Join the 5th IBOC Opera Composition Course online in the Fall of 2025.

This year’s course is “Operatic Overture Workshop: Compose Opera with João MacDowell,” held on Tuesdays from 7 to 9 PM EST. Attendees will study overture writing, demos, and score tools.

Schedule and Tuition
  • Dates: September 9 – December 9, 2025
  • Format: 12 live online sessions, Tuesdays 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EST
  • Tuition: US$ 1100
  • Early Bird – Apply by July 31: US$ 900
  • Deadline: September 2, 2025
Course Focus
  • Crafting the modern operatic overture: purpose, shape, and dramatic impact
  • Moving from small ideas to large forms: thematic development and long-range structure
  • Building digital production guides: demoing parts, creating tempo maps, and conductor tracks
  • Polyharmonic and cross-cultural writing techniques
  • Collaborative workflows with singers, librettists, and directors
  • The composer as cultural catalyst: planning workshops, demos, and premieres
  • Practical strategies for remote recording, virtual orchestra, and score organization
Skills You’ll Develop
  • Melodic writing and text setting for voice
  • Advanced harmonic and rhythmic design
  • Architecture of expansive multi-scene works
  • Notation standards and software workflows for large scores
  • Creating tempo maps and electronic demos for professional recordings
  • Critical self-review and revision strategies