Visiting Artists

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…

20226 MICF Logo

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…

Alarm Will Sound Photo by Carl Socolow

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…

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…

Dr. Andre J. Thomas

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.

Percussion ensemble Beyond This Point

Oct. 12, 2025

Chicago-Based Percussion Ensemble Beyond This Point to Perform “Musician Minus Instrument” October 25 at Sinquefield Music Center

Beyond this Point, a Chicago-based percussion ensemble, will present the concert “Musician Minus Instrument” that explores musical expression beyond instruments and expands what it means to be a musician and performer on October 25 at 7:30p.m. at the University of Missouri School of Music’s Sinquefield Music Center. Beyond This Point comprises percussionists John Corkill, Adam Rosenblatt, and Rebecca McDaniel, a former member of the Mizzou New Music Ensemble. They transform the live performance experience by presenting adventurous programs that synthesize musicalperformance with other creative…