This Composition Academy, offered in partnership with and with the crucial support of the ONJ (National Jazz Orchestra), stems from a desire to create an environment conducive to the exchange of knowledge and skills in the field of jazz and improvised music composition.

This academy takes the form of an intensive one-week workshop during which masterclasses, group discussions, and individual lessons alternate to guide eight composers in writing an original piece. This piece is performed at the end of the workshop by musicians from the ONJ Youth Orchestra (OJ-ONJ).

General composition training is underrepresented in most music education programs for jazz. National conservatories and a few regional conservatories offer “specialized” composition programs, primarily focused on classical and contemporary music. To date, very few equivalents exist in the field of jazz and improvised music, even though these genres boast a rich, century-long history that has produced their own distinct languages ​​and techniques, which are essential to pass on.

Young composers are eager for access to this knowledge, which could nourish their personal intuitions and aspirations. They seek a structured framework in which to share their experience, discoveries, reflections, and the principles underpinning their creations.