The BMI Jazz Composers Workshop is a regular meeting of emerging and/or developing jazz composers. The focus of the workshop’s activity is big band (AKA jazz orchestra or large jazz ensemble) composition. The purpose of the workshop is twofold: to foster the musical growth of the individual composers, and to create a body of work that helps to extend the language of composition for the jazz orchestra. The workshop enables composers to come together to share ideas and learn from one another. There is no fee to participate. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, and must be one of the following:
- A BMI affiliate
- A member of a non-US PRO with BMI collecting on US performances
- Unaffiliated/no society (acceptance is predicated on joining BMI)
The workshop was founded in 1988 by acclaimed composer/trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, composer/educator Manny Albam and author and jazz authority Burt Korall. Currently, the workshop is led by composers/educators Andy Farber, Musical Director, and Alan Ferber, Assistant Musical Director. Jim McNeely joined the Workshop in 1991 and was musical director from 1999–2015. Mike Holober was assistant musical director from 2007–2015.
The BMI Jazz Composers Workshop stresses exploration, ranging from the traditional to the new. The primary emphasis is placed on composers and their ideas, along with the acquisition and understanding of techniques that make possible the execution of thoughts and the development of personal language within the big band setting.
The workshop meets on Tuesdays from September through May and is divided into two sections: Intermediate and Advanced. Each section has between one and three meetings per month; regular attendance is expected of all participants.
Members also have the opportunity to hear their work played in monthly reading sessions with the BMI New York Jazz Orchestra, a 17-piece jazz ensemble. The BMI NYJO performs at the BMI Summer Showcase Concert, which features selected works developed in the workshop. Included in the summer concert program are the pieces that have been designated as finalists in the BMI Charlie Parker composition competition. The winning composer receives a monetary prize and the Manny Albam Commission to compose a new work for the following year’s concert. Previous winners have included Rufus Reid, Jamie Begian, Noriko Ueda, Darcy J. Argue, Sherisse Rogers, Asuka Kakitani, Jeff Fairbanks, and Sara Jacovino.