The Yale College Composition Seminar provides experience in original and creative musical composition, either acoustic or technological, or in combination. All members of the seminar convene throughout the year both together as a larger group with the graduate composers and faculty of the School of Music, and separately as the Yale College Composition Seminar. Guest composers have included professional composers of a wide variety of aesthetic views, style and stature, as well as faculty composers of the Department of Music and the School of Music. The Yale College Composition Seminar meets weekly on Thursday afternoons in Stoeckel 106.

Internationally distinguished guests have included:

John Adams, Samuel Adler, Milton Babbitt, Simon Bainbridge, Robert Beaser, Marco Beltrami, Chester Biscardi, Martin Bresnick, Gerard Brophy, Margaret Brouwer, John Corigliano, George Crumb, Sebastian Currier, Tamar Diesendruck, Joshua Fried, Kyle Gann, Brad Garton, Perry Goldstein, John Harbison, Stephen Hartke, Mara Helmuth, Jennifer Higdon, Eleanor Hovda, Art Jarvinen, Betsy Jolas, Robert Karl, Aaron Jay Kernis, Jonathan Kramer, Ezra Ladermann, Bun-Ching Lam, David Lang, Paul Lansky, John Anthony Lennon, Tania Leon, George Lewis, Scott Lindroth, Steve Mackey, James Mobberley, Betty Olivero, Jan Radzynski, David Rakowski, Steve Reich, John Fitz Rogers, Ned Rorem, David Sanford, Carlos Sanchez, Joseph Schwantner, David Shire, Roberto Sierra, Steven Stucky, Frances Thorne, Melinda Wagner, Todd Winkler, Julia Wolfe, Yehudi Wyner, and Evan Ziporyn.