Composition Chair David Conte has been picked to be part of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Mentoring Program for Composers. This unique mentoring opportunity for emerging and early career art song composers aims to promote and encourage the composition and performance of new works.

Conte is one of just eight professionals to be paired with young composers or those early in their career, “Mentoring art song is a natural extension for me, as I founded our Biennial Art Song Composition Competition in 2005. Since then SFCM student composers have composed over 100 art songs, some of which have been published and recorded,” Conte said of the opportunity, “SFCM actively nurtures the composing of vocal music - art song, chorus, and opera -which grows out of the understanding that all the rhetorical conventions of instrumental music grow out of vocal music, which connects the composer to the breath span, and to text and the creation of character.”

Conte has been paired with Jorell Williams, a New York based American operatic baritone and composer with a wide variety of experience from standard repertoire to premiere pieces.

The composer and mentor will work together through June 1, 2022 at the end of which, it is hoped mentees will have their works presented by NATS either online or as part of regional or national events. Last year the Cincinnati Song Initiative commissioned and premiered a song from each of the composer mentees. 

Learn more about studying Voice or Composition at SFCM.