Music Composition Academy
Chamberlain / St. Joseph's
Monday, June 22 – Friday, June 26, 2026
The South Dakota Symphony Orchestra invites you to be part of the Music Composition Academy! This program will serve as a catalyst for community in the Chamberlain area while teaching students to express their creativity and write original music. Daily music composition lessons and activities will be part of the Music Composition Academy, with an emphasis on cultural understanding and finding human commonalities.
The 2026 Academy will be hosted at:
St. Joseph’s Indian School
1301 N Main St, Chamberlain, SD 57325.
How to Apply
Complete the following application form by Friday, May 22, 2026.
Selection Process
Staff composers will choose the Academy participants. A total of 12–16 students will be chosen for this year’s Academy.
PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS
- Ages – middle school through high school.
- Must have a desire to learn about music and music composition.
PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS
- Basic knowledge of reading music recommended (can read music in either bass or treble clef or tablature, knowledge of note values, rhythm, dynamics, etc.)
- Ability to play a musical instrument reasonably proficiently.
COMMITMENT
- Students must attend all days of academy including private lessons in music composition.
COST
There is no cost to attend the Music Composition Academy. Students must be committed to attending all activities to participate. Students will be provided with lunch during the Music Composition Academy.
Academy Schedule
The Chamberlain Academy is an overnight camp. Students will have daily one-on-one composition lessons with our composition staff and at the conclusion of the music academy have a fully formed piece of music for either string quartet or wind quintet. Students will work and collaborate directly with the professional musicians of the SDSO who will give a public performance of their completed compositions.
(subject to change)
June Academy Daily Schedule
8:00am Breakfast
9:00am Warm Ups
10:00am Group Composition Discussion / Workshops
11:00am Composition Time
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Composing Time / Activities
2:30pm Discussion / Seminar / Composition
4:00pm Wrap Up
5:30pm Dinner
6:00 – 11:00pm Activities
Note: This is what a typical day could look like for the Academy. This is not an official schedule of events for the week.
September Performance Schedule
September TBD, 2026
TBD – A weekday in late September will be scheduled for rehearsals of your pieces as well as formal performances in the region.
September TBD, 2026
Dakota String Quartet and Dakota Wind Quintet performances for your school(s) during the school day. Students do not need to be present at all schools but are highly encouraged to be in attendance at the school they attend.
Theodore Wiprud is a composer, educator, arts leader, father, and outdoorsman. He often explores different musical cultures in his own music, most often Korean traditional music, known as gugak. Some of his major works include a Sinfonietta (2016), premiered by the South Dakota Symphony; a Violin Concerto (Katrina), composed for Ittai Shapira and released with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic on Champs Hill Records; a one-act opera, My Last Duchess, with libretto by Tom Dulack based on poetry by Robert Browning; a dramatic song cycle created with poet Emma Stace Darling, called Girl on Fire; and a number of pieces featuring gugak instruments like p’iri, gayageum, and haegeum. Many of his works explore spiritual experience, like the orchestral works Hosannas of the Second Heaven and Grail. Other works respond to American literature, including American Journal, based on Robert Hayden’s poem, and A Georgia Song, a setting of Maya Angelou.
Mr. Wiprud is widely known for having served as Vice President, Education, at the New York Philharmonic from 2004-2018, and as host of the iconic Young People’s Concerts. He is Co-Chair of the New York City Arts in Education Roundtable and a consultant in education and music.