Composing workshop

7 composers will work on new compositions with our composer in residence Mia Makaroff. The workshop will contain Zoom conferences (one-to-one), group lessons and rehearsals with an ensemble (8-12 singers). The ensemble will be conducted by Martin Stampfl.

Mia Makaroff (b.1970) is a composer, arranger, music teacher and a choir leader. In 2003, she graduated from the Sibelius Academy as a Master of Music in Music Education studies. Her thesis was about creating a music teaching pedagogy using the therapeutical sides of music especially aimed at preventing youth drug addiction.

Mia Makaroff’s work includes teaching music to school children and young people, composing, creating and conducting different music projects. Song-writing projects for young people are a speciality of hers: altogether six school musicals have been written and performed by her pupils. Finnish folklore and poetry are great sources of inspiration in her composing work.

Many well-known song groups and choirs have brought Mia Makaroff’s music to a wider audience, such as Rajaton, King’s Singers, Amarcord and others. In 2006 she was asked to participate in an international Song Bridge-choir project as a composer. She has been teaching in mastercourses about composing for children’s choirs, in Neerpelt Belgium 2008, Aosta Italy 2010 and St Petersburg Russia 2014-2019. Se has also worked as a juror and a lecturer in choir competitions and festivals, for example in The Interkultur World Choral Games in Cincinnati 2012. Theatre music is one big interest of hers: 2012 was the premier of her first musical for children and adults called Kruunulapset, “Crown Children”. Since that she has written music for other plays as well.

Martin Stampfl was born in 1984. He studied music education (at the Graz University of Art), religious education (Karl-Franzens-University Graz), choral conducting (with  Franz M. Herzog, Graz Conservatory and Johannes Prinz, Graz University of Arts). He teachs music education and religion  and is conductor of the choir Notabene. He was assistant conductor at the Jugendchor Österreich (Austrian Youth Choir) in 2019. He also works as a composer with the main focus on choral music.