Mizzou New Music Ensemble

2026 MICF Distinguished Composer Jlin (photo by Lawrence Agyei)

July 15, 2026

Bio: MICF Distinguished Guest Composer Jlin

Distinguished Guest Composers Jlin and Karola Obermüller will give presentations on their work at 7:30 p.m. July 21 in Room 130 of the Sinquefield Music Center. Works by both composers will be played by MICF Resident Ensemble Alarm Will Sound at 7:30 p.m. July 23 at the Missouri Theatre, and by the Mizzou New Music Ensemble and the Mizzou Percussion Ensemble at 7:30 p.m. July 24 in the Sinquefield Music Center’s Sheryl Crow…

2026 MICF Distinguished Composer Karola Obermüller

July 14, 2026

Bio: MICF Distinguished Guest Composer Karola Obermüller

Distinguished Guest Composers Karola Obermüller and Jlin will give presentations on their work at 7:30 p.m. July 21 in Room 130 of the Sinquefield Music Center. Works by both composers will be played by MICF Resident Ensemble Alarm Will Sound at 7:30 p.m. July 23 at the Missouri Theatre, and by the Mizzou New Music Ensemble and the Mizzou Percussion Ensemble at 7:30 p.m. July 24 in the Sinquefield Music Center’s Sheryl Crow Hall.

20226 MICF Logo

June 4, 2026

MNMI releases schedule for Mizzou International Composers Festival

The Mizzou New Music Initiative has released the schedule for the 2026 Mizzou International Composers Festival, which takes place Monday, July 20 through Saturday, July 25 in Columbia, Missouri. Public events run from July 21-25. Admission is free. The schedule is as follows: Tuesday, July 21, 7:30 p.m., Sinquefield Music Center (SMC 130)Distinguished Guest Composers Jlin and Karola Obermüller deliver lecture presentations on their works and careers Wednesday, July 22, 7:30 p.m., Sheryl Crow Concert Hall (SMC 132)New-music quartet Yarn/Wire…

Alarm Will Sound at the 2026 Grammy Awards

Feb. 2, 2026

Alarm Will Sound, Featuring University of Missouri School of Music Faculty Stefan Freund and Bill Kalinkos, Wins 2026 Grammy Award

Two University of Missouri School of Music faculty members were recognized as winners at the 2026 Grammy Awards on February 1 in Los Angeles. Stefan Freund and Bill Kalinkos are founding members of Alarm Will Sound, whose album Land of Winter won the Grammy for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance. Alarm Will Sound is the ensemble-in-residence for the Mizzou New Music Initiative (MNMI). Freund is a Professor of Music Composition, Co-founder and the Artistic Director of the Mizzou New Music Initiative, and Director of…

Alarm Will Sound Photo by Carl Socolow

Jan. 15, 2026

MICF Resident Ensemble Alarm Will Sound Releases New Work by Composer Matt Smith on its YouTube Channel

Contemporary music ensemble Alarm Will Sound has released As Brightness is to Time, a new work by composer Matt Smith on its YouTube channel. Smith was one of eight composers selected to participate in the 2025 Mizzou International Composers Festival. The piece was recorded at Columbia’s Missouri Theatre during its world premiere performance in July, as part of the 2025 MICF. Alarm Will Sound is the MICF Resident Ensemble and includes two University of Missouri School of Music faculty members, Stefan Freund and Bill Kalinkos. Freund is a Professor of Music Composition, the Artistic Director of the Mizzou New Music Initiative,…

Alarm Will Sound Photo by Carl Socolow

Jan. 15, 2026

MICF Resident Ensemble Alarm Will Sound Releases New Work by Composer Seda Balci on its YouTube Channel

Contemporary music ensemble Alarm Will Sound has released Riffscape, a new work by composer Seda Balci on its YouTube channel. Balci was one of eight composers selected to participate in the 2025 Mizzou International Composers Festival. The piece was recorded at Columbia’s Missouri Theatre during its world premiere performance in July, as part of the 2025 MICF. Alarm Will Sound is the MICF Resident Ensemble and includes two University of Missouri School of Music faculty members, Stefan Freund and Bill Kalinkos. Freund is a Professor of Music Composition, the Artistic Director of the Mizzou New Music Initiative, and Director of the Mizzou New…

Dr. John Orfe

Nov. 30, 2025

Mizzou New Music Ensemble Presents December 7 Concert Featuring World Premiere of Dr. John Orfe’s Four Ozark Fable Sketches, Composed Expressly for the Ensemble

The Mizzou New Music Ensemble will present a concert featuring the world premiere of Dr. John Orfe’s Four Ozark Fable Sketches at 7:30 p.m. December 7, in the Sinquefield Music Center’s Sheryl Crow Hall. Written expressly for the MNME, the piece’s four movements – Monarch’s Theme, Monster the First:  MoMo, Monster the Second:  Spooklights, and Monster the Third:  Ozark Howler – are part of an original story in the manner of a folk tale whose characters hail from Missouri folk legends and jazz history. The program includes a…

Alarm Will Sound Photo by Carl Socolow

Nov. 25, 2025

MICF Resident Ensemble Alarm Will Sound Releases New Work by Composer Christopher L. Thompson on its YouTube Channel

Contemporary music ensemble Alarm Will Sound has released Shadows Uplifted, a new work by composer Christopher L. Thompson, on its YouTube channel. Thompson was one of eight composers selected to participate in the 2025 Mizzou International Composers Festival. The piece was recorded at Columbia’s Missouri Theatre during its world premiere performance in July, as part of the 2025 MICF. Alarm Will Sound is the MICF Resident Ensemble and includes two University of Missouri School of Music faculty…