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Welcome to composition at the University of Colorado Boulder College of Music!
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Our composition departmentĚýis a uniquely welcoming place to create music and sound making of all kinds. We support creatives of all sound mediums who would benefit from working in a supportive, collaborative environment with mentors across numerous disciplines and aesthetics. Faculty artists you could work with include Carter Pann, Michael Theodore, Annika Socolofsky, Grace Leslie, John DrumhellerĚýand Jeffrey Nytch whose expertises span the ranges of concert music, opera, interactive kinetic installation, electronic music and coding, music cognition and brain computer interfaces, film music, songwritingĚýand hybridized composer-performer identities.
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Our faculty is highly active in the music world, and we strive to support our students with rigorous creative training and real-world insights.
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We seek artists who are looking to expand their knowledge and experiences in sound, regardless of whether they have a music degree or formal education in music—including:
- songwriters, commercial musicians, producers and interdisciplinary artists seeking to expand their craft in new and innovative directions;
- concert music composers and performers seeking to expand their expression in new directions;
- electronic musicians seeking new tools and pathways for expression; and
- musicians who may not have written for live instruments, but who want to develop that skill.
We support these artists through:
- access to instrumental and electronic resources including orchestras, professional guest ensembles in residence, BLOrk (Boulder Laptop Orchestra), Boulder Altitude Directive ensemble, wind ensembles, choirs, jazz musiciansĚýand more;
- close collaboration with the ATLAS Institute, an interdisciplinary institute for radical creativity and invention;
- coursework in Electronic Music Production, Max/MSP, Supercollider, Orchestration, Electronic and Acoustic Instrument Design, Brain-Body Music Interfaces, Theory, Musicology, Deep Listening, RecordingĚýand music-related topics across campus including theatre, dance, filmmaking, etc.;
- access to performance and recording spaces such as the B2 Center for Media, Arts & Performance and numerous in-house concert venues;
- access to non-Western music ensembles including our West African Highlife Ensemble, Japanese Ensemble, Latin American EnsembleĚýand Gamelan Ensemble;
- the composition department’s very own contemporary music concert series—CU Boulder SoundWorks;Ěý
- paid commissions for students to create new works for various performing ensembles;
- opportunities to write fully-staged scenes for the CU New Opera Workshop (CU NOW); and
- a supportive, creative environment of students and faculty making their own unique music and projects in a gorgeous setting.
Degree programs
BM Composition
BA Music
MM Composition
MM Composition (Music Technology emphasis)
DMA Composition
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What is the student experience like?
In my time at CU Boulder, I’ve had the opportunity to write pieces for HOCKET, the ~Nois saxophone quartetĚýand various student groups. My works include a piece inspired by salting slugs (with performers behind the audience) and a piece performed on 10 keyboards—including harpsichord, synthesizers and toy pianos—which was also selected and performed in the 2023 Nief-Norf International Call for Scores. I love that there are so many opportunities to explore new ideas and new sounds, both on and off the stage and with countless other composers and performers willing to push their boundaries.Ěý
—BM composition student)
In my two short years at the College of Music, I got to do so many cool things: Compose for a variety of talented chamber groups (from Pierrot ensembles to sax quartets), develop and teach my own music technology classes, and put together my own pop strings recording session, to name a few. Having spent much more time driving around the Midwest and singing songs about spreadsheets while wearing a power ranger costume than I had writing concert music in the years before enrolling at CU Boulder, I am very grateful to the composition department for accepting me as the musician that I am. They supported me fully in continuing my work outside of school as a touring musician and freelance composer while encouraging me to push my own musical boundaries and abilities in the work I was doing for my degree. If you’re a composer with feet planted in different styles, I can’t recommend the CU Boulder composition department enough.Ěý
—Ěý(MM Composition ’23)
If I had to sum up my experience in the CU Boulder composition program with one word, it would be “opportunity.” Because of this program, I’ve had the privilege of writing music for the ~Nois saxophone quartet, I’ve had pieces read by the CU Boulder Philharmonia Orchestra and I was able to fly out to see the premiere of a flute quartet that another university commissioned from me. I was also honored to have a miniature recorded by HOCKETĚýand I’veĚýhad many other pieces premiered on various CU Boulder SoundWorks concerts over the years. Most importantly, the composition department is very helpful to me in pursuing my other degree, bassoon performance, and integrating my playing experience with composing.Ěý
—(BM composition + bassoon performance student)
Graduate Teaching Assistantships
We offer teaching assistantships in Theory, Electronic Music and Composition to MM and DMA students. These assistantships:
- cover the cost of graduate tuition and mandatory student fees;
- provide a stipend to help with living expenses; and
- offerĚýthe ability to opt in for CU Boulder’s Gold Comprehensive Health Insurance.
Application info
To apply, we encourage you to submit:
- three to four of your best works (inclusion of scores accepted but not required);
- audio (recording, MIDI, etc.) and/or documentation of each of your works (including video, codeĚýor any other relevant materials);
- a personal statement detailing your goals and aspirations for your time at CU Boulder and why you are interested in joining our community; and
- three letters of recommendation.
Note: While submitting an additional diversity statement is optional, you must submit a diversity statementĚýto be considered for the Graduate School’s Graduate Diversity Fellowship.
Learn moreĚýabout application requirements and the application process
