Composition

All composition applicants must submit a complete composition portfolio and accompanying recordings via the online application. Applicants for the Harvard/NEC Dual Degree program may be invited for an interview in February. Applicants to all other programs will be reviewed based on their portfolio only; there is no prescreening, and an interview is not required.

Portfolio scores can be uploaded as PDF files and recordings may be uploaded in several file formats.

Composition Portfolio Requirements:

Submit three scores of original compositions. If available, please also include recordings (live or computer-generated) of the submitted compositions. Scores and recordings must be submitted through the online application. If available, applicants should also show proof of theoretical study through transcripts or other supporting documents.

Short Video:

Submit a short video (~5-10 minutes) telling us who you are as a composer. You are free to share whatever you would like us to know, but please include answers to the following questions:

• Why do you want to attend NEC?
• When did you start composing, and what made you decide to be a composer?
• ​​​Are you an instrumentalist or a vocalist? If so, what is/are your instrument(s)?
• Which living composers are you currently listening to?
• What is a compositional challenge that you’ve faced in the last year, and how did you solve it?

Interview:

Applicants to the Harvard/NEC Dual Degree program may be invited for an interview in February. The interview does not include a demonstration of instrumental or vocal proficiency.  You will be asked to prepare five minutes of your music, audio and score, to present to the faculty. The five minutes of music may be one or several excerpts.