I'm happy to announce the return of the Eastman School of Music's summer study-abroad program in Paris (https://summer.esm.rochester.edu/course/paris/), which will be offered in June 2026 alongside the ManiFeste-2026 festival of contemporary music and the ManiFeste Summer Academy at IRCAM (Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique).
Theory 402a (Theory and Analysis of Contemporary Music) is a four-week, three-credit course designed for graduate students and advanced undergraduates: performers, composers, theorists, and musicologists are all welcome. Course topics will include spectral music, timbre-based music, microtonality, computer-aided composition, and live electronics.
Students will attend classes taught by Prof. Robert Hasegawa (McGill University) from June 1 to 26 and also participate in the IRCAM ManiFeste Academy as auditors from June 15 to 26. We will also attend all festival concerts (usually fifteen to twenty performances by leading European ensembles and soloists). Classes and concerts will be supplemented by guest lecturers, open rehearsals and masterclasses, and field trips; students will also have free time to explore other Parisian musical and cultural resources.
Students applying to the course should have completed at least four semesters of collegiate-level music theory or the equivalent; previous study of post-tonal theory is recommended but not required. The course will be taught in English, and knowledge of French is not necessary. For more information, tuition and fee schedules, and an online application form, please visit the program website:
https://summer.esm.rochester.edu/course/paris/
The application deadline is Monday, January 19, 2026, though applications may be accepted after this date if there is remaining space in the class.
Feel free to contact me by email (robert.hasegawa@mcgill.ca) with any questions... and please pass this announcement along to any students or colleagues who might be interested!