songSPARKS Composer Program

June 8th – 16th, 2026
The University of Michigan

The Collaborative Piano Institute is proud to announce songSPARKS, led by Sparks & Wiry Cries’ co-founders Martha Guth and Erika Switzer. For nine days in June at the University of Michigan, songSPARKS will gather established and emerging composers alongside song performers to develop and share new works through dialogue, workshop, and world premiere performances showcasing the work of our accepted applicants.

Faculty:

Composition Faculty: Shawn Okpebholo and Juhi Bansal 

Performance Faculty, Directors: Erika Switzer, Martha Guth

Poetry Faculty: Susan Stewart

Activities for Student Composers:

Composers will bring early drafts of two songs to develop during their time at the program, with each composer selecting one of their poems from our faculty poet, Susan Stewart, to set alongside another poem of their own choice.  Composers will receive:

• Pre-program Zoom meeting with composition faculty, including Shawn Okpebholo and Juhi Bansal, to speak about text setting and the new compositions to be brought to the program in draft form 

• Composition lessons, workshop, and coaching of their new pieces; sessions on the business of composition and commission; sessions on text setting with faculty poet Susan Stewart; faculty lectures; and a public performance of their world premiere songs by talented student performers.

• New compositions will be presented alongside a selection of pieces chosen to complement the new works

• Access to all major events happening at CPI/VA, including major masterclasses, performances, lectures, panel discussions, and other sessions.
  

Activities for Student Performers Concentrating in Contemporary Song:

• Coaching on extant 21st C. contemporary music by performance faculty

• Coaching on student composer pieces by performance faculty

• Opportunity to give the world premiere of select student composer pieces
  Opportunity to perform works by faculty composers during each Faculty Composer Song Survey

Faculty sessions, including the seminars, lectures, business of composition, and workshops will be open to all CPI/VA students to attend.

Timeline:

• Our application portal opens Dec. 1st, 2025. A $36 registration fee must be submitted at the time of application. Please contact us at info@sparksandwirycries.org if you would like to be considered for a waiver of the application fee.

• Applications Due: March 1st, 2026

• Acceptance/waitlist letters sent out: March 15th, 2026

• Composers must accept and deposit received: March 20th, 2026

• List of poems by Faculty poet sent out: March 22nd, 2026

• Choice of song texts sent in by student composers: April 1st, 2026 

• Zoom meetings with faculty /student composers scheduled in April

• First Drafts finalized and sent to student performers by: May 1st, 2026

• First day of program June 8th (arrival evening of June 7th) 

• Last day of program: June 16th (departure morning of the 17th)

COST:

Tuition: $1,000

Housing: $400 (10 nights, arriving the evening of Sunday, June 7th, departing Wednesday, June 17th morning.)

Participants will be responsible for their own meals.

APPLICATIONS FOR songSPARKS 2026 OPEN ON DECEMBER 1ST, 2025, and are due March 1st, 2026.