At the core of Oregon’s composition program is a thriving artistic community of undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral composers. Our comprehensive approach integrates compositional studies with theory, history, ethnomusicology, intermedia technology, contemporary performance practice, interdisciplinary collaboration, and an intensive career development seminar. We offer you many opportunities to compose and hear your music in a wealth of genres: live concert music, video concert music, film music, video game music, chamber opera (libretto writing and composition), and intercultural composition. Our diverse yet focused curriculum prepares each student for a future as a successfull, professional composer.

Performance Opportunities

Most of our students are accomplished instrumentalists, vocalists, and/or conductors, and as part of our program, they continually perform their own music and the works of their colleagues. Opportunities abound for the performance of new music through the Oregon Composers Forum, Music Today Festival, Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium, Vanguard Concert & Workshop Series, Composing for Orchestra Seminar, and Pacific Rim Gamelan (intercultural composition), as well as through our diverse student-run new music ensembles.