Opus 21 Youth New Music Ensemble

Leo Sussman, Instructor

Classes start January 27, 2026
Tuesdays at 7-8:15 p.m. (12 sessions)

Opus 21 – Youth New Music Ensemble

For intermediate to advanced middle & high school instrumentalists (should have command of at least a half dozen two-octave major scales and fluency in reading traditional staff notation). No prior improvisation experience required, just an open mind and eagerness to experiment! NYSSMA level 5+, age 12+

Opus 21 is a youth ensemble dedicated to the music of our time. Learn to interpret and perform music by living composers, plus create your own pieces and arrangements for the ensemble! Along the way, we’ll develop theory and improvisation skills to support your creative work as a 21st-century musician.

12 sessions: $290 (Scholarships available)

Curriculum Overview:

A genre-inclusive new music ensemble that equips students with 21st-century musicianship skills and exposure to contemporary performance practices.

Each session will include 3 main components:

• Foundations: interactive introduction to an influential musical movement from the past century (e.g. Minimalism, Deep Listening, Serialism) including listening examples, historical context, music theory skill-building, and hands-on music making
• Workshop: guided work time on individual or group composition/arrangement projects
• Rehearsal: preparation of piece(s) for the full ensemble or smaller subgroups. A combination of short-term projects for exposure to a broad range of styles and longer-term projects in preparation for public performance.

Sample projects:

• Learn to perform some “standard” open-instrumentation pieces (e.g. Terry Riley’s In C)
• Group improvisation exercises, including graphic scores and text pieces
• Each student composes a short solo piece for their own instrument
• Pairs of students compose solo pieces for one another (or for the duo!)

• As a group, create an arrangement/adaptation of an existing song or piece

12 sessions: $290 (Scholarships available)