Aug. 18, 2026
Katherine Balch and David Longstreth Named Distinguished Guest Composers for 2027 Mizzou International Composers Festival; Applications Open for Resident Composers
Internationally acclaimed composer Katherine Balch and American songwriter and composer David Longstreth will serve as Distinguished Guest Composers at the 18th annual Mizzou International Composers Festival (MICF), which will take place July 25-31, 2027 in Columbia, Missouri. Applications are now open for eight Resident Composers to write new works for GRAMMY Award-winning Resident Ensemble Alarm Will Sound. The 18th annual MICF will feature concerts of music by contemporary composers performed in front of live audiences, along with in-person workshops, master classes, and other events.
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…
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.
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…
Feb. 12, 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…
Jan. 2, 2026
2026 GRAMMY-NOMINATED CHAMBER MUSIC ENSEMBLE ALARM WILL SOUND TO PERFORM WORKS BY THREE ACCLAIMED CONTEMPORARY COMPOSERS IN COLUMBIA ON JANUARY 20
The 2026 Grammy Award-nominated chamber music ensemble Alarm Will Sound will present an evening of groundbreaking contemporary classical music including a world premiere performance in Columbia on Tuesday, January 20, 2026. University of Missouri School of Music faculty members Stefan Freund and Bill Kalinkos are founding members of New York-based Alarm Will Sound and will perform in the concert, to be held at the Sinquefield Music Center beginning at 7:30 pm. This concert will take the audience on a unique musical journey from the…
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…
Nov. 10, 2025
Internationally Acclaimed Composer/ Conductor/Choral Director Dr. André Thomas to Lead Performance of His Gospel Compositions by Mizzou Choruses and Symphony Orchestra on November 20
Internationally acclaimed composer, conductor, choral director, and author Dr. André Thomas will be in residence November 16-21 at the University of Missouri School of Music, where he will provide composition lessons, lead choral conducting masterclasses, and rehearse Mizzou’s choirs and orchestra in preparation for a major concert on November 20 by the Choral Union Symphonic Chorus, University Singers, Concert Chorale, and the University Symphony Orchestra. The concert is sponsored in part by the Mizzou New Music Initiative.