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Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts
Student flips through their sheet music.

Music Composition Masters

Overview

Additional information about the composition program at Illinois State University is available on our informational poster.

Priority application deadline is February 1.

The Master of Music in Composition at Illinois State University supports advanced creative work and portfolio development, preparing students to refine and articulate their unique artistic voice. Through individual mentorship, performance opportunities, and scholarly engagement, students deepen both their creative practice and critical understanding of contemporary music.

A defining feature of the program is its emphasis on collaboration and real world artistic engagement. Composers work closely with performers, gaining valuable experience hearing their music rehearsed and performed across a variety of settings. These opportunities foster practical skills in communication, notation, and the collaborative process—essential for today’s composers.

Students benefit from a supportive, mentorship driven environment that encourages experimentation, interdisciplinary exploration, and sustained creative inquiry. The program also connects students to a vibrant community of new music through the annual RED NOTE New Music Festival, where they engage with guest composers, performers, and cutting-edge repertoire.

Graduates leave with a strong portfolio and the artistic, professional, and intellectual skills needed for further study, teaching, or careers in composition and related fields.

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Composition Faculty

  • Portrait of Martha Horst

    Martha Callison Horst

    Martha Horst has been commissioned by groups such as Earplay, Empyrean Ensemble, Dal Niente, Chicago Composers Orchestra, and the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, and her music has been performed by such notable groups as the Fromm Players, Alea III, and the Women’s Philharmonic. Recent accolades include winner of Symphony Number One’s Call for Scores commissioning contest, the Aaron Copland Award and Residency, co-winner of the 2005 Alea III International Composition Competition, co-winner of the Rebecca Clarke International Composition Competition, and resident at the MacDowell Colony. She is composer-in-residence at the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra.

  • Portrait of Roy Magnuson

    Roy David Magnuson

    The music of Roy Magnuson has been performed throughout the United States and Europe at venues such as the World Saxophone Congress, WASBE, CBDNA, SCI, and by ensembles such as the San Francisco Wind Ensemble, the Royal Northern Wind Ensemble, and the Air Force Band of Mid-America. Due to the success of his wind writing in 2008 he was asked to contribute a chapter to the GIA Publication Composers on Composing for Band, Volume IV which is currently available via GIA Publications. He is a member of ASCAP and his music is recorded on Albany Records and NAXOS.

  • Portrait of Carl Schimmel

    Carl Schimmel

    Praised by The New York Times as “vivid and dramatic”, the music of Carl Schimmel is dense with literary and musical references, often humorous, and combines intensity of expression with mathematical rigor. His honors include the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Bearns Prize, a Fromm Commission, the Goddard Lieberson Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and residencies at MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, Bogliasco, and Copland House. His works have been performed worldwide by ensembles such as the Minnesota Orchestra, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Alarm Will Sound, Da Capo Chamber Players, the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, and many others.

Student Opportunities

  • RED NOTE New Music Festival

    A week of new music events and talks by visiting composers and ensembles from around the country such as Ensemble Dal Niente, Del Sol String Quartet, and ensemble mise-en. Illinois State University composition students receive reading sessions from these nationally prominent ensembles. Recent guest composers have included William Bolcom, Chen Yi, Martin Bresnick, and David Rakowski.

  • Ensemble Readings

    Annual large ensemble readings with both the Illinois State University Wind Symphony and the Illinois State University Symphony Orchestra. Select pieces are chosen for performance.

  • Performances

    Daily performances by students, faculty, and guest artists. Recent guest performers have included the Boston Brass, the Jupiter String Quartet, and violinist Rachel Barton Pine.

  • Assistantship

    Graduate Assistantship are available. Prior graduate application deadline for assistantship consideration is February 1, 2022. For more details, email musgrad@ilstu.edu.

  • Concerts

    Chamber concerts of new student works each semester.

  • Private lessons

    Learn with faculty and nationally recognized guest composers.

  • Meaningful Connections

    Access to a large student body of approximately 400 music majors, and supportive applied faculty.

Get in Touch

The School of Music is located two blocks from the Amtrak station with convenient service to Chicago and St. Louis, and ten minutes from the Central Illinois Regional Airport which has daily flights to Atlanta, Detroit, Dallas, and other cities.

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