and the AP edition of The Musician’s Guide is the most widely used text by AP music students worldwide.

A former Chief Faculty Consultant for the Advanced Placement Examination in Music Theory, Phillips sat with the committee that created these tests, managed the annual scoring of the examination, and set the AP scores. If you took the AP music exam during the past 30 years, he might have scored it. (Don’t fret; the names were concealed!) He has continued his work with AP both as a reader and as the longest-serving music consultant for the College Board.

His crowning achievement was being named the 2015 Grand Prize Winner of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest [https://www.bulwer-lytton.com/2015], an international competition that selects from among thousands of entries the proposed opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels.