Pathways: Providing professional, mentor-guided workshops, performances & recordings for composers with limited access

THE PROGRAM

PATHWAYS is a program for California residents which aims to address inequities that many composers face in obtaining high-quality, professional recordings of their works, which are essential for the development of their careers. High-quality work samples form the centerpiece of all applications for grants, residencies and other opportunities. Obtaining such recordings can be very difficult if a composer has limited access to professional performers.

PATHWAYS will address this issue by providing professional, mentor-guided workshops led by exceptional composers, in addition to intensive readings and rehearsals with professional new-music performers. The new pieces composed during Pathways will receive a public performance and will be recorded for use as an application work sample.

Composers from underserved backgrounds are especially encouraged to apply. Applicants must be no older than 24 years by July 1, 2026.

WHAt WE PROVIDE

Up to four exceptional young composers will be selected to participate in the PATHWAYS program. These composers will take part in workshops virtually over Zoom and in-person in Berkeley*, where the final version of each piece will be rehearsed, performed, and recorded live. The final recordings will be professionally mastered and returned to the composers for use as an application work sample. The program will conclude with public performances of the new works in San Francisco/Berkeley*.

*A stipend will be provided towards travel costs. Housing accommodations will be provided.

**WHAT you PROVIDE**

Prospective participants must provide all of the necessary application materials and should be prepared to take part in PATHWAYS in full as detailed in the schedule. Each composer selected is expected to approach the program with an open mind and a willingness to learn and grow from their work with the mentor composers and professional musicians. For the public performances, each PATHWAYS participant will provide program notes and a short biography.

program timeline

Dates are subject to change.

February 1, 2026: Applications due (Deadline has been extended)
February 10, 2026: Participants announced
March - June 2026: Zoom workshops with mentor composers
June 9 & 10, 2026, 10am-5pm: Workshops in Berkeley
September 18, 2026: Rehearsals in Berkeley
September 19, 2026: Rehearsals and Performances in San Francisco (Noe Valley Ministry)
September 20, 2026: Rehearsals and Performances in Berkeley (Berkeley Piano Club)

apply now!

To apply to PATHWAYS, you will submit your two strongest pieces and a proposal describing the piece you would like to compose during our program. Pieces created through PATHWAYS cannot exceed ten minutes and will be composed for any/all of the following instruments: flute (with doublings), violin, cello, and double bass. To fill out the FREE application, click below:

APPLY HERE

meet the mentor composers

Celebrated for his musical storytelling ability, NICOLÁS LELL BENAVIDES composes for a range of settings, from instrumental chamber music to comic opera. Benavides is currently a member of Left Coast’s Advisory Board and has been recently commissioned by West Edge Opera to compose the music for Dolores, a new opera centered around the life of Dolores Huerta. He teaches at the USC Thornton School of Music. Visit: NicolasBenavides.com
CHRIS CASTRO has been hailed as “on par with Varèse” and has been dubbed “the New Colossus of Sound.” He has previously written music for Left Coast, where he now serves on the Advisory Board. He is Assistant Professor of Composition at Chapman University. Visit: soundcloud.com/ChrisCastroComposer
In many of his compositions, JOSIAH CATALAN explores traditional, avant-garde, popular, and indigenous Philippine musical influences. Catalan composed a flute concerto — Night of the South Winds — for LCCE member Stacey Pelinka during Left Coast’s 30th season and has received commissions from various other ensembles and individuals, locally and internationally. He teaches Music Theory, Composition, and World Music at UC Davis and at Sacramento State. Visit: JosiahCatalan.com
KAY RHIE composes contemporary classical music that references an expansive range of artistic mediums and styles, including literature, film, jazz, and European avant-garde. Interested in conceptions of belonging, Rhie explores the topics of homecoming and displacement in her recent works: Quake and Five Petals. She now teaches composition and theory at the University of California, Los Angeles. Visit: schoolofmusic.ucla.edu/people/Kay-Rhie