Alumni
After Graduation
Music by our graduates has been heard at renowned venues and festivals around the globe. They have worked with leading performers and ensembles, including eminent contemporary music ensembles; the orchestras of Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, and St. Louis, among others; and renowned performers and conductors. Some graduates have gone on to work in arts administration for organizations including the Chicago Symphony, Berklee College of Music, the Mackinac Island Arts Council, the New York Philharmonic, Boosey and Hawkes, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Others work in the film and commercial music industry, and several have received Fulbright fellowships to study internationally. Undergraduate and Master's students are frequently admitted to prestigious graduate composition programs for further study.
Distinguished Alumni
A few of the many distinguished alumni of the MSU composition program include:
- David R. Gillingham (PhD) | Professor of Composition and Theory (retired), Central Michigan University
- Adolphus Hailstork (PhD, 1971) | Professor of Music, Old Dominion University
- Jere Hutcheson (PhD) | Professor of Music Composition (retired), Michigan State University
- David Maslanka (MM/PhD, 1971) | Composer
- Charles Ruggiero (PhD, 1979) | Professor of Music Composition (retired), Michigan State University
- Daniel Weymouth | Associate Professor of Composition and Theory & Director of cDact, State University of New York at Stony Brook
- Mary Simoni (BM, MM) | Professor and Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Ron Herrema (PhD, 2001) | Senior Lecturer in Creative Computing, Bath Spa University
- Mihailo Trandafilovski (BM, 2000) | Composer, Violinist, and Educator
- Ken Wallicki (PhD) | Professor of Music, California State University, Fullerton
Recent Alumni
Asterisk (*) indicates employment in a tenure-track academic position.
- Henry Dorn (DMA, 2023) | Composer & Conductor; Assistant Professor & Conductor of the St. Olaf Band*
- Elena Specht (DMA, 2022) | Composer; Librarian for "The President's Own" United States Marine Band
- Spencer Arias (DMA, 2022) | Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Theory, Arizona State University
- Emily Mitchell (BM, 2021) | Composer
- Austin Netherton (MM, 2021) | Composer
- Sebastian Quesada (DMA, 2021) | Composer
- Daijana Wallace (MM, 2021) | Composer
- Trevor Smith (DMA, 2021) | Composer; Assistant Professor, Tarleton State University*
- Hannah Boissonneault (BM, 2020) | Composer; Bassist, Spirit Breaker
- Neal Endicott (DMA, 2020) | Composer; Lecturer, East Tennesse State University
- Keaton Garrett (MM, 2020) | Composer; Saxophonist
- Justin Pounds (DMA, 2020) | Composer
- Christopher Kaminski (MM, 2020) | Composer; Electronic Music and Media Technical Assistant, Michigan State University
- Edward Stumpp (DMA, 2020) | Instructor of Music, Alma College; Adjunct Faculty, Wayne State University
Recent Placements in Graduate Programs
- Hannah Boissonneault (BM, 2020) | MM in Composition, University of Michigan
- Charlie Cooper (BM, 2017) | Interdisciplinary Graduate program in Sonic Research and Acoustic Ecology, Simon Frasier University
- Doug McCausland (MM, 2017) | DMA in Composition, Stanford University
- Josh Trentadue (BM, 2017) | MM in Screen Scoring, New York University
- Christian Kolo (BM, 2017) | MM in Screen Scoring, University of Southern California
- Bronwen McVeigh (BM, 2017) | MA/PhD in Musicology, Eastman School of Music
- Chris Newman (BM, 2016) | MM in Composition, University of Maryland, College Park
- Ashlee T. Busch (MM, 2014) | DMA in Composition, Arizona State University
- Duncan Petersen-Jones (BM, 2017) - MM in Composition, University of Michigan
Alumni
-
2010-2019
- Ryan Jones (BM, 2019) | Composer
- Megan Anderson (BM, 2019) | Composer
- Jordyn Davis (BM, 2019) | Composer; Teaching Artist - Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Grant Programs Associate - Chamber Music America
- Evan Snyder (MM, 2019) | Composer
- Ben Kapp (MM, 2018) | Composer; Faculty, The Evergreen State College
- Colin Payne (MM, 2018) | Composer
- Bronwen McVeigh (BM, 2018) | Composer
- Sarah Palermo (MM, 2018) | Composer; Editorial Assistant
- Gonzalo Garrido-Lecca (DMA, 2018) | Artist Music Theory Faculty, New Music School, Chicago
- *Lynnsey Lambrecht (DMA, 2018) | Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition, Bradley University
- Duncan Petersen-Jones (BM, 2017) | Composer
- *Ivette Herryman Rodriguez (DMA, 2017) | Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition, State University of New York at Potsdam
- Will Savino (MM, 2017) | Freelance Video Game Composer; In-House Composer at Borough Bound
- Benjamin Montgomery (MM, 2016) | Lecturer, University of Miami Frost School of Music
- *Justin Rito (DMA, 2016) | Assistant Professor, Performing Arts, Northern Vermont University
- Chris Newman (BM, 2016) | Composer
- Joe Krycia (BM, 2016) | Composer
- Garrett Gillingham (MM, 2015) | Adjunct Instructor of Music, Delta College
- Philip Rice (DMA, 2015) | Director of Arts Programming, Mackinac Island
- Gabriel Jose Rivera (MM, 2015) | Composer
- Mark Schenfisch (BM, 2015) | Composer, Stage and Voice-over Actor, NYC
- Peter Felice (MM, 2015) | Composer
- *Andy Francis (DMA, 2014) | Chair and Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition, Marietta College
- Nicole Piunno (DMA, 2014) | Composer
- Micah Levy (DMA, 2014) | Composer
- Ashlee T. Busch (MM, 2014) | Composer, DMA in Composition, Arizona State University
- *Victor Marquez-Barrios (DMA, 2013) | Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition, Truman State University
- Thomas Childs (DMA, 2012) | Instructor of Music Theory, Interlochen Arts Academy
- *Phillip Sink (MM, 2012) | Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee
- *Kevin Wilt (DMA, 2012) | Associate Professor of Music and Composer in Residence, Florida Atlantic University
- *David MacDonald (DMA, 2012) | Assistant Professor of Composition, Music Theory, and Music Technology, Wichita State University
- Patrick Gullo (MM, 2011) | Associate Director of Content and Communications, San Francisco Conservatory of Music; Manager of Marketing and Public Relations, Boosey and Hawkes (former)
- Nate Bliton (MM, 2011) | Equipment & Performance Space Technician, Grand Valley State University
- Weiling Chen (DMA, 2010) | Composer
-
2000-2009
- Ben Fuhrman (MM, 2006; DMA, 2009) | Special Lecturer, Music Technolgy and Composition, Oakland University & Adjunct Professor of Music, Mott Community College
- Matthew Schoendorf (MM, 2006; DMA, 2009) | Adjunct Faculty, Music Theory and Composition, Wayne State University
- Roger Petersen (DMA, 2009) | Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition, Del Mar College
- Ron Herrema (PhD, 2001) | Senior Lecturer in Creative Computing, Bath Spa University
- Noel Allende Goitia (PhD, 2000) | Independent Scholar and Researcher
- Paul Schreiber (DMA) | Professor of Music Theory and Composition, Mississippi Valley State University
- Won Suk Choi (DMA) | Executive Producer, Asia Music Network
-
1990-1999
- Peter Hulen (PhD, 1999) | Professor of Music Emeritus, Wabash College
- Scott Harding (MM/PhD, 1999) | Lecturer in Theory and Composition, Central Michigan University
- Mtafiti Imara (PhD, 1997) | Associate Professor of Composition & Theory, California State University San Marcos
- Gary Nash (PhD, 1996) | Professor of Music Theory and Technology, Fisk University
- Kelly Tang (PhD, 1995) | Dean of School of the Arts, Singapore
- Virginia Firnberg (MA, 1994)
- Sarah Miller (PhD, 1997) | Composition Faculty, MacPhail Center for Music, Minneapolis, MN
-
1980-1989
- Ken Wallicki (PhD) | Professor of Music, California State University, Fullerton
- Harvey J. Stokes (PhD) | Professor of Music, Hampton University