April 3, 2026
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra to Perform Three New Works by Mizzou Student Composers in April 21 Powell Hall Concert
Three University of Missouri School of Music students will have their original music compositions performed by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) at a special concert on April 21, 2026 at Powell Hall in St. Louis. This concert will feature works by Mon Ieong Cheok Kai, a master’s degree student from Macau, China; Dean Wibe, a master’s degree student from Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Dominick DeStefano, a master’s degree student from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They were selected through an annual composers workshop in a collaboration between the SLSO and the Mizzou New Music Initiative (MNMI). The program…
April 3, 2026
Webster-Kirkwood Times spotlights MNMI Artistic Director Stefan Freund’s “How Mr. Silver Stole the Show,” set for May 17 in University City
The Webster-Kirkwood Times recently featured Mizzou New Music Initiative Artistic Director Dr. Stefan Freund‘s composition How Mr. Silver Stole the Show, which is set for a May 17 performance by the Metropolitan Orchestra of St. Louis at the 560 Music Center in University City, Missouri. You can read the article here. Dr. Stefan Freund Tickets may be purchased on the day of the concert at the venue or online in advance from Eventbrite.com. For more information, see moslmusic.org. To stay…
April 3, 2026
School of Music Student Mon Ieong Cheok Kai to Participate in Vienna Contemporary Composers Festival
University of Missouri School of Music student Mon Ieong Cheok Kai has been accepted to participate in the Vienna Contemporary Composers Festival, scheduled for July 3-16, 2026 in Vienna, Austria. He will join University of Missouri School of Music graduate Seda Balci, who was previously accepted, and Mizzou New Music Initiative Associate Director Tiffany M. Skidmore, who will serve as one of the Festival’s faculty members. Mon Ieong Cheok Kai The Vienna Contemporary Composers Festival is designed for composers looking to refine their craft, receive professional performances of their works, and…
March 13, 2026
38 Musical Compositions Written by K-12 Student Composers Win Statewide Competition Sponsored by Mizzou New Music Initiative
The Mizzou New Music Initiative is pleased to announce that 38 new musical compositions and songs written by students in grades K-12 from across Missouri have won top honors in the 2026 Creating Original Music Project (COMP). COMP showcases original music from Missouri student composers and songwriters and offers them positive recognition, prizes, public performances and educational opportunities. Now in its 21st year, COMP is an annual statewide competition sponsored by the Mizzou New Music Initiative and the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation. For the competition, students in grades K-12 submit compositions in the following categories: Instrumental Music, Songs with Words, Notated…
March 2, 2026
Six Composers Associated with the Mizzou New Music Initiative Win 2026 American Academy of Arts and Letters Awards in Music
The American Academy of Arts and Letters has announced the winners of its 2026 Awards in Music. Six of them have past or present associations with the Mizzou New Music Initiative. Katherine Balch, a fall 2025 MNMI Guest Composer, and Texu Kim, a 2014 MICF Resident Composer, were among four recipients of Arts and Letters Awards in Music, which “acknowledge composers who have arrived at their own voice.” Each will receive $10,000, plus an additional $10,000 for the recording of a work. A concert with works by each recipient will be performed…
Feb. 13, 2026
Eight Internationally Acclaimed Resident Composers Selected for 2026 Mizzou International Composers Festival
The Mizzou New Music Initiative (MNMI) and 2026 Grammy Award-winning new classical music ensemble Alarm Will Sound have selected eight internationally acclaimed Resident Composers from five countries to participate in the 2026 Mizzou International Composers Festival (MICF). The 17th annual MICF will be presented by the MNMI and the University of Missouri School of Music from Monday, July 20 through Saturday, July 25 in Columbia. It will feature world premieres of new works written by each Resident Composer and performed by Alarm Will Sound. The 2026 Resident…
Feb. 3, 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). Alarm Will Sound at the 2026 Grammy Awards (photo by Paul Melnikow) Freund is a Professor of Music Composition, Co-founder and the Artistic Director of the …
Feb. 2, 2026
MNMI in the news
Here is some recent media coverage of the Mizzou New Music Initiative, its faculty, and students. Trent Fitzsimmons, whose composition Equinox Serenade, will receive its world premiere at the Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis on Thursday, February 5, was interviewed on the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra‘s St. Louis Stories blog. You can read the interview here: Five Questions with Mizzou Composer Trent Fitzsimmons Mizzou’s Maneater wrote about two University of Missouri Music Department faculty members, Stefan…