About

The High School Composition Intensive is a two-week residential program for high school composers offered through Boston Conservatory at Berklee, the classical and contemporary concert music division of Berklee College of Music, on Berklee's campus in Boston's Back Bay. It runs July 13–24, 2026, and is open to students ages 15–19. Unlike most selective composition programs, HSCI does not require an audition — registration is open to any student who meets the age requirement and completes enrollment. Tuition is $2,132; on-campus housing is available for an additional $1,560, bringing the residential total to approximately $3,700. Registering by January 31, 2026 unlocks a discount. Students who complete the program receive a waiver of the application fee when applying to undergraduate programs at Berklee College of Music or Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

The program's core output is a portfolio of three original compositions, each workshopped with faculty, rehearsed, and performed by the program's professional ensemble in residence — in past years the Worcester Chamber Music Society — with accompanying audio recordings provided to each student. The daily structure centers on individualized studio lessons each morning with assigned faculty, followed by afternoon reading sessions within small studio groups of five or six students. Faculty are drawn from Boston Conservatory's composition department, with a strong orientation toward contemporary classical writing; the Teen Ink alumni review notes that the program's stylistic center of gravity is distinctly contemporary, which is worth knowing before enrolling. Guest artists and visiting composers supplement the resident faculty across the two weeks.

By the end of the program students leave with properly notated scores and professional recordings of three works — a portfolio asset that is directly usable for conservatory and college applications. The open-enrollment structure means the cohort varies in preparation level, and prior reviews suggest that students with a solid compositional foundation get significantly more from the program than those at an early stage. Basic music theory is a practical prerequisite even if not a formal one.

For a high school composer weighing summer options, HSCI and Juilliard Summer Music — Composition are the two most prominent dedicated programs in the country, and they are genuinely different propositions. Juilliard offers three weeks, competitive admission, a smaller cohort, and a public premiere at Lincoln Center for $7,300. HSCI offers two weeks, open enrollment, three portfolio pieces recorded by professionals, and a Boston Conservatory institutional affiliation for roughly half the cost. The right choice depends entirely on the student's preparation level, compositional goals, and budget. A student ready to compete for Juilliard should; a student who wants serious compositional development with professional recording output in a more accessible structure will find HSCI a strong fit.