Register for JCI and/or JCS by April 22nd for a $100 discount!
About Our Camps
Junior Composers Institute: July 13- 20 ($1750)
- Reading session with guest s on July 13th in the evening ills and creating community. Students compose a piece for presentation at the final salon on Sunday, July 20th. First rehearsals begin Wednesday! Students, Faculty & Staff are drafted to perform in those pieces. Students have choices from 6 classes a day presented by faculty on a variety of subjects covering compositional techniques and score study. They also receive daily one-on-one lessons.
Featuring:
- Reading session with Copper Street Brass on July 13 at 4:00 pm. followed by a pizza party. (Students submit pieces by June 9th)
- Master Classes every afternoon discussing composer life and business
- Hike to Culver’s for dinner on Tuesday
- Students stay on campus at UW River Falls
- Cook out on Saturday
- Final Salon performances of students work on Sunday morning, July 14th, 10:00 - noon
Junior Composers Studio: July 20-26 ($1700)
Another high-intensity week of composing for a smaller cohort of students with a focus on film and game music. Students compose multiple projects for film and video games which are presented at the final salon on Saturday. Students in the studio compose music into a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) using MIDI samples, sometimes combined with their own acoustic additions. They learn to synchronize music with film and video game visual elements, resulting in original scores for some of their favorite films and video games. Students receive daily one-on-one lessons.
Featuring:
- Improvisation to a silent film as a group
- Movie & Video Game nights!
- Master class with Hollywood Film Composer Rob Pottorf.
- Students stay on campus at UW River Falls
- Hike to China Moon Chinese Buffet
- Mario Kart Tournament!
Meet Our Staff
Kim Sherman, Artistic Director of Composers Institute
Casey Palbicki, Artistic Director of Junior Composers Studio
KIM D. SHERMAN composes for theater, opera, concert, and film. She embraces lyricism and dissonance as equal partners.
Her book of piano solos, UNFATHOMABLE THINGS was published in 2021. Song Cycles include: A PRAIRIE DIARY for voice, cello and piano, THE CLARA CYCLE, for Soprano, Violin and Piano, SUMMER, 1976, for lyric baritone and string quartet, and SONG OF SONGS, for strings, harp and soprano. She is currently at work on BLUESTEM, a chamber opera based on the writings of Willa Cather.
Ms. Sherman studied music at Lawrence University, and composition with composer Thea Musgrave. She is a regular volunteer composer for The 52nd Street Project.
Casey Palbicki, Artistic Director of Junior Composers Studio
Casey Palbicki, Artistic Director of Junior Composers Studio
Dr. Casey Palbicki has been instructing Film & Video Game Music and Audio at the Junior Composer Institute Studio Camp since 2021. He has introduced students to concepts in screen scoring, audio and sound design, spotting, SMPTE, the Leitmotif, and many other areas within the commercial music and audio world. Dr. Palbicki is a professor of music at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls where he heads the music theory and composition program. His area of expertise is in Film & Video Game music.
"Working with the brilliant students that attend the JCI Studio has been an absolute pleasure. I am always very excited to hear the incredible music that these very gifted composers and musicians create during the camp!"
Mary Kate Arians, Administrative Director
Junior Composers Alumnus Mary Kate Arians is finishing her sixth year of teaching 5th- through 12th-grade band at Newman Catholic School in Mason City, Iowa. During her time at Newman, she has developed the concert band program, as demonstrated by their Division I rating at the 2021-2024 State Large Group Festivals, the growth in numbers to almost 140 students across 5th-12th grade, and the high school band’s recent performances at the 2022 and 2025 IBA Conference. She has developed a jazz program that meets weekly throughout the winter and performs at the annual Coffee House Variety Show, as well as a marching band program that performs at the yearly Homecoming football game. Arians has served the North Central Bandmasters (NCIBA) district through her roles as co-chair for the NCIBA Junior High Honor Band (2024, 2023, and 2022) and advocacy chair (2024, 2023). She has also served the Iowa Bandmasters Association (IBA) and Iowa High School Music Association (IHSMA) through her involvement in the IBA/IHSMA Literature Review Committee (2024, 2023, 2022) and the IBA Listening Panel (2023). Arians is a proud 2019 graduate of Wartburg College, where she received a Bachelor of Music Education (BME) degree and is currently working on her Masters in Wind Conducting from Messiah University. In addition to teaching, she is an active clarinet player and private teacher in the North Central Iowa area while also serving as the Administrative Director for the Composers Institute. Her experiences as a composer form the foundation for her teaching philosophy, as Mary Kate actively seeks to bring out the musical creativity in each of her students. In her free time, Arians enjoys spending time with family and friends, especially her husband, Chris.
Pat Steege, Camp Treasurer
Pat has been involved with Composers Institute since 2007, helping with leadership, administration, grants and scholarships. She is a retired piano and composition teacher now living in Spearfish, South Dakota.
Christopher Gable, Faculty JCI
Christopher Gable is a composer, author, and music instructor based in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where he teaches Rock History, music technology, composition, and related courses at the University of North Dakota. His music has been performed across the Americas and in Shanghai, China. His works frequently include references to and variations on all kinds of popular music. His commissions include works premiered by several professional, community, and UND ensembles. He has taught composition at the International Music Camp since 2011, and has previously taught at Macalester College, the University of Minnesota and St. Olaf College. He has written two books about popular musicians, The Words and Music of Sting and The Words and Music of Sheryl Crow, which were both published by Praeger Publishers. His music is published by Dorn Publications, Warwick Music, Wavefront Music, and Tapspace.
Soomin Kim, Faculty JCI
Composer and singer Soomin Kim likes to draw inspiration from Korean and Asian American literature, personal and ancestral stories, and ancient music traditions, reimagining them in a contemporary context. She has garnered numerous awards and opportunities in recent years. She received Morton Gould Young Composer Awards from the ASCAP Foundation in 2019, 2020 and 2022. In 2024, she won the University of Florida call for scores by women composers. During the 2023-24 season, she served as a Sounding Ground composer in residence with the Minnesota-based new music ensemble Zeitgeist. In 2023, she was the guest artist at the annual Art Festival at NLCS Jeju in Seogwipo, South Korea.
Her music has been presented internationally, with performances in South Korea, Japan, Australia, Italy, Germany, and across the United States. Soomin's compositions have been featured by such groups as the Minnesota Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Ravinia Festival, Sydney Festival, Liquid Music, Aspen Music Festival, and Norfolk New Music Workshop. Currently, Soomin is a visiting assistant professor at her alma mater, the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
Copper Street Brass, JCI Visiting Ensemble
The mission of the CSB is to represent the Evolution of the Brass Quintet. Through inventive concerts, engaging educational programs, and original musical arrangements, we bring a fresh perspective to instrumental music. To express our artistic voice, we use a dazzling fusion of brass, keyboard, guitar, percussion, and electronic instruments to appeal to a universal audience and go beyond ordinary. This is why the Copper Street Brass matters: we de-compartmentalize music through bold and innovative programming that breaks free from your favorite playlist or expected concert experience. We present an unparalleled variety of music on every single performance, and this variety has become the calling card of the Copper Street Brass.
Landon Zientara, Student Aide
"Best known for his dark and whimsical style, Landon is a local composer and filmmaker in the Music and Stage and Screen Arts department at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls. His oeuvre includes concert music and original scores for various feature films, shorts, commercials, and theater productions. Landon's recent projects include an original score and musical numbers for an adaptation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, directed by Kathy Welch, an original short film entered into the LA International Film Festival, and a suite for orchestra and choir recorded by the UWRF Cinema Symphony.”
Daisy Otundo, Student Aide
Daisy Otundo, Student Aide
Daisy Otundo is a JCI Alum and a junior at Iowa State University, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Psychology. A dedicated musician and composer, she has presented her original works at the NFMC Composition Competitions, earning recognition for her talent crafting memorable melodies. Her musical journey, shaped by performances in church and community settings, reflects her passion for using music to connect with others and inspire creativity as a multi-instrumentalist.
