Education

Doctor of Musical Arts | Composition
University of Missouri-Kansas City
2016 – 2020
━
Dissertation: (asymmetries of matter)
Committee: Chen Yi (chair), Alison DeSimone, Larson Powell, Paul Rudy, Zhou Long

Master of Music | Composition
University of Houston
2013 – 2015
Principal teacher: Rob Smith

Bachelor of Arts | Music
Seattle Pacific University
2006 – 2009
Principal teachers: Eric Hanson and Gerry Marsh (composition), Robert Swan (piano)

Awards & Grants

The American Prize in Composition
Finalist | Divergent Trajectories (2017)
The American Prize
Awarded September, 2019

Costello Competition
Finalist
The Lyra Society
Awarded February, 2019

Graduate Teaching Assistantship
Tuition waiver & stipend
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Awarded Annually | 2017 – 2019

SGA Travel Grant
Travel funding for the Thailand International Composition Festival
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Awarded August, 2017

Conservatory Travel Grant
Travel funding for the Bowling Green State University Graduate Conference in Music
UMKC Conservatory of Music & Dance
Awarded February, 2017

UMKC Chamber Music Composition Competition
Second Place | De somniis (2016)
UMKC Conservatory of Music & Dance
Awarded March, 2017

Sarofim Composition Award
Winner | String Quartet (2014)
University of Houston Moores School of Music
Awarded April, 2015

Robert Avalon International Composers Competition
Honorable Mention | String Quartet (2014)
Foundation for Modern Music
Awarded November, 2014

The “Other” Competition
Finalist | String Quartet (2014)
University of Miami Frost School of Music
Awarded October, 2014

Teaching Assistantship
Tuition waiver & stipend
University of Houston Moores School of Music
Awarded Annually | 2013 – 2015

Festivals & Conferences

New Music for Strings Festival
Royal Academy of Music Aarhus and Royal Danish Academy of Music
Denmark | August 10 – 19, 2018
━
Performance of On Plants and Consciousness at Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus by cellist Ben Fried. Lessons and workshops with Mari Kimura and Eivind Buene

Thailand International Composition Festival
Mahidol University
Salaya, Thailand | August 7 – 12, 2017
━
Workshops and masterclasses with Deqing Wen, Bun-Ching Lam, Kee Yong Chong, and Ingrid Stölzel

Composers Conference
Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA | July 16 – 30, 2017
━
Premiere of Divergent Trajectories by the Conference Ensemble, directed by James Baker. Workshops and masterclasses with Mario Davidovsky, Eric Wubbels, Yu-Hui Chang, Miranda Cuckson, and Tony Arnold

BGSU Graduate Conference in Music
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH | February 24 – 25, 2017
━
Performance of On Plants and Consciousness by cellist Gramm Drennen

Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR | June 25 – July 5, 2014
━
Premiere of Thelonious Sonatina by Caleb Wenzel. Lessons and workshops with Chen Yi, Robert Kir, Craig Hella Johnson, Molly Barth, and Dieter Hennings-Yeomans

Service

Shoreline Black History Month Planning Committee
City of Shoreline, WA | 2021-22
━
Collaborated with community leaders to plan Black History Month events and activities.

Raised funds, allocated budgets, built partnerships, developed programs, and conducted outreach.

Faculty Hiring Committee
University of Missouri-Kansas City | 2018-19
━
Served at the request of the Dean on a five-member hiring committee for new tenure-track faculty.

Worked collaboratively to review applications, conduct virtual and in-person interviews, and plan on-campus events with finalists.

Made hiring recommendations and solicited feedback from students.

Literacy Through Music
Houston, TX | 2016
━
Designed and project managed a grant-based community initiative that engaged adult ESOL students from Houston’s new-immigrant community with music and poetry as they pursued English proficiency.

Recruited and directed the work of 3 contractors and 2 volunteers.

References

Available upon request

Contact

Email
✉ Jonbcomposer@gmail.com

Professional Experience

Events & Community Programs Director

Phinney Neighborhood Association
January, 2023 – Present
━

Education Events Director

ShoreLake Arts
2020 – 2023
━

Interim Marketing Manager

ShoreLake Arts
2022
━

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Composition

University of Missouri-Kansas City
2017 – 2019
━

Young Artist Fellow

Da Camera Chamber Music and Jazz
2014 –2016
━

Teaching Assistant

University of Houston
2013 – 2015
━

Commissions

(asymmetries of matter) [2020] for Loadbang
Commissioned by the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance
Premiered by Loadbang December 10, 2020 at Oktaven audiO (New York, NY)

Ko [C]o (2019) for two violoncelli
Commissioned and funded by 2CellosKC

xylem (2019) for harp
Commissioned by the Lyra Society (Costello Competition commission)

Divergent Trajectories (2017) for Pierrot ensemble
Commissioned by the Composers Conference
Premiered: July 26, 2017 at the Jewett Auditorium (Wellesley, MA) by the Composers Conference Ensemble

Imprint (2016) for violin
Commissioned and funded by the Da Camera Young Artist Program
Premiered: May 12, 2016 at the Menil Collection (Houston, TX) by Jae-Won Bang

Sonic City (2015) for large chamber ensemble
Commissioned and funded by the AURA Contemporary Ensemble
Premiered by the AURA Contemporary Ensemble on April 21, 2016 at the Moores Opera House (Houston, TX)

Kriegslieder (2015) for voice and piano
Commissioned and funded by Houston Grand Opera/HGOco

On Plants and Consciousness (2015) for violoncello
Co-commissioned and funded by the Galveston Artist Residency and Da Camera
Premiered by Francesca McNeeley on May 3, 2015 at the Moores School of Music (Houston, TX)

Conversations (2014) for trumpet and vibraphone
Commissioned and funded by the Da Camera Young Artist Program
Premiered by Allen Chen and Brandon Bell on January 31, 2015 at the Houston Center for Photography (Houston, TX)

Future Name for My Way (2014) for voice and piano
Commissioned and funded by Houston Grand Opera/HGOco
Premiered: May 28, 2014 at the Kashmere Community Center (Houston, TX) by Priscilla Salisbury and Mark Buller

Variations (2011) for flute, viola, and piano
Commissioned by the Flute Studio of the Lamont School of Music, University of Denver
Premiered on February 24, 2012 at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts (Denver, CO)

Compositions

Chamber Ensemble (5+ Players)

Divergent Trajectories (2017) for flute, clarinet (b. cl.), violin, violoncello, and piano
Duration: 10.5’
Composed for the 2017 Composers Conference
Finalist for the 2019 American Prize in Composition
Premiered July 26, 2017 in Wellesley, MA by the Conference Ensemble

Sonic City (2015) for flute (a. fl.), clarinet (b. cl.), perc., harp, piano, violin, viola, and violoncello
Duration: 14.5’
Commissioned by the AURA Contemporary Ensemble
Premiered April 19, 2016 in Houston, TX by the AURA Contemporary Ensemble

Fluid (2014) for flute, 2 perc., harp, piano, and violoncello
Duration: 10’
Premiered: December 2, 2014 in Houston, TX

Chamber Ensemble (2 – 4 Players)

(asymmetries of matter) [2020] for Loadbang
Duration: 8.5’
Commissioned by the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance
Premiered December 10, 2020 in New York by Loadbang

Ko [C]o (2019) for two violoncelli
Duration: 1.5’
Commissioned by: 2CellosKC

De somniis (2016) for viola and piano
Duration: 8.5’
Second Place in the 2017 UMKC Chamber Music Composition Competition
Premiered: March 9, 2017 in Kansas City, MO by Musiqa Nova

Conversations (2014) for trumpet and vibraphone
Duration: 9’
Commissioned by the Da Camera Young Artist Program
Premiered January 31, 2015 in Houston, TX by Allen Chen and Brandon Bell

String Quartet (2014) for 2 violins, viola, and violoncello
Duration: 11’
First Place (2015), Sarofim Composition Award, AURA Contemporary Ensemble,
Honorable Mention (2014), Robert Avalon International Composers Competition,
Honorable Mention (2014), The “Other” Competition, University of Miami Frost School of Music
Premiered April 27, 2014 in Houston, TX by Jisu Shin, Felix Alanis, Shelby Thompson,
and Sonya Matoussova.

Variations (2011) for flute, viola, and piano
Duration: 12’
Commissioned by the Flute Studio of the Lamont School of Music, University of Denver
Premiered February 24, 2012 in Denver, CO by Jennifer Slaughter, Nicole Christian, and Skylar Anderson

Solo Instrument

xylem (2019) for harp
Duration: 6.5’
Commissioned by the Lyra Society for the 6th annual Costello Competition

Imprint (2016) for violin
Duration: 3.5’
Commissioned by the Da Camera Young Artist Program
Premiered May 12, 2016 in Houston, TX by Jae-Won Bang

On Plants and Consciousness (2015) for violoncello
Duration: 8’
Co-commissioned by the Galveston Artist Residency and the Da Camera Young Artist Program
Premiered May 3, 2015 in Houston, TX by Francesca McNeeley

Thelonious Sonatina (2014) for piano
Duration: 3’
Composed for the 2014 Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium
Premiered July 2, 2014 in Eugene, OR by Caleb Wenzel

Three Paintings by Clyfford Still (2013) for harp
Duration: 9’
Honors Recital Selection (2013), University of Houston Moores School of Music
Premiered November 24, 2013 in Houston, TX by Abigail Sliva

Vocal

Kriegslieder (2015, rev. 2018) for soprano and piano
Duration: 7’
Commissioned by Houston Grand Opera/HGOco for the Veterans Songbook Project

Future Name for My Way (2014) for soprano and piano
Duration: 2.5’
Commissioned by Houston Grand Opera/HGOco
Premiered May 28, 2014 in Houston, Texas by Priscilla Salisbury and Mark Buller