Officers

National Council

The National Council is made up of two co-chairs for each SCI region and is chaired by the President of the Society who is elected by the general membership. The National Council is the policy-making body of the Society and responsible for the National and Regional conferences. The regional co-chairs are elected by the members of their respective regions or may be appointed by the President. Each year the National Council meets with the Executive Committee at the National Conference.

President & Northeastern Co-Chair

Beth Wiemann was raised in Burlington, VT and studied composition and clarinet at Oberlin College and Princeton University. Her works have been performed by the New York New Music Ensemble, Continuum, Ensemble 21, Earplay, the Motion Ensemble, Opera Vista, saxophonist John Sampen, singers Paul Hillier, Susan Narucki, D’Anna Fortunato, and others. Her compositions have won awards from Copland House, the Orvis Foundation, Colorado New Music Festival, AmericanWomen Composers, and Marimolin as well as various arts councils, and have been featured on the Capstone, Americus, innova, and Albany record labels. She teaches composition, music theory and clarinet at the University of Maine.

Northeastern Co-Chairs

Praised for her “individual and strong voice” (Colin Clarke, Fanfare Magazine), Natalie Draper explores character and evocative sound-worlds in her music. Upcoming projects include a multimedia work (“Monochrome” for fixed electronics and video) and a piano trio (title TBA), both premiering in the winter of 2021. Recently, her music has been included on recordings by Akropolis Reed Quintet, soprano Danielle Buonaituo, and Baltimore’s Symphony Number One. She has been featured in articles in Vox Humana, I Care If You Listen, and Van Magazine. Draper has held residencies and fellowships at the Ucross Foundation, the Tanglewood Music Center, the I-Park Foundation, Yaddo, and St. David’s Episcopal Church in Baltimore, MD. She is an assistant professor in the music theory and composition department at the Setnor School of Music at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York.

Neil Flory is an active composer whose music has been performed across the United States as well as in South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Over the years Flory has composed a wide variety of works both in the acoustic and electro-acoustic mediums. His music appears on commercially available recordings from the Summit and Emeritus labels, and is currently published by Jomar Press and Cimarron Music Press. Flory is currently Assistant Professor and Music Coordinator at Jamestown Community College (Jamestown, NY), where he oversees the music program and teaches music theory, aural skills, composition, piano, and other subjects. Previously, he served as a member of the music faculties of Central Washington University, Del Mar College, and Luther College.

MidAtlantic Co-Chairs

Christopher Cook received the Doctor of Music degree from Indiana University where he served as assistant director of the Center for Electronic and Computer Music. He is a recent recipient of a Fromm Music Foundation commission from Harvard University and has received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, ASCAP, MTNA, and the National Assembly of Local Arts Agencies. He has served as Composer-in-Residence at James Madison University, Amherst College, the University of Evansville, the Monroe County Community Schools Corporation (Indiana) and for the city of Somerset, Pennsylvania. He is Director of Music Theory and Composition at Christopher Newport University.

Harvey J. Stokes is Professor of Music at Hampton University, where he also is the Founder and Director of the Computer Music Laboratory. He has taught also at Miami University, Christopher Newport University, and the College of William and Mary. His degrees are from Michigan State University (Ph. D.), The University of Georgia (M. M.), and East Carolina University (B. M.). Currently, Dr. Stokes serves on the National Council of the Society of Composers as well as the National Association of Composers USA, and is a board officer of the Southeastern Composers League. He has served also as a consultant for the North Carolina Arts Council, The College Board, the Educational Testing Service, and the Educational Policy Improvement Center for the Advanced Placement (AP) in Music Program.

Southeastern Co-chairs

Thomas Couvillon is currently an Associate Professor at Eastern Kentucky University, where he serves as coordinator of music theory and composition studies. His works have been performed in venues throughout the South and Southwest, including the Music Nouvelle Festival, the High Voltage Electro-Acoustic Music Festival, the Festival of New Music at Louisiana State University, and at regional and national meetings of the Society of Composers. His music has also been broadcast on radio as part of a NPR affiliate concert series. The Kentucky Music Teachers Association named Dr. Couvillon the 2011 Commissioned Composer. His commissioned work, Plaisirs éphémères de l’été, a work for oboe/English horn and percussion, was given its Canadian premiere at the University of Ottawa Oboe Weekend in January 2012. Dr. Couvillon has previously held teaching positions at Sam Houston State University, Arizona State University, and Tulane University. Dr. Couvillon holds the Ph. D. degree in composition and music theory from Louisiana State University.

Jorge Variego was born in Rosario, Argentina. He is a former Fulbright Scholar and is currently on the Music Theory/Composition faculty at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Actively involved with technology in sound and music, Jorge has been a pioneer in the field of interactive computer music, having created and performed a great deal of works for clarinet and electronics in the US, Europe and South America. He participated in many international music festivals such as MATA, SEAMUS, EMS, Sonoimagenes, Holland Festival, Festival de Jazz de Vigo, Via Stellae, ICMC and can be heard on many CDs, including his most recent solo releases Necessity (Albany-2010) and Regress (CMMAS-2013). He is the founder director of the UT Electroacoustic Ensemble, a student group dedicated to free improvisation with electronic media, co-director of the UT Contemporary Music Festival, and co-directed the 2016 NACUSA-SCI Snapshot conferences at UT.

North Central Co-Chairs

Composer and sound artist Lisa Renée Coons teaches composition at Western Michigan University. She received her PhD in Composition from Princeton University, with additional degrees from SUNY Stony Brook and the University of Missouri – Kansas City. Recent fellowships include an ICElab Fellowship from the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) and the Jackie McLean Fellowship from the Hartt School, as well as those from the MacDowell Colony and the Other Minds Festival. She has been commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra, ICE, The California E.A.R. Unit, Santa Fe New Music, Dither Electric Guitar Quartet, and Iktus Percussion Quartet, among others. Lisa Renée is a member of The Collected, a bicoastal composers’ collective.

Amelia Kaplan is Associate Professor of Composition at Ball State University in Muncie, IN, where she teaches composition, theory, and directs the New Music Ensemble. She previously taught at Oberlin Conservatory, the University of Iowa, and Roosevelt University. She completed her A.B. at Princeton University, and her A.M. and Ph.D. at the University of Chicago as a Century Fellow, where her primary teachers were Shulamit Ran and Ralph Shapey. She worked with Azio Corghi at the Milan Conservatory on a Whiting Fellowship, and also received a Diploma of Merit from the Accademia Musicale Chigiana while studying with Franco Donatoni, and a Diploma from the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau.

South Central Co-chairs

Elyse Kahler is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. She holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Texas Tech University. Kahler writes for a variety of ensembles including solo instruments, voice, orchestra, wind ensemble, hand bells, mixed chamber groups, and electronics. Her music has been performed across the United States and in Europe at new music festivals and conferences. Kahler has received commissions from The Lubbock Chorale and Height Difference Duo. Kahler also presents her research on pedagogy and Enya at conferences, including the Society of Composers Inc., College of Music Society, Texas Society of Music Theory, and the Oklahoma Music Theory Roundtable. During the summers, Kahler teaches music theory at the Interlochen Arts Camp.

Tanner Harrod is Assistant Professor of Music at Peru (NE) State College, where he teaches music theory and courses on popular music history. He received his D.M.A. in Composition from the Glenn Korff School of Music at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His M.M. in Music Theory is from the University of Oklahoma, and his B.S. in Music Education is from Texas A&M University-Commerce. He recently presented his research on composition pedagogy at the 2023 Teaching Composition Symposium. In addition to his work as a pedagogue and composer, Dr. Harrod maintains an active performance schedule as a guitarist, specializing in musical theatre, jazz, and contemporary chamber music. Dr. Harrod studied composition with Greg Simon, Marvin Lamb, and David Davies. He currently serves as the Deputy Province Governor for Province 6 (Nebraska/Western Iowa) of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

Western Co-chairs

Described by Textura as “that rare composer whose music manages to be instantly listenable and emotionally resonant without any compromise to its sophistication,” Jennifer Bellor is a versatile composer whose music draws on a variety of influences, from progressive rock bands to jazz artists, singer-songwriters, and Bellor’s own studies of the violin, piano, french horn, and voice. Images, texts, and emotional experiences inspire her works, which are often characterized as melodic with jazz- and pop-influenced harmonies. Bellor’s music has been presented widely throughout the U.S. and abroad by musicians and ensembles such as the Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra, Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center, Clocks in Motion, American Composers Orchestra, Las Vegas Philharmonic, and on concert series and festivals including Finland’s Kaarina Music Week, Wuhan Chamber series, Ritsos Project art song concert in Greece, Carnegie Hall DCINY series, the International Horn Society Symposium in Oneira (Aerocade Music, 2022). Her music video, Oneira, in collaboration with animator Christina A. Banna was featured on I Care if You Listen, in screenings at multiple festivals, as a finalist for Best Music Film at the Munich Music Video Festival, and as a prizewinner of Best Fantasy at the 2023 Mad Monster Film Fest. Bellor holds degrees from Eastman School of Music (PhD), Syracuse University (MM), and Cornell University (BA) and serves as Assistant Professor of Music Composition at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

A native of Seoul, Korea, Christian Kim immigrated to Fairfax, Virginia with his family at the age of thirteen. He is a versatile composer and pianist who composes and performs works in various musical genres such as jazz, Latin, classical, pop, gospel, and more. Christian established his music industry career in Los Angeles where he worked as a sound engineer, producer, and arranger. He released an album (all original composition) at Universal Music Group and worked as a producer and arranger in numerous recordings. He has performed with Charlie Haden, Joe LaBarbera, Grady Tate, Darek Oleszkiewicz, Ron Brown, Rayford Griffin just to name a few.
Prior to his appointment at Washington State University, Christian served as Assistant Professor at Middle Georgia State University from 2018 to 2022 and Music Program Chair at Atlanta Metropolitan State College from 2014 to 2018. Christian is a coffee fanatic and foodie at heart and loves to pick up new recipes during his travels. He loves ridiculously spicy food from time to time. He is an animal lover with a special affinity for dogs, but alas having allergies to pet dander prevents him from owning one.

Trent Hanna has been awarded for his achievements both as a composer and performer. His original works have been commissioned and performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Dr. Hanna premiered his piano concert, The Rorschach Test, with the Sam Houston State University Symphony Orchestra in 2004 and later that year conducted his Fanfare for Peace in the Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary. His composition Dorland (for solo piano) won first prize in the Contemporary Japanese and American Music Composition Competition resulting in a two performances by the composer in Japan. In 2009 he was invited as keynote speaker to the International Crime and Pop Culture conference and premiered his piece Quyannanana (for four percussionists), which was written for the 20-year anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. As a pianist, Dr. Hanna has performed extensively as soloist with various symphony orchestras, including John Corigliano’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra with the San Angelo and Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestras, plus the Rhapsody in Blue with the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Hanna received his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Composition from the University of Texas at Austin. He is currently a member of the Society of Composers, and has been awarded artist residencies at the Dorland Mountain Arts Colony (California), the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Villa Montalvo (California), the Isle Royale Artists-in-Residence Program (Michigan), the Djerassi Resident Artists Program (California), and most recently the Millay Colony for the Arts (New York). His music can be heard on his full-length CD of original works for solo piano entitled Sojournal and chroma:new music for piano (Capstone Records). He also has a CD of 14 arrangements of holiday favorites entitled Christmas Like This. Dr. Hanna is currently the Coordinator of Theory and Composition at Snow College in Utah.

Robert Hutchinson is Professor of Music at the University of Puget Sound. Hutchinson’s Sittin’ In A Tree for flute and bassoon was performed in 2016 by Hannah Hammel and Benjamin Roidl-Ward in New York City, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Richmond VA, and Oberlin OH. In 2015 he had two string orchestra pieces (The River At Dawn and Nightscape) performed by the Tacoma String Symphony and the Tacoma String Philharmonic. The three-movement Bird Suite for oboe and bassoon was premiered in Oberlin in 2015. Pas de Quatre for string quartet was premiered in 2010 at the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival. In 2009 Hutchinson’s three-movement, 25-minute Concerto for Amplified Violin and Wind Ensemble was premiered. His composition Jeux des Enfants was selected by the Charles Ives Center for American Music for a June 2002 premiere by the Charleston Symphony Orchestra at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in South Carolina.

President Emeriti

Ohio University Distinguished Professor Mark Phillips won the 1988 Barlow International Competition for Orchestral Music. In 2004 he premiered Turning Two Hundred, a 50-minute commissioned work for orchestra, jazz band, drum corps, handbell choir, electronic music, eight instrumental soloists, video, and dance. Commissioned for a 2005 premiere in Memphis, his Dreams Interrupted has received subsequent performances in Pittsburgh, Duluth, Baltimore, Dallas, Birmingham (AL), and Athens (Ohio). Following a national competition, Pi Kappa Lambda commissioned a chamber work from Phillips, which led to the premiere of Bushwhacked! in San Antonio, Texas (September 2006). His music has received hundreds of performances throughout the world–including dozens of orchestra performances by groups such as the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra–and has been recorded by Richard Stoltzman and the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, the Lark Quartet, and several solo artists.

James Paul Sain (b. 1959) is a native of San Diego, California. Trained as a classical flutist, his love of music spans from experimental electroacoustic art music to traditional acoustic jazz while remaining steeped in the “classical” tradition. Dr. Sain currently performs as an acoustic and electric bassist of contemporary Christian music and the entire jazz genre especially swing, bop, bossa nova, tango neuvo, latin and fusion. Sain’s tasteful fretless electric bass playing can be found on the track “Desolate & Main” on the Dan Dickhaus CD, “So Much Time” on the Runnoft Records label. Hen is currently the bass payer for the Christian band The Backseat Disciples.

Greg A Steinke is retired, former Joseph Naumes Endowed Chair of Music/Art and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Marylhurst University, Marylhurst, Oregon; Associate Director, Ernest Bloch Music Festival (‘93–97) and Director, Composers Symposium (‘90–97) (Newport, OR); served as the National Chairman of the Society of Composers, Inc. (1988–97). Composer of chamber and symphonic music and author with published/recorded works and performances across the U. S. and internationally; speaker on interdisciplinary arts, and oboist specializing in contemporary music. Dr. Steinke is a past national president of NACUSA (1012-19) and also currently serves on the NACUSA Cascadia Chapter Board.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is made up of the editors and producers of SCI publications and projects as well as representatives of various sectors of the membership. Members are appointed by the Chair of the Executive Committee with the advice and consent of the president. The Chair is elected by the members of the committee. Most of the members of the Executive Committee are members of the Corporation. Each year the Executive Committee meets with the National Council at the National Conference. This meeting constitutes the Annual Corporation Meeting.

Chair

Guided by the SCI by-laws, the Executive Committee Chair, with the advice and consent of the SCI President, appoints members to the Executive Committee. The Chair organizes and leads meetings of the Executive Committee, and through their help develops and implements strategies to achieve the goals of SCI. The Chair serves as the Vice President of the Corporation.

Robert McClure’s music attempts to discover beauty in unconventional places using non-traditional means. His work has been featured at festivals including NYCEMF, Beijing Modern Music Festival, ISCM, TIES, SEAMUS, and ICMC. His works may be found through ADJ·ective New Music, Bachovich Music Publications, Resolute Music Publications, and Tapspace Publications as well as on ABLAZE, Albany, and SEAMUS Record labels. He is the recipient of multiple Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Awards and was recently named the 2023 Music Teachers National Association Distinguished Composer of the Year.
Robert received his doctorate from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. Robert has previously held positions at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Soochow University in Suzhou, China. He serves as Associate Professor of Composition/Theory at Ohio University.

Secretary

Secretary for the Society of Composers is the keeper of records and minutes for the organization. They are the liason between the membership and the appropriate member of the National and Executive Committees.

Brittany J. Green (she/her) is a North Carolina-based composer, creative, and educator. Her music facilitates intimate musical spaces that ignite visceral responses at the intersection of sound, video, movement, and text. Recent works engage sonification and black feminist theory as tools for sonic world-building, exploring the construction, displacement, and rupture of systems. Her artistic practice includes spoken and electronic performance, interdisciplinary collaboration, experiential projects, and acoustic and electroacoustic chamber and large ensemble works. Her music has been featured at Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s MusicNOW, World Saxophone Congress, New York City Electronic Music Festival, the American Piano Awards, and performances at Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood, the DiMenna Center, and Miller Theater. Recent collaborators include Lexington Philharmonic, Louisville Orchestra, Karen Slack, Rebekah Heller, and Alarm Will Sound. Brittany holds awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, ASCAP, and New Music USA. Brittany holds a Ph.D from Duke University. https://www.brittanyjgreen.com/

Treasurer

Treasurer manages payments, taxes, and non-profit filings for the organization and protects the business practices of the organization.

Paul Lombardi holds a Ph.D. in music composition from the University of Oregon, and he studied composition with David Crumb, Robert Kyr, Stephen Blumberg, and Leo Eylar. His music has been performed in more than 30 states across the US, as well as in other areas in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Recordings of his music are available from Parma Recordings, Capstone Records, Revell Records, Zerx Records, Mark Records, ERMMedia, and Thinking outLOUD Records. Many groups have played his music, notably the Kiev Philharmonic, the Playground Ensemble, the East Coast Composers Ensemble, Third Angle, and the Hundredth Monkey Ensemble. His music has been performed at national and regional Society of Composers, Inc., National Association of Composers/USA, College Music Society conferences as well as numerous festivals and symposiums. He placed third in the orchestra division of the 2014 American Prize in Composition, placed second in the Fidelio Piano Composition Competition, is the winner of the 2011 Renée B. Fisher Piano Composition Competition, and he has received commissions including one by the Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium in honor of George Crumb on the occasion of his 75th birthday. Some of his scores are published in the 2011 Anthology of Contemporary Concert Music and the SCI Journal of Scores. Dr. Lombardi’s theoretical work focuses on mathematics and music, and is published in the Music Theory Spectrum, Indiana Theory Review, MusMat, Mathematics and Computers in Simulation, and College Music Symposium among other places. He has presented his research at numerous theory conferences, both national and regional. He is a professor of music theory and composition at the University of South Dakota, where he was awarded the 2018 Belbas Larson Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Newsletter Editor (now SCI Edition)

The Newsletter Editor creates and distributes the official SCI newsletter. The Editor is responsible for every facet of the newsletter publication from accepting articles from members, soliciting articles, copy editing articles, and laying out the newsletter. Additionally, the Editor works with the President of SCI and conference hosts on the reporting of SCI conferences. The SCI Newsletter contains articles by, for and about SCI members including member news, conference reviews, pedagogy, practice and more.

SCI Newsletter Editor Derek M. Jenkins (b. 1986, Frankfurt am Main, Germany) is an Aermican composer, whose music has been hailed as “instantly evocative” (The American Prize), “a delight – complex, powerful, poignant music making” (Brass in Concert), and “sumptuous and fraught…decidedly current” (San Francisco Classical Voice). His music has been performed throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, and Brazil, and he has received recognition from WASBE, the Sonus International Music Festival, the American Prize, the National Band Association, MMTA/MTNA, the Missouri State University Composition Festival, Red Note New Music Festival, MACRO, ASCAP, and at conferences and festivals across the United States and abroad. Jenkins serves as Associate Professor of Music Theory at Missouri Western State University and holds degrees from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Rice University. More information can be found at: https://www.derekmjenkins.com/

SCION Editor

The SCION Editor maintains a database of information on opportunities for composers including competitions, conferences, commissions, and residencies. Opportunity announcements are received from a wide range of sources in inconsistent formats. The Editor reviews and transfers event information into the SCION database, providing a single consistent format. The first of each month, the Editor sends to the membership a reminder announcement to check SCION.

A composer from the San Francisco Bay Area, John Bilotta collaborates with local performers and ensembles in performing his own works as well as the works of composers he admires. He serves on the Board of Directors for Goat Hall’s San Francisco Cabaret Opera company and is co-director of the Bay Area’s Festival of Contemporary Music now in its twelfth year. He served first as assistant-editor, then as editor of SCION over the past five years. SCION, the Society of Composers, Inc., Online News is a web-based listing of opportunities for composers available on the SCI website. If you are advertising a call for scores, competition, commission, fellowship, residency, open position, or other opportunity for composers, SCION can help get the word out to SCI’s membership. All submissions will be considered.

Journal of Music Scores Editor

In collaboration with the SCI Submission Coordinator, the SCI Journal of Music Scores Editor administers the publication of SCI Journal of Musical Scores. The Editor collects composer biographical sketches, program notes, and contracts for the publication, and prepares a camera-ready copy for the publisher.

Composer Anne Neikirk is drawn to creative processes that involve interdisciplinary work. Her background in vocal music instilled a particular interest in the relationship between music and the written word. Past awards and grants include the Presser Music Award, an American Composers Forum Subito Grant, and inclusion in the Society of Composers CD Series. Neikirk has presented her work at conferences including those of the Society of Composers, the College Music Society, the Society of Electroacoustic Music in the United States, and the American Harp Society, among others. Her music is distributed by ADJ•ective New Music, LLC, and she is a member of the ADJ•ective Composers’ Collective. Dr. Neikirk received her DMA in Composition from Temple University, preceded by an MM from Bowling Green State University and a BA in Music from Hamilton College. Upon completing her education, she worked as an adjunct faculty member at Temple University and at the University of Delaware. In 2016 she began as an Assistant Professor of Composition/Theory at Norfolk State University in Virginia. She has served on the Executive Boards of the College Music Society (Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Chapters) and the Society of Composers, Inc.

CD Series Editor

The CD Series Editor coordinates the production of the annual SCI CD series. The Editor prepares contracts, collects materials from the selected composers, and serves as Produces on each release by working closely with the record label in crafting the final mastered audio and packaging materials for physical and digital release.

Frank Felice is an eclectic composer who writes with a postmodern mischievousness: each piece speaks in its own language, and they can be by turns comedic/ironic, simple/complex, subtle/startling or humble/reverent. Recent projects of Felice’s have taken a turn towards the sweeter side, exploring a consonant adiatonicism. His music has been performed extensively in the U.S. as well as garnering performances in Brazil, Argentina, Japan, Greece, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Russian Federation, China, Austria, the Phillipines, Viet Nam, Australia, the Czech Republic and Hungary. His commissions have included funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Omaha Symphony, the Indiana Arts Commission, The Indiana Repertory Theatre, Dance Kaleidoscope, Music Teachers National Association, the Wyoming State Arts Board, the Indianapolis Youth Symphony, Kappa Kappa Psi/Tau Beta Sigma as well as many private commissions and consortia.

Submissions Coordinator

The Submissions Coordinator administers the annual call for submissions to the SCI Journal of Music Scores and the SCI CD Series. The Coordinator arranges and organizes adjudication of the entries by outside judges.

Based in the U.S., Hong Kong composer Chin Ting (Patrick) Chan has been a fellow and guest composer at festivals such as the International Computer Music Conference, IRCAM ManiFeste and the Wellesley Composers Conference. He has twice represented Hong Kong abroad at the ISCM World Music Days Festival and UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers. He has worked with musicians and ensembles such as Ensemble intercontemporain, eighth blackbird, ensemble mise-en, Ensemble Signal and the S.E.M. Ensemble, with performances in more than twenty countries. Awards and commissions include those from the American Prize, ASCAP, Association for the Promotion of New Music, the Charlotte Street Foundation, Foundation for Modern Music, the Hong Kong Composers’ Guild, the MidAmerican Center for Contemporary Music, the Interdisciplinary Festival for Music and Sound Art – Shut Up and Listen!, the Lin Yao Ji Music Foundation of China, MMTA/MTNA, newEar, the New-Music Consortium, the Soli fan tutti Composition Prize, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and others. His works are published with ABLAZE Records, Darling’s Acoustical Delight, Music from SEAMUS, Navona Records/PARMA Recordings, RMN Classical, the SCI Journal of Music Scores and Unfolding Music Publishing (ASCAP). He is Assistant Professor of Music Composition at Ball State University. He holds a D.M.A. degree from the University of Missouri–Kansas City as well as degrees from Bowling Green State University and San José State University.

SCI/ASCAP Commission Competition Coordinator

The SCI/ASCAP Commission Competition Coordinator sends out notices of the announcement of the competition, fields questions regarding the competition, administers entries, and works with ASCAP in the development of the competition. Additionally, the Coordinator arranges and organizes adjudication of the entries by outside judges.

Zae Munn is Professor of Music at Saint Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana where she teaches theory, composition, digital media in music, and orchestration/arranging. She is the Director and Resident Composer of the Summer Composition Intensive at Saint Mary’s College. Her DMA and MM degrees in composition are from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and her BM in composition is from Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University. Born in 1953, Munn’s early musical training was as a cellist, with additional studies in piano, voice, and conducting. Virtually all her works are available from one of these publishers: Arsis Press, Balquhidder Music, Earthsongs, Frank E. Warren Music, HoneyRock, JOMAR Press, MusicaNeo, Tempo Press, and Yelton Rhodes Music. Recordings are available from Navona Records, Capstone Records, Centaur Records, and a number of independent labels. Zae is active in the dog rescue community and has fostered 70 dogs in her home over the last several years.

Student Chapter Coordinator

The Student Chapter Coordinator serves as the liaison between SCI and SCI Student Chapters. The Coordinator provides guidance to SCI Student Chapter leaders and faculty sponsors, develops and implements visioning, and coordinates with the SCI General Manager to provide administrative services.

Described as “movingly lyrical” (Avant Music News) and “quirky but attractive” (The Art Music Lounge), the music of Cara Haxo (b. 1991) juxtaposes delicate, sparkly textures with the gritty and the grotesque. Haxo is the winner of the 2022 National Women’s Music Festival Emerging Women Composers Competition. She was also awarded the 2019 International Alliance for Women in Music Libby Larsen Prize, the 2013 National Federation of Music Clubs Young Composers Award, and the 2013 IAWM Ellen Taaffe Zwilich Prize. She has received commissions from the May Festival Youth Chorus, Hub New Music, Quince Ensemble, and Splinter Reeds, amongst other ensembles. Recordings of her music have been released by New Focus Recordings, and her art songs are published in the NewMusicShelf Anthologies of New Music.A native of Massachusetts, Haxo earned her Ph.D. in Composition at the University of Oregon, where she worked as a Graduate Teaching Fellow in Music Theory. She also holds degrees from Butler University and The College of Wooster. Her teachers have included Robert Kyr, David Crumb, Michael Schelle, Frank Felice, Peter Mowrey, and Jack Gallagher. She previously taught private piano, theory, and composition lessons through the Butler Community Arts School in Indianapolis, and courses in composition and theory as an Adjunct Instructor of Music at Notre Dame College (Ohio). Haxo is a Visiting Assistant Professor in Music at The College of Wooster and an Academic Dean and faculty member for The Walden School Young Musicians Program in New Hampshire. When she is not composing, Haxo enjoys baking muffins, going on long road trips, and hanging out with her cat, Pippin. For more information, please visit www.chaxomusic.com.

Marketing Coordinator

In consultation with the Executive Committee, the Marketing Coordinator is responsible for developing and implementing marketing and advertising campaigns, tracking related campaign data, maintaining and updating promotional materials, monitoring the Society’s digital and social media presence, and preparing reports related to marketing efficiency and effectiveness.

Rosalie Safford is a composer of electronic and acoustic works based Washington, D.C. They are currently a student at Ohio University for Music Composition studying with Dr. Robert McClure. In June of 2023, Rosalie attended the Divergent Studio at the Longy School of Music of Bard College working with the Divergent Trio. Their works have been performed at festivals such as the SCI Region V Conference, CLICK Fest, and SEAMUS . Rosalie’s work aims to look inward at emotions that are otherwise kept hidden, discussing mental health, fear of the world changing as you get older, and more. They spend their free time hanging out with their cat, Anita.

Officer of Diversity and Equity

The Officer of Diversity and Equity collects and analyzes demographic data relating to the Society. They work with the Executive Committee and National Council to design, implement, and evaluate initiatives to increase diversity and better support members of all genders, ethnicities, and orientations.

Helena Michelson is active as a composer and pianist based in the San Francisco-Bay Area. She completed her undergraduate studies in Music at the University of California, Berkeley and a doctorate in composition and theory from the University of California, Davis. Michelson studied piano with Mack McCray at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She has studied composition, among others, with Olly Wilson, Cindy Cox, Jeffrey Miller, Pablo Ortiz, and, in masterclasses, with Louis Andriessen, Martin Bresnick, Mario Davidovsky, Eric Chasalow, Philippe Leroux, Bernard Rands, Judith Shatin, and Joel Hoffman. She has been a fellow at numerous festivals including Composers Conference at Wellesley College, MusicX, June in Buffalo, and Domaine Forget in Québec. She is a distinguished member of the judging panel for The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts.

Webmaster

The SCI Webmaster works with the Web Team, the Executive Committee Chair, the General Manager, the Newsletter Editors, and the membership to ensure that the website meets the needs of the organization. This includes keeping website content current, improving web services that support business processes, and providing support to members who use the self-service features of the website.

Carolyn Borcherding is a composer and sound artist predominantly interested in building sounding and visual worlds within which performing bodies and audio gestures can exist together in various fluid relationships. Her body of work ranges from pieces for solo instrument to multimedia ensembles consisting of video, electronically produced sound, and acoustic instruments. In her multimedia works, she considers each medium an essential performing body in which the media interact with, relate to, and inform one another. In fixed media works, she experiments particularly with the creation and destruction of the listeners’ sense of space. Carolyn has had works performed internationally throughout the North American region and at national and regional events such as the Society for Electro Acoustic Music in the United States National Conference, the North American Saxophone Alliance National Conference, Electronic Music Midwest, New Music on the Point, and others. Carolyn received her Master’s in Music Composition at Western Michigan University where she studied with Dr. Christopher Biggs and Dr. Lisa Coons. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in Music Composition at the University of Illinois.

Jazz Competition Coordinator

The Jazz Competition Coordinator administrates the annual Jazz Composition Award, including recruitment of judges, advertising of the competition, and oversight of the judging and award process.

Greg Simon, composer and jazz trumpeter, is Assistant Professor of Composition and Jazz Studies at the Glenn Korff School of Music at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Artist-Faculty in composition at the Brevard Music Center. His works have been performed by ensembles and performers around the country, including Alarm Will Sound, the Fifth House Ensemble, the Playground Ensemble of Denver, and the California All-State Symphonic Band. He has presented work at conferences for the American Band College, the College Band Directors’ National Association, the World Saxophone Congress, and the North American Saxophone Alliance, as well as being featured in radio and digital broadcasts from Pendulum New Music and WFMT. Greg studied jazz improvisation with Bill Lucas, Ellen Rowe, and Brad Goode. He’s performed with the Rhythm Society Orchestra, the Jodi-Renee Band, the Park Hill Brass, and the Last Riot, at venues ranging from Dazzle Jazz Club to the University of Michigan Museum of Art.

General Manager

General Manager for Society of Composers oversees the day-to-day business workings of the non-profit and oversees major projects geared towards the long-term health of the institution.

Jamie Leigh Sampson is a composer, entrepreneur, author, and bassoonist based in Nashville, TN. Her compositions do not shy away from difficult subject matter including gun violence, grief, obsession, and emotional abuse, but also explores beauty, humor, love, and clumsiness.
Her recent commissions include: Jupiter • Bringing Chaos into Orbit, for the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Ships’ Passing for wind ensemble commissioned by a consortium led by University of North Texas Wind Orchestra with Dr. Andrew Trachsel, Waving Goodbye for the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, the alphabet: ruin of silence by the Paradise Winds Reed Quintet.
Sampson has been awarded regional, state, and national grants and awards for her creative work including the Tri-county Arts Council’s Individual Artist Award (2019), New York Foundation for the Arts grant (2020), and a New Music USA project grant. She is one of the founders and co-owners of ADJ•ective New Music.
www.jamieleighsampson.com/

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