University of Missouri
School of Music

2013 Resident Composers

Jason Thorpe Buchanan

Jason Thorpe Buchanan (b. 1986) is an American composer of contemporary concert music. His work draws from a broad variety of aesthetic genres and influences, and has been described by leading composers in the United States and Europe as "sharply-edged", "shimmering," "attractive," "symphonic," and "ambitious." He is the founder of Melos Music, a composer's consortium for which he served as director from 2007-2012, as well as their annual New Music Concert series. Jason spent 2010-2011 living in Hamburg, Germany, where he was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater as a visiting scholar for studies with Peter Michael Hamel and Manfred Stahnke, as well as courses with Georg Hajdu, and Sascha Lino Lemke while conducting research and interviews in regard to compositional process and aesthetics.

In 2012, his First Study for Alto Saxophone: doublethink, commissioned by Michael Rene Torres, was premiered at the North American Saxophone Alliance biennial conference in Tempe, AZ, receiving the Belle S. Gitelman award from the Eastman School of Music. The same year a collaboration with MacArthur "Genius" Award winning visual artist Anna Schuleit, First Study for Piano & Electronics: absence, was premiered by Daniel Pesca for the Benson Creative Forum at Eastman. Asymptotic Flux: First Study in Entropy for amplified bass clarinet, violin, viola & cello was co-commissioned by the [Switch~ Ensemble]/Ossia in Rochester and ensemble39 in Philadelphia. In 2011 his Berlin Songs, for two singers and mixed chamber ensemble, were premiered for a capacity audience at the Akademie der Künste during the Pan-European Fulbright conference in Berlin, Germany under the baton of Thomas Heuser, who commissioned the work alongside the German/American Fulbright Kommission. An expanded orchestration was later recorded and premiered in the U.S. at the 2nd Annual Melos New Music Concert in San Francisco, conducted by the composer. This recording later became a finalist in both the "American Prize" orchestral composition competition (2012) and the ASCAP Morton Gould composition competition (2012).

In 2010 three chapters of his orchestral work - The Gods of Pegãna, were read by the Brevard Music Center Orchestra under the baton of Ken Lam. The work was later awarded the distinction of finalist in the ASCAP Morton Gould composition competition (2011), and Honorable Mention in both the ACF Minnesota Composer's Institute competition (2011) and the ACO Underwood/San Diego readings competition (2012). Three excerpts from this work in chamber orchestra reduction were later given their premiere public performance with the Sound ExChange Orchestra in collaboration with the University of Rochester Program of Dance and Movement, conducted by the composer. In 2009, A Zarzuela & Other Lost Works was premiered by the Tad Wind Symphony in Tokyo for an audience of over 800, and recorded with a CD released on the Windstream label in Japan.

Jason began his studies at age fourteen at the College of San Mateo, CA, later attending San José State University and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas as a Master's student, where he taught courses in composition and music theory (2008-2010), receiving the highest honors from both institutions as outstanding graduating senior/graduate student. He has studied composition with Allan Schindler, Virko Baley, Peter Michael Hamel, Jorge Grossmann, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Pablo Furman, Kevin Puts, Robert Aldridge, and Manfred Stahnke, as well as additional studies with Takayoshi Suzuki and Brad Lubman in conducting, and at Darmstadt with Georges Aperghis, Brian Ferneyhough, and Raphaël Cendo.

He has received a variety of prestigious academic and artistic awards from ASCAP, ACF, MPE, the NEON and Brevard Music Festivals, UNLV, SJSU, the Eastman School of Music, the American Prize, and the Miami Beach International Animated Film Festival. Recordings of his music are commercially available on the Melos Music label in the United States and the Windstream label in Japan.

A few of his upcoming compositional engagements include commissions from Jeff Nelsen and Michael Walker for a Concerto for two Horns, a work for 14 musicians and live electronics for the [Switch~ Ensemble], and a quartet for Iktus Percussion in NYC. Jason currently studies composition with Robert Morris and holds a Graduate Teaching Assistantship at the Computer Music Center as a Ph.D. student at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.

For more information on Jason Thorpe Buchanan and his music, visit www.jasonthorpebuchanan.com.

Ryan Chase

Ryan Chase (b.1987) has had his music has been performed in venues ranging from dive bars to Carnegie Hall by such ensembles as Alaria, the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, CIRCE, Contemporaneous, the IU New Music Ensemble, the Chelsea Symphony, the Mexico City Woodwind Quintet, and new music soprano Ariadne Greif.

His music has received national recognition from many of the country's most prestigious musical institutions, including two consecutive BMI Student Composer Awards in 2011 (William Schuman Prize for Most Outstanding Entry – Gold Rush) and 2012 (The Light Fantastic); the Audience Choice Award from the 2012 American Composers Orchestra Underwood Readings; 1st Prize in the 2011 National Association of Composers USA Young Composers’ Competition; the Jean Schneider Goberman Award; and the Bohuslav Martinú Award.

This season will feature the official premiere of The Light Fantastic by the IU Symphony Orchestra in September conducted by Constantine Kitsopoulos.

Ryan is currently pursuing a DM at Indiana University where he also teaches undergraduate courses in post-tonal ear training and theory. He holds degrees from Indiana University (MM 2010) and the Mannes College of Music (BM 2008). He currently studies with David Dzubay and has also studied primarily with Claude Baker, Keith Fitch, Don Freund, Gabriela Ortíz, and David Tcimpidis. He studied computer music at IU with Jeffrey Hass, John Gibson, and Alicyn Warren. Ryan is a member of ASCAP. 

For more information on Ryan Chase and his music, visit www.ryanmchase.com.

Andrew Davis

Andrew Davis (b. 1986) is a composer and electric guitarist from Columbia, MD. He has written works for both electronic media and acoustic ensembles including band, chorus, and various chamber ensembles. Andrew draws inspiration from all sources, but especially from popular music in which his first interests in music began.

Andrew's early musical experiences were in the elementary and middle school band where he played trombone and euphonium. In high school, Andrew fell in love with the guitar, joining multiple groups and playing a wide range of styles including jazz, funk, and rock. It was in these idioms where Andrew's first interests in composition began. In 2005, Andrew enrolled at Yale University where he began formal composition studies under the direction of Michael Klingbeil and Kathryn Alexander. Andrew graduated cum laude with distinction in the major.

Andrew's music has been performed by numerous ensembles/performers including the Argento Ensemble, the Yale Concert Band, the Yale Percussion Ensemble, the University of Texas Wind Ensemble, the Axiom Saxophone Quartet, the Yale Chamber singers, and counter)induction. Andrew's music has received recognition from Vox Novus, SEAMUS/ASCAP, and ISCM World Music Days among others.

Between college and graduate school, Andrew worked as a production assistant at NFL Films where he was nominated for an Emmy for his work on NFL Weekly Countdown. Currently, Andrew is pursuing a Master's degree at the University of Texas at Austin, studying under Donald Grantham, Dan Welcher, and Russell Pinkston.

For more information on Andrew Davis and his music, visit www.andrewdaviscomposer.com.

Eric Guinivan

Eric Guinivan’s music has been performed by numerous orchestras and chamber ensembles across the United States, Europe, and Asia. His works have received several awards and honors, including three BMI Student Composer Awards, two ASCAP Morton Gould Awards, and grants from the Theodore Presser Foundation, and Meet the Composer. Eric has received commissions from the New York Youth Symphony, the Delaware Youth Symphony, the Firebird Ensemble, the Michigan Music Teachers Association, the Lotte Lehmann Foundation, the Society of Composers, Inc. and pianist Vicki Ray, among others.

Eric began studying percussion at age 10 and is an active performer currently based in Los Angeles. A founding member of the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet, Eric has also performed with orchestras and chamber ensembles across the country. Eric made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2011 performing as soloist with the New York Youth Symphony in the premiere of his work Meditation and Awakening for percussion and orchestra. The New York Times subsequently described the work as "engaging," praising its "shimmering colors" and "frenetic energy." Eric has also performed as soloist with the Downey Symphony and the University of Southern California Thornton Symphony.

Born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, Eric received Bachelor of Music Degrees in Composition and Percussion Performance from Indiana University and holds a Masters and Doctorate from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. Eric currently teaches orchestration, music theory, and aural skills at University of Southern California and music history and theory at Renaissance Arts Academy.

For more information on Eric Guinivan and his music, visit www.ericguinivan.com.

Elizabeth A. Kelly

Elizabeth A. Kelly's works have been commissioned and performed by diverse ensembles including the Ann Arbor Symphony, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra, New York Youth Symphony, Netherlands Youth Orchestra, Albany Symphony Dogs of Desire, Liverpool Philharmonic Ensemble 10/10, ASKO Schoenberg, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, and California EAR Unit. Her compositions have been performed at venues throughout the U.S. and Europe including Carnegie Hall and the Aspen, Bang on a Can Banglewood, Bowdoin, Brevard, Cabrillo, CCM Music03, Huddersfield, and Ostrava Days Festivals. Her work has been recognized with two ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards and honorable mentions in the ASCAP Frederick Fennell and Rudolf Nissim competitions. She won 2nd prize at the 2009 Apeldoorn Young Composers Meeting Final Competition and 1st prize at the 2011 Young Masters XXI competition in the Netherlands.

Kelly (b. 1982) earned a Ph.D. in composition from the Eastman School of Music with the support of a Jacob Javits fellowship from the United States Department of Education and a Robert and Mary Sproull fellowship from the University of Rochester. She was awarded a Frank Beebe Fellowship for studies at The Hague Royal Conservatory. She holds an M.M. in composition from the University of Michigan School of Music, where she was awarded the Ellen Marin Memorial and full merit scholarships. She completed her B.A. in music summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa at Yale. Her work has been supported by a MacDowell Colony Fellowship, published by Donemus and released by Centaur Records.

For more information on Elizabeth Kelly and her music, visit www.elizabethakelly.com.

Wei-Chieh Lin

Wei-Chieh Lin, composer (New York,NY) was born in Taichung, Taiwan. His music has been performed at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, Avery Fisher Hall and Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and the National Concert Halls in Taiwan. Wei-Chieh has participated in the Aspen Music Festival, the Wellesley Composers Conference and Chamber Music Center, Académie musicale de Villecroze, Domaine Forget New Music Session, and is an active participant at the Manifeste/Acanthes@Ircam Composition Workshop, Foundation Royaumont, and the Gaudeamus Muziekweek 2013. The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, the New Juilliard Ensemble, and the New Asia Chamber Music Society are among some of the ensembles that have performed or commissioned his music. Wei-Chieh has received awards including International Composer Pyramid Competition, two ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, two National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan Composition Competitions, three National Taiwan Symphony Commission Awards, and the Palmer Dixon Award from the Juilliard School. Wei-Chieh completed his BM, MM, and DMA in composition at Juilliard under the guidance of Milton Babbitt.

For more information on Wei-Chieh Lin and his music, visit https://soundcloud.com/wei-chieh-lin.

Greg Simon

Greg Simon, composer and jazz trumpeter, holds a B.A. from the University of Puget Sound and an M.M. from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is currently pursuing a doctorate at the University of Michigan. Before coming to Michigan, Greg served on the faculty at the Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Greg studied composition with Carter Pann, Daniel Kellogg, Richard Toensing and Robert Hutchinson. He also studied with Kevin Puts and Robert Aldridge at the Brevard Music Institute, where he was awarded a fellowship. His works have been performed or commissioned by the Corvallis Youth Symphony; the Playground Ensemble of Denver; the Fifth House Ensemble of Chicago; and groups in California, Washington, Oregon, West Virginia, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin, among many others. He has presented work at conferences for the American Band College, the College Band Directors’ National Association, the World Saxophone Congress, and the North American Saxophone Alliance, as well as being featured in radio and digital broadcasts from Pendulum New Music and WFMT. He has won the Edward Levy and George Lynn Prizes for excellence in composition from the University of Colorado, and received recognition for his works from the Pacific Chorale, CBDNA, the Fifth House Ensemble, and ASCAP. Foolish Fire for wind ensemble, written for Loveland High School, has received over 20 performances in 10 different states since its Colorado premiere. Greg’s work is featured on recordings by the California State University, Fullerton Wind Ensemble and the Fifth House Ensemble of Chicago.

As a jazz musician, Greg has studied with Bill Lucas, Brad Goode, and Darmon Meader of the New York Voices. He’s performed with the Jodi-Renee Band, the Park Hill Brass, and others at venues like Dazzle, El Chapultepec, the ATLAS Black Box, and other celebrated jazz venues in Denver and Boulder. He is active as a proponent of new music for improvising musicians; among his credits as featured soloist are appearances in world premieres from composers Michael Theodore, Hunter Ewen, Liz Comninellis, and Kari Kraakevik.

Greg is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the mens' music fraternity. He has served on the planning committee and as the media manager for the Pendulum New Music Series, and done work at the Aspen Music Festival and School. He is currently a member and publicity writer for the MELOS Music Composers’ Consortium, a group of nationally-renowned young American composers. When he's not composing, Greg enjoys hockey, microbrews and short stories. 

For more information on Greg Simon and his music, visit www.gregsimonmusic.com.

David Witter

David Witter (b. 1978) is a composer, improvisor, and educator active in Columbia, MO. He holds B.M. and M.M. degrees in composition from the University of Missouri where he studied with W. Thomas McKenney and Stefan Freund. Currently he is pursuing a Missouri teaching certification for K-12, after which he will teach elementary and middle school music. As winner of the 2013 Sinquefield Composition Prize, Witter will write an original work for Mizzou's University Philharmonic, which will receive its world premiere on Monday, March 11, 2013 at the Chancellor's Concert in Columbia. His music has been performed at the Contemporary Art Museum of St. Louis and the St. Louis Botanical Garden, and he has led performances of the MU Creative Improvisation Ensemble at conferences in Ann Arbor, MI and Paterson, NJ. He is a member of the Gamma Gamma chapter of Pi Kappa Lambda.

For more information on David Witter and his music, visit www.davidwitter.org.

The programs of the Mizzou New Music Initiative have been made possible
through the generous support of the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation.

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Last modified: 16-May-2013