Marcos Balter

Marcos Balter’s music is at once emotionally visceral and intellectually complex, primarily rooted in experimental manipulations of timbre and hyper-dramatization of live performance. Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Balter is a Professor of Composition at the University of California, San Diego, and has held fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, Civitella Ranieri Foundation, and the Tanglewood Music Center. Recent highlights include a new work for countertenor Anthony Roth Constanzo and the Shanghai Quartet commissioned by the Phillips Collection and Chamber Music America, and a new work for cellist Jay Campbell and pianist Conor Hanick commissioned by the 92Y. Other recent performances of his music include a Miller Theatre Composer Portrait in 2018, and appearances at Carnegie Hall, Köln Philharmonie, Wigmore Hall, Lincoln Center, Walt Disney Hall, Park Avenue Armory, and Banff Music Festival.

marcosbalter.com

Courtney Bryan

Courtney Bryan is “a pianist and composer of panoramic interests” (The New York Times). Her music is in conversation with various musical genres, including jazz and other types of experimental music, as well as traditional gospel, spirituals, and hymns. Bryan has academic degrees from Oberlin Conservatory (BM), Rutgers University (MM), and Columbia University (DMA) with advisor George Lewis, and completed postdoctoral studies in the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University. Bryan is currently the Albert and Linda Mintz Professor of Music at Newcomb College in the School of Liberal Arts, Tulane University and a Creative Partner with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. She was the 2018 music recipient of the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts, a 2019 Bard College Freehand Fellow, a 2019-20 recipient of the Samuel Barber Rome Prize in Music Composition, a 2020 United States Artists Fellow, and is currently a recipient of a 2020-21 Civitella Ranieri Fellowship.

courtneybryan.com

Augusta Read Thomas

Augusta Read Thomas is one of the most active composers in the world, with a long-standing history of commitment to her community. Her music is nuanced, majestic, elegant, capricious, lyrical, and colorful. Thomas is a University Professor of Composition in Music and the College at The University of Chicago. She was the longest-serving Mead Composer-in-Residence with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for conductors Daniel Barenboim and Pierre Boulez (1997-2006). During her residency, Thomas not only premiered nine commissioned orchestral works, but was also central in establishing the thriving MusicNOW series, through which she commissioned and programmed the work of many living composers. Thomas won the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize, among many other coveted awards. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Thomas was named the 2016 Chicagoan of the Year.

augustareadthomas.com

Melissa Smey

Co-Creator, Producer, and Host

Melissa Smey is Associate Dean and Executive Director at Columbia University School of the Arts, where she leads the Arts Initiative, Miller Theatre, and oversees the new Lenfest Center for the Arts. Passionately dedicated to creating new work and fostering audience development, Smey has commissioned and premiered 29 new works from leading international composers including Chaya Czernowin, Missy Mazzoli, Enno Poppe, Augusta Read Thomas, and John Zorn, and, over the last five years, has produced free programs serving over 16,000 audience members. A two-time recipient of the ASCAP-Chamber Music America Award for Adventurous Programming for her work at Miller Theatre, Smey has served as speaker and panelist for organizations including the American Academy in Berlin, Canadian New Music Network, Chamber Music America, The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, New York University, Philadelphia New Music Project, and Works and Process at the Guggenheim. Prior to her tenure at Columbia, Smey held positions at the New York Public Library and the Metropolitan Opera.

John Corkill

Percussion

John Corkill is currently serving as the percussionist for the University of Chicago’s Grossman Ensemble, an ensemble-in-residence at the University’s Center for Contemporary Composition comprised of 13 of the nation’s leading new music specialists. He has collaborated with groups such as Third Coast Percussion, eighth blackbird, and Ensemble Dal Niente. He has also appeared on the Chamber Music Northwest, Norfolk, and Yellow Barn Festivals and garnered awards at the Yale Chamber Music Competition as well as the Percussive Arts Society International Percussion Ensemble Competition. Corkill has performed with ensembles such as the Milwaukee Symphony, Elgin Symphony, and NOVUS Orchestra. He has also worked with many of today’s leading musicians including conductors Marin Alsop, Peter Oundjian, Matthias Pintscher, and Reinbert de Leeuw; and composers Krzysztof Penderecki, David Lang, Augusta Read Thomas, Kate Soper, Christopher Cerrone, Samuel Adams, and Seung-Won Oh. He currently serves on faculty at the University of Chicago, Loyola University, and Merit School of Music. Corkill received his Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University and Master of Music Degree from the Yale University School of Music.

Andrae Murchison

Trombone

Trombonist, composer, bandleader, and poet Andrae Murchison is a native of Savannah, Georgia, where he first discovered music through church with his grandparents and mother. Focusing on delivering a message of grace and truth, his music remains faithful to his spiritual foundation and navigates through the roots of negro spirituals, the body of soul of R&B, and the mind of jazz improvisation, harmony, and rhythm. Murchison earned degrees from Oberlin Conservatory (BA) and Queens College Aaron Copland School of Music (MM) where he was mentored by Steve Turre and Robin Eubanks. Murchison toured the world serving as trombonist with The Skatalites, Abdullah Ibrahim and Ekaya, and The Duke Ellington Orchestra. He has worked with other notable artists such as Roy Hargrove, The Count Basie Orchestra, Ravi Coltrane, Monty Alexander, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and leads his own ensemble, Murch Church.

Parker Ramsay

Harp

Parker Ramsay is dedicated to invigorating the existing harp canon while delving into new and underperformed works. In 2020, the recording of his transcription of Bach’s Goldberg Variations was praised as “remarkably special” (Gramophone), “relentlessly beautiful” (WQXR), and “a resounding success” (The Independent). A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Ramsay began harp studies at a young age before moving to the UK at age 16. Ramsay has performed at the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), the Royal Albert Hall (London), the Musée d’Orsay (Paris), the National Center for the Performing Arts (Beijing), Sejong Center for the Performing Arts (Seoul), Verizon Hall, and Alice Tully Hall. He has appeared with the Shanghai Camerata, the Academy of Sacred Drama, Ruckus, Teatro Nuovo, and Apollo’s Fire. Upcoming projects include collaborations with composers Tom Morrison, Michael Seltenreich, David Fulmer, Saad Haddad, Josh Levine, Nico Muhly, and Marcos Balter. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in history at Cambridge, he pursued graduate studies at Oberlin Conservatory. In 2014, he was awarded First Prize at the Sweelinck International Organ Competition. He then studied modern harp at The Juilliard School, under the tutelage of Nancy Allen. He is a regular contributor for VAN Magazine, and his writing has appeared in Cleveland Classical, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. He lives in New York City.

Golda Arthur

Mission: Commission is produced by Golda Arthur

Golda Arthur is an independent podcast showrunner, audio producer, and journalist. She has launched and run podcasts, including Land of the Giants: The Rise of Amazon, and the daily news show, Today Explained, at Vox Media. She was showrunner for the award-winning narrative technology podcast Codebreaker, during her time at Marketplace. Prior to her work in the U.S, she worked for the BBC World Service in London for most of her career in audio; a career that has covered audio reporting, producing, and editing.

Adrienne Stortz

Co-Creator and Producer

Adrienne Stortz is the Director of Programs and Finance for Miller Theatre and the Arts Initiative at Columbia University. Adrienne is passionate about connecting people with powerful musical experiences, with particular focus on strategic digital content and communications. Prior to her time at Columbia, Adrienne held positions at performing arts organizations including Carnegie Hall and the Juilliard School.

Lauren Cognetti

Co-Creator and Assistant Producer

Lauren Cognetti is the Director of Marketing and Engagement at Miller Theatre at Columbia University. Lauren has over two decades of progressively responsible leadership experience in arts administration, digital marketing, strategic communications, and graphic design. In addition to her time at Columbia, she has held positions at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Situation Interactive, National Arts Strategies, and the Kaufman Center. Lauren is a graduate of the University of Richmond, where she majored in music.

Taylor Riccio

Assistant Producer

Taylor Riccio is the Director of Artistic and Production Planning for Miller Theatre at Columbia University where he also serves as a Co-Producer on the annual community art-making event Morningside Lights. Prior to Miller Theatre, he was active in New York City’s downtown theater community through his work at the now defunct Incubator Arts Project as a Technical Director, a designer, and on one occasion, a performer.

Erick Gomez

Sound Designer and Engineer

Erick Gomez is currently an audio engineer at The New York Times where he focuses on the weekly production of “Sway.” He hails from the broadcast radio world, where he got his start crafting in-house commercial spots for both local and national advertisers. He has previously worked at Univision, MTV, Westwood One, and Vox. Erick is the proud son of immigrant parents, an avid gamer, cat daddy, Broadway musical enthusiast, vegetarian, and overall computer and audio nerd.

Miller Theatre at Columbia University is the leading presenter of new music in New York City and one of the most vital forces nationwide for innovative programming. In partnership with Columbia University School of the Arts, Miller is dedicated to producing and presenting unique events, with a focus on contemporary and early music, jazz, opera, and multimedia performances. Founded in 1988, Miller Theatre has helped launch the careers of myriad composers and ensembles over the years, serving as an incubator for emerging artists and a champion of those not yet well known in the United States. A four-time recipient of the ASCAP/Chamber Music America Award for Adventurous Programming, Miller Theatre continues to meet the high expectations set forth by its founders—to present innovative programs, support the development of new work, and connect creative artists with adventurous audiences.