The University of Missouri School of Music will welcome Carolina Heredia as an assistant professor of composition starting with the fall semester in 2018.
Currently a post-doctoral fellow with the Mizzou New Music Initiative, Heredia (pictured) first came to Columbia as one of the eight resident composers for the 2017 Mizzou International Composers Festival. In her new tenure-track job, she’ll teach individual lessons, lead and teach independent and collaborative intermedia projects, and continue to assist with various MNMI programs.
“Carolina Heredia was the best fit for the job, and with that credential, we’re very pleased to welcome her as the first woman ever to join the University of Missouri’s composition faculty,” said Julia Gaines, director of the School of Music and professor of percussion. “As a native of Argentina, she also brings a Latinx influence to our program. We’re delighted that our top candidate also expands the diversity of our faculty in more than one way.”
“Carolina brings a unique and impassioned voice to the Mizzou New Music Initiative,” said Stefan Freund, professor of composition and artistic director of MNMI. “Her work with intermedia is inspiring for our students, and she will be leading them and our area in making collaborative art of the future.”
“I’m thrilled to join the Mizzou community as a full-time faculty member next year. Being here as a postdoc has allowed me to appreciate the enthusiastic, supportive and inspiring environment at the School of Music, and I truly believe this is a unique place,” said Heredia. “I’m very pleased to be part of a composition department that is committed to excellence and inclusivity at all levels of musicianship, while also making an important difference in the larger community.”
Born in Córdoba, Argentina, Carolina Heredia earned her doctorate in musical arts in composition at the University of Michigan, studying with Michael Daugherty and Evan Chambers.
While at Michigan, she also taught electronic music as a graduate student instructor and founded the Khemia Ensemble, a contemporary music group dedicated to creating innovative concert experiences involving interactive technology.
Previously, she earned her degree in music composition from the Universidad and Nacional de Villa María in Villa María, Argentina, and a master’s degree in music composition from the University of Michigan.
Her compositions have been commissioned and performed in the United States and South America by musicians and ensembles including Alarm Will Sound, JACK Quartet, Derek Bermel, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, Duo Cortona, Tesla Quartet, and Alexander Fiterstein; and featured at events such as the SONIC Festival NYC, Aspen Music Festival and School, Bowling Green New Music Festival, TIES Toronto International Electroacoustic Festival, SEAMUS, New Music Gathering 2017 and 2018, Cordoba Composition Biennial, Mizzou International Composers Festival, and more.
Heredia’s honors and fellowships include the Fromm Commission from Harvard University (2015); a fellowship from the Susan and Ford Schumann Center for Composition Studies at the Aspen Music Festival (2015); an Institute of Humanities Fellowship from University of Michigan (2016-17); a Missouri Music Teachers Association (MMTA) composition commission from Music Teachers National Association and MMTA (2017); the Institute for Research on Women and Gender Award from University of Michigan (2017); and a Paul R. Judy Center for Applied Research grant from Eastman University (2017).