Era: Contemporary

SHENG, Bright

Composer Website

Born in Shanghai, Dec 6, 1955

Sheng was educated at the Shanghai Conservatory, Queens College CUNY, and and Columbia University. Leonard Bernstein was one of his teachers.
Sheng has served as Composer in Residence for Lyric Opera of Chicago and Seattle SO, and he teaches at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
China’s Cultural Revolution took place before Sheng had the chance to attend conservatory. During that time, from the age of 15, he was assigned to work in a traditional Chinese orchestra in a province bordering Tibet. He also spent this time studying Chinese folk music.¹

Pieces

Black Swan (after Brahms’s Intermezzo No. 2)

Contemporary Ukrainian

SILVESTROV, Valentin

Photo by Roberto Massotti, courtesy of ECM Records

Full name, alternate transliteration: Valentyn Vasil′yovych Sil′vestrov

Born in Kiev, Sept 30, 1937

Silvestrov studied at the Kiev Institute of Construction Engineering before enrolling at the Kiev Conservatory (1958–64) to study harmony and counterpoint.
In his article for Grove on Silvestrov, Virko Baley discusses the conflict between avant-garde and tradition as a major theme in Silvestrov’s work. Some compositions integrate these two impulses; at other times, he explores one or the other in a single work or period. Thus, he music can range in style from neoclassicism to minimalism to atonality.²

March 30, 2022 NYT article about Silvestrov’s status as a refugee from the current war in Ukraine

Biography from ECM Records

Biography from Schott Music

Pieces

Contemporary American

SIMON, Carlos

Photo by Kendall Bessent; courtesy of the composer’s website

Born in Washington, D.C., 1986

As a composer, Simon’s work ranges from concert music for large and small ensembles to film scores with influences of jazz, gospel, and neo-romanticism.
As of early 2025, Simon is currently the Composer-in-Residence for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the inaugural Boston Symphony Orchestra Composer Chair, and was nominated for a 2023 GRAMMY award for his album Requiem for the Enslaved. He is also an associate professor at Georgetown University.
In 2021, Simon received the 2021 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, the highest honor bestowed by the Sphinx Organization to recognize extraordinary classical Black and Latinx musicians.³

Learn More
Composer’s Website

Pieces

Contemporary Ukrainian

STANKOVYCH, Yevhen Fedorovych

Image courtesy of the composer's website

Born in Svaliava, Zakarpattya region, Ukraine, Sept 19, 1942

“Stankovych’s music, marked by a strikingly dramatic temperament and unfettered emotion, is supported by a full command of modernist techniques without allowing any one of these to predominate; and while the style is definably one of the late 20th century, folk themes of Ukraine’s various cultural groups have paramount importance in the substance of his language.”
Oxford Music Online⁴

Stankovych studied at the Kyiv Conservatory under Borys Lyatoshynsky and Myroslav Skoryk, graduating in 1970.
His compositional output consists primarily of music for orchestra, choir, chamber ensemble, and stage (ballet and opera).⁵
The recipient of many awards and accolades, Stankovych was recognized by UNESCO’s World Tribune as one of 10 best works of 1985 for his Chamber Symphony No. 3, and he won the Taras Shevchenko State Award in 1986.⁶
Many of the composer’s larger works were written in response to tragic events in Ukraine’s history. For example, Dictum (1987) is a massive symphony commemorating the Chernobyl disaster.⁷

Learn More

Composer’s website

Pieces

Violin Concerto No. 2

Contemporary American Czech

SVOBODA, Tomas

Image courtesy of the composer's website

Born in Paris, Dec 6, 1939
Died in Portland, OR, Nov 17, 2022

Biography
Composer’s website

Pieces

Contemporary American

SZYMKO, Joan

Image courtesy of the composer's website.

Szymko is pronounced “SHIM-koh” (IPA: [ʃɪmko]

Born in Chicago in 1957

Szymko is a Portland-based choral composer and conductor.
Szymko studied choral music education at the University of Illinois Urbana and composition at the University of Washington.
Szymko became Artistic Director of Portland’s Aurora Chorus in 1993 and served in that position for 26 seasons. She recently retired from the position and is now Artistic Director Emerita.
Szymko’s choral music has been commissioned by many ensembles within and outside of Portland, and has been published by Oxford University Press, earthsongs, and many other publishers.⁸

Joan Szymko’s website

Pieces

Illumina le tenebrae

Contemporary American Japanese

TAKEUCHI, Marika

Photograph of Marika Takeuchi courtesy of the Alliance for Women Film Composers

Born March 14, 1987 in Kawasaki, Japan

Takeuchi is a composer of concert music, film music, and music for video games. She is currently based in Los Angeles.
Takeuchi studied film scoring at the Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts.⁹

The composer’s website

Takeuchi’s profile with the Alliance for Women Film Composers

Pieces

Bloom

Contemporary Ugandan

TAMUSUZA, Justinian

Image courtesy of Crossing Borders Music.

Born in 1951 Kibisi, Uganda

Tamusuza began his musical training studying Kigandan traditional music: “singing, playing drums and tube-fiddle, endingidi.”¹⁰
Tamusuza studied at Queens University in Belfast,¹¹ and completed a doctorate in composition at Northwestern University.¹²
Tamusuza has taught at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda¹³ and at Northwestern University.¹⁴

Biography from International Opus

Biographical article from Vermont Public Radio

Pieces

First Movement from “On the Way of the Cross,” for String Quartet

Contemporary Japanese

TANAKA, Karen

Photograph of Karen Tanaka courtesy of the photographer, Murasakinoue2000,

Born in Tokyo, Japan, April 7, 1961

Tanaka studied at the Tōhō Gakuen School of Music, Toyko, where her teachers included Akira Miyoshi. She studied subsequently in France and in Florence, where her teachers included Luciano Berio.¹²
Karen Tanaka currently teaches Composition and Experimental Sound Practices at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California.¹³

Composer profile from her publisher, Wise Music Classical

Pieces

Contemporary American

TIN, Christopher

Photo by Andy Wilkinson; courtesy of the composer's website

Born in California, 1976

Christopher Tin is a GRAMMY Award-winning composer of both concert and media music.
Tin attended Stanford University and the Royal College of Music with studies in composition and English Literature.
- Fun fact: Simultaneously with his admission to RCM, Tin received the first Fulbright grant given for film scoring.
In 2000, Tin became an intern for Hans Zimmer, writing music for television commercials and for a wide range of television stations, including PBS, the History Channel, and the Discovery Channel.
Tin’s breakout hit was “Baba Yetu” (2005), a choral work for the video game Civilization IV.
- Additional fun fact: “Baba Yetu” was the first piece for video game to be both nominated and win a GRAMMY award.¹⁴

Learn More
Composer’s website

Pieces

Waloyo Yamoni (We Overcome the Wind)

Contemporary American

TORKE, Michael

Image courtesy of the composer's website

Born in Milwaukee, WI, Sept 22, 1961

Biography
Composer’s website

Pieces

Javelin

20th Century Contemporary American

TOWER, Joan

Portrait of Joan Tower by Bernard Mindich, courtesy of Wise Music Classical.

Born in New Rochelle, NY, Sept 6, 1938

Tower studied composition at Bennington College and Columbia University. She has taught at Bard College since 1972.¹⁵
Tower’s early works were serialist (influences included Milton Babbit), but since 1976 her work has moved in a more tonal direction.¹⁶
Major honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship (1977), acknowledgement at the 2009 Kennedy Center Gala for Women in the Arts,¹⁷ and a Grammy award for her one-movement symphonic work Made in America (2008).¹⁸

Faculty biography from Bard College

Biography from Wise Music Classical

Pieces

Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, No. 1

Contemporary American

TURRIN, Joseph

Image courtesy of Discogs, https://www.discogs.com/artist/2190264-Joseph-Turrin

Born in Clifton, NJ, January 4th, 1947

Joseph Turrin is an American composer, orchestrator, conductor, pianist, and teacher.
As a composer, Turrin’s work spans multiple genres, including orchestral works, chamber music, and music for film and stage.¹⁶

Biography
Composer’s website

Pieces

Illuminations

Contemporary Japanese

UÉBAYASHI, Yuko

Born in Kyoto, 1958

Yuko Uébayashi is a Japanese-born composer who has lived in France since 1998.
Biography from RII’s Elevate album:
- Japanese-born composer Yuko Uébayashi grew up emersed in music. She began composing as a young child and emerged into the professional sphere while still a teenager. Throughout early adulthood, Uébayashi built a career in Kyoto as a freelance composer and arranged music for film scores. In 1998, she followed her musical inspiration to Paris, where she would spend the next 20 years actively writing new works. In 2018, Uébayashi left the French capital and relocated to the South of France.
  
  When creating her pieces, the composer often starts with someone specifically in mind, drawing inspiration from the artistry of fellow prominent musicians. In fact, Uébayashi only accepts commissions from people with whom she feels a distinct connection. Stylistically, Uébayashi’s music is often described as impressionistic while also evoking Japanese film music.

Pieces

Sonata for Flute and Piano

Contemporary American Cambodian

UNG, Chinary

Photo courtesy of UC San Diego

Born in Takeo, Nov 24, 1942

Chinary Ung is an American composer of Cambodian descent. Ung was first exposed to Western classical music in his late teens, after which he pursued pursued the art form formally.
- Ung was one of the first graduates of the Ecole de Musique, Phnom Penh and received a degree in clarinet performance.
In 1964, Ung emigrated to the U.S. He received a DMA with distinction from Columbia University (1974), where his principal composition teacher was Chou Wen-chung.
Regarding his music, Ung has described it in the following way: “If East is yellow, and West is blue, then my music is green.” His compositions blend Asian aesthetics with contemporary classical techniques.¹⁷

Learn More
Biography via the composer’s website

Pieces

Water Rings

Contemporary American

UNGAR, Jay

Jay Ungar and Molly Mason; photo courtesy of the composer's website

Born in The Bronx, New York on Nov. 14, 1946

Jay Ungar is a folk musician and composer best known for his original work, Ashokan Farewell, which was used as the theme song for the Ken Burns docuseries, The Civil War.

Biography

Pieces

Ashokan Farewell

Contemporary Latvian

VASKS, Pēteris

Born in Aizpute, Apr 16, 1946¹⁹

Biography

Pronunciation:
[petɛɾɪs vɑsks]
“PAY-ter-iss VAHSKS”
Listen

Pieces

Contemporary British

WALLEN, Errollyn

Photo by Azzurra Primavera; courtesy of The Guardian

Born in Belize, 10 April 1958

Errollyn Wallen CBE is a prolific British composer whose works have been performed at the BBC Proms, the 2012 Paralympic Games, and the jubilees of Queen Elizabeth II.
- *CBE stands for Commander of the British Empire.²⁰
As an emerging composer in the 1980s, Wallen struggled with breaking down barriers to women in the field, especially women of color. Consequently, she co-founded, along with other female composers, musicians and administrators, the organization, “Women in Music,” promoting works by underrepresented voices in the field.²¹
In August 2024, Wallen was appointed Master of the King’s Music (the first Black woman to do so).
As a composer, Wallen has written over 20 operas and a large catalogue of orchestral, chamber, and vocal works.²²

Learn More
Composer’s website

Pieces

Mighty River

Contemporary American

WHITACRE, Eric

Born in Reno, Nevada, January 2, 1970

Composer Website

Pieces

The Seal Lullaby

Contemporary British

WHITBOURN, James

Image courtesy of the composer's website

Born in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, 1963

British composer and conductor James Whitbourn began his career in the BBC as a composer, conductor, producer and presenter. He received his formal education from Magdalen College, University of Oxford.
As a composer, Whitbourn’s output primarily consists of vocal and choral music. His music is performed around the world, most frequently in North America and Europe.
Whitbourn has been commissioned to compose the music to mark several national and international events, including the BBC’s title music for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and music for the national commemoration of 9/11 at Westminster Abbey.
As of 2022, Whitbourn is Fellow and Director of Music at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, Senior Research Fellow at St. Stephen’s House, Oxford, Director of Music at Harris Manchester College, Oxford and a member of the Faculty of Music in the University of Oxford.²³

Learn More

Composer’s website

Pieces

Adagio for String Quartet

Contemporary American

WILLIAMS, John

Born in New York, NY, 8 Feb 1932²⁴

Composer Website

Pieces

Contemporary American

WYERS, Giselle

Photograph of Giselle Wyers courtesy of the composer's website.

Giselle Wyers is a composer and conductor who specializes in choral music.
Wyers is the Chair of the Voice / Choral department at the University of Washington, and holds the institution’s Donald E. Petersen Endowed Professor of Choral Music.
Wyers holds degrees from the University of California at Santa Cruz, Westminster Choir College and the University of Arizona.²⁵

Composer website

Pieces

A Lonely Land

Contemporary American Chinese

ZHOU Long

Photograph of Zhou Long courtesy of White Snake Records

Born in Beijing, July 8, 1953

Zhou is the composer’s surname. It is appropriate to refer to him as Zhou Long or Dr. Zhou.

Pronunciation: IPA [dʒoʊ lɔŋ]
Pronunciation: Phonetic “jo long”

A guide for pronouncing Chinese names

Dr. Zhou is a contemporary Chinese-American composer whose music combines Chinese folk influences and modernist classical influences.
Zhou grew during the Cultural Revolution, when Western influences (including music) were discouraged. For this reason, he spent part of his childhood working on a state farm.
Zhou studied at the Beijing Conservatory when it was reopened after the Cultural Revolution, and he completed his doctorate at Columbia University.
Zhou teaches at the University of Missouri-Kansas Conservatory of Music.
Zhou is married to the composer Chen Yi.²⁶
Biography from Oxford University Press

Pieces

Contemporary American

ZWILICH, Ellen Taaffe

Image courtesy of the composer's website

Born in Miami, April 30, 1939

American composer and violinist Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (pronounced “tayf ZWIL-ik”) is one of the nation’s most frequently played living composers.
Zwilich pursued her doctorate at Julliard, and in 1975, she became the first woman to earn a DMA in composition from the institution. Previously, she had been a member of the American Symphony Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski.
Zwilich is a prolific composer in virtually all media:

“Concise, economical and clean in texture, Zwilich’s music might be classified under the rubric ‘neo-classic’ were it not for its very ‘neo-romantic’ expressive force.”
Grove Music Online

One interesting period of writing in particular – Beginning in the 1980s, Zwilich tasked herself with writing a series of concertos for the more neglected orchestral instruments, including the trombone, flute, oboe, and bassoon.
Fun fact– Zwilich was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 1983. She won the prestigious award for her Symphony No. 1, which helped catapult her international career.²⁷
- The composer’s list of additional accolades is impressively long and includes the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Chamber Music Prize, the Arturo Toscanini Music Critics Award, and an Academy Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She was also the first Composer’s Chair in the history of Carnegie Hall, and she was designated Musical America’s Composer of the Year in 1999. ²⁸

Learn More

Composer’s website
Short biography from the Library of Congress