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…
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 …
Dec. 1, 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. Dr. John Orfe The program includes…
Nov. 11, 2025
St. Louis Symphony Members to Perform World Premiere of Henry Rusten’s Wind Quintet “Fuse” on December 4 at The Sheldon
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra musicians will perform the world premiere of Fuse, a new work for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon written by Mizzou New Music Initiative student composer Henry Rusten as part of the SLSO’s Live at The Sheldon program on December 4, 2025, The program, themed “Reeds in Turn,” will be curated by oboist Xiomara Mass and bassoonist Julia Paine of the SLSO, who will be in the wind quintet performing the premiere. Henry Rusten “The title Fuse refers to two…
Oct. 23, 2025
St. Louis Symphony Members to Perform World Premiere of Yoell Tewolde’s “Oblivious and Ride” for String Quartet on November 13 at The Sheldon
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra musicians will perform the world premiere of Oblivious and Ride, a new work written by Mizzou New Music Initiative student composer Yoell Tewolde, as part of the SLSO’s Live at The Sheldon: Folk Fest program on November 13, 2025. This program will be curated by violinist Andrea Jarrett and cellist Jennifer Humphreys of the SLSO, who will be in the string quartet performing the premiere. Yoell Tewolde “The piece is based on a bit of a whimsical…
Oct. 7, 2025
Dean Wibe wins 2026 Sinquefield Composition Prize
Award includes scholarship and a commission to create new work that will premiere at the 2026 Chancellor’s Arts Showcase. The University of Missouri School of Music and Mizzou New Music Initiative have awarded the 2026 Sinquefield Composition Prize to student composer Dean Wibe. The prize is the top award for composition students at Mizzou, made possible by Dr. Jeanne Sinquefield, Rex Sinquefield and the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation. Wibe is a composer and cellist from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Iowa. He completed…
July 3, 2025
Mizzou International Composers Festival Spotlight: Distinguished Guest Composer Hilda Paredes
The Mizzou New Music Initiative is pleased to welcome Hilda Paredes as one of two Distinguished Guest Composers for the 2025 Mizzou International Composers Festival. The Festival, which takes place from Wednesday, July 23 through Saturday, July 26 on the campus of the University of Missouri and at the Missouri Theatre, will also welcome Distinguished Guest Composer Judd Greenstein. Paredes will have private meetings with the Resident Composers, work with groups who will be performing her music at the Festival, and make…