Our composition program offers the degrees of Bachelor of Music in Composition and the Master of Music in Composition and it is designed to develop your personal voice as a composer through private instruction, supporting theory and analysis courses, and providing a platform for you to experiment and try out new directions through our campus student ensembles, the IU South Bend Philharmonic, Choral Union, Wind Ensemble, as well as resident and professional ensembles such as the award-winning Euclid Quartet and Ensemble CONCEPT/21, dedicated to performing diverse musical output since 2000. Now in its fifth season, EC/21 is devoted to premiering works by the new generations of composers. There is a state-wide call for scores every fall semester and a concert in the spring features selected works. Every year we hold our Symphonic Composition Competition. Selected works are premiered by the IU South Bend Philharmonic. We also offer readings to our students for their choral and chamber works.
Guest composers visit our campus regularly to offer masterclasses and presentation to our young composers. Recent masterclasses have been given by composers Leonardo Balada (Carnegie Mellon University), Moisès Bertrán (Universidad Nacional de Colombia), John Liberatore (University of Notre Dame), Ilya Levinson and Kenn Kumpf (Columbia College Chicago). The composition area supports a student chapter of the Society of Composers, Inc. and holds weekly composers’ forum meetings, which are the perfect platform for composers to share your ideas.
An integral part of our curricula includes the study and performance of electronic music. Ryan Olivier, assistant professor of music, electronic music, music technology, and multimedia composer manages this discipline and directs the Audio-Visual Collective, a performing ensemble focused on electronic music and multidisciplinary performances. Together with Eric Souther, associate professor of new media, they host every year the Performing Media Festival [PMF~], which features ensembles and multimedia artists from the Midwest on IU South Bend’s Campus.