Contributers
Aaron D'Zurilla
He/Him Aaron D'Zurilla is the primary host and founder of the Theorist Composer Collaboration. With diverse research interests in both modern classical composition and rap, Aaron has presented work at the 2025 Indiana University Symposium of Research in Music, with a paper titled: “Guess Who’s Back: Narrative Subversions in The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)". In a currently forthcoming presentation, Aaron will also present at the 2025 Analytical Approaches to World Musics Symposium on the Music Theories, Histories, Analysis, and the Musical Cultures of Asia, with a paper titled: "International and Personal Tragedy in "A Vietnamese Mother’s Letter to Nixon" (2023)". Aaron also has a forthcoming publication through SMT-Pod, titled: "Trauma and Vocal Timbre in Ellen Reid’s p r i s m (2019)" Aaron holds a Bachelor's of Music in Music Theory from the University of Florida and a Master's of Music in Music Theory from Florida State University. Contact: acdzurilla@yahoo.com …
Albert Wheeler
He/Him Long Island native Albert Wheeler is a Master's in Music Theory student at Florida State University. Before arriving in Tallahassee, he attended the Aaron Copland School of Music at CUNY Queens College. He received a bachelor's in Music Education while competing in Track and Field for the Knights. His primary instrument is the violin, allowing him to play in prestigious venues such as Kodak Hall at the Eastman School of Music and Carnegie Hall in New York. His current research interests include pedagogy, Greek popular music, and Topic theory. Email:wheeleralbert25@gmail.com
Alivia Hunter
She/Her Alivia Hunter is a modern folk artist and composer who reimagines classical myths and folklore, telling ancient tales with a fresh style. A graduate student at Wake Forest, she blends her academic experience with a deep passion for storytelling. As the eldest of five, Alivia grew up surrounded by sounds and rhythms that inspire her compositions. She writes best in everyday moments—on the mower, the bus, and behind the wheel. She plays many instruments, some well and some with…endearing enthusiasm. Her work interprets the haunting echoes of old-world folklore for the modern ear, inviting listeners to explore the narratives of times past Email: aliviahuntermusic@gmail.com
Ben Williams
He/Him Ben Williams is a producer out of Bradenton, Florida, primarily specializing in pop rock instrumental music. Ben has been playing music for over a decade and has been producing music for the last five years, all culminating in the album, "On My Own". Email: benwwms@gmail.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2WJ2vWtzg5hP4ffEJTT5uW?si=E4zSL7T-RqqUpljRP_yPNw&nd=1&dlsi=99557470926c4703
Brian Junttila
He/Him Brian Junttila is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Music in Composition at the Florida State University College of Music in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. As a composer and trombonist, his main musical goal is to hold a semblance of tradition while maintaining contemporary flair. A few ways he continues to realize this goal is by writing for unusual ensembles, picking topical texts for his vocal music, and collaborating with dancers and visual artists to create multi-disciplinary art. His current projects are inspired by his Finnish heritage, incorporating imagery from the country or melodies of traditional music. He attained his Master's degree in Music Theory and Composition (M.M. '21) from Florida State University where he studied composition with Dr. Liliya Ugay, Dr. Clifton Callender, and Dr. Mark Wingate. Previously, he received his Bachelor's degree in Music Composition (B.M. '19) from James Madison University where he studied composition with Dr. E…
Brittney Pflanz
She/Her Brittney is a theorist and percussionist from Central Florida. She holds a Bachelor's of Music in Music Theory from Stetson University and is a current Graduate Music Theory student at Florida State University. Her research interests include music in multi-media, East Asian music, embodiment and performance, and popular music analysis. Contact: pflanzbrittney2@yahoo.com
Cameron Gwynn
He/Him Cameron Gwynn earned his bachelor’s in Composition and Theory from the University of Georgia and his masters in Composition from the University of Miami. He’s currently pursuing a masters in Theory at Florida State University, where his research focuses on Neo-Riemannian and quarter-tonal theory. Contact: cj_gwynn@yahoo.com (678) 983-3391
Daniel Townsend, Ph.D.
He/Him Daniel Townsend recently received a Ph.D. in music composition from the University of Florida. He currently resides in New York City and pursues various freelance musical opportunities such as ballet and modern dance accompaniment, event management and production, and private lessons. Whether writing, performing, or educating, Dan’s artistic intent is to enliven and celebrate individuality through conscious improvisation. You can find out more about Dan on his website; www.DanTownsendMusic.com. Email: dan.townsend.music@gmail.com
Dr. Amelia Brey
She/Her The music of Amelia Brey has been described as possessing “haunting beauty” and “a deep, disquieting power” (National Sawdust Log). Her works have received premieres by Ensemble Dal Niente, National Sawdust Ensemble, Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect, and members of Ensemble Intercontemporain and the New York Philharmonic, and have been recognized with honors from BMI and the Nashville Symphony Composer Lab. Her choral music is published by Hal Leonard. Dr. Brey’s previous teaching engagements have included Luna Composition Lab (2020) and zFestival (2020-2021). She currently serves as a Data Curator for the Digital and Cognitive Musicology Lab at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland in addition to maintaining a private composition studio. Hailing from Tallahassee, Florida, Dr. Brey is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and The Juilliard School. Email: ameliabrey@proton.me
Dr. Carolina Heredia
She/Her Carolina Heredia (b. 1981 – Córdoba, Argentina) is a composer of acoustic and electronic music with a specialization in interdisciplinary collaboration and intermedia art. Her musical training is rooted in multiple traditions of Western European classical music, South American folk, and Argentine popular music. Her music has been programmed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, the Museum of Latin American Art, National Sawdust, the NYC SONIC Festival, and the Aspen Music Festival, performed by ensembles such as the LA Phil New Music Ensemble, Alarm Will Sound, the JACK Quartet, and the LA Chamber Orchestra. Works such as Ius in Bello and Ausencias/Ausências/Absences address themes related to her experience as a Latin American immigrant in the United States—displacement, memory, resistance, and solidarity—interweaving chamber music with electronics, visual art, dance, and interactive technologies. Her compositions have been awarded by the Fro…
Dr. Francisco Javier de Alba
He/Him Dr. Francisco Javier de Alba, known professionally as Dr. Paco, is a clarinetist, composer, and educator based in Phoenix, Arizona. He maintains an active career as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer, with appearances across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. He performs regularly with the Tempe Symphony Orchestra, Tempe Winds Concert Band, and Valley Opera Company. Dr. Paco has performed and presented at international conferences and festivals. He is also a self-published composer whose works have been performed across the U.S. and abroad, advocating for new music with a focus on amplifying underrepresented voices. His current research applies principles of linguistics to clarinet pedagogy, offering innovative approaches to various clarinet techniques. With over a decade of experience in music education, Dr. Paco has taught collegiately as a Faculty Associate at Arizona State University and provided guest lectures and masterclasses at numerous institution…
Dr. Michael Kahle
He/Him A composer who loves collaboration and the music creation process, Pennsylvania native Michael Kahle (b. 1996) has always searched for opportunities to work with performers and ensembles in the pursuit of emotionally driven music. Through these collaborations, Michael works to impart a meaningful and impactful experience for performers and audience members alike. Kahle explores the emotional gamut in his stylistically all-inclusive music. He is unafraid to combine traditional compositional techniques with contemporary and evocative approaches. This does not mean that his music is always serious, but instead Kahle enjoys presenting the juxtaposition of the contemplative and the comical. His piece "With Them", written for wind ensemble, was a winner of the New Music for Wind Ensemble Competition at James Madison University. In the chamber setting, Michael has written pieces for ensembles such as the Kahle Trio, Pathos Trio, Sputter Box, and the JMU Saxophone Ensemble.…
Dr. Nico Gutierrez
He/Him Described as, “a young musical promise” (La Vanguardia) Dr. Nico Gutierrez is a composer that consistently writes powerful, lush music for both multimedia and concert audiences. Born to Colombian parents, Nico embraces his heritage and infuses elements of his cultural upbringing into his music. His compositions have been performed by the Santa Fe Symphony, International Contemporary Ensemble, and Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá. An ambassador of Latin-American music, Nico has served as composer in residence for the Barcelona Festival of Song in 2014, 2019, and 2022 and has collaborated with opera companies like: Austin Opera, Fort Worth Opera, and Ópera de Colombia. In March of 2018, Nico was invited to conduct his compositions with the Youth Orchestra of Centro Fox in Guanajuato, Mexico for Former President of Mexico, Vicente Fox Quesada. Nico was also nominated for Best Overall Composition in the 2019 London Composition Awards and placed second for the Marion Brown Prize fr…
Dr. Pamela Mireles
She/Her Dr. Pamela (pah-MEH-lah) Mireles is a Mexican-American violinist with different talents and strengths in her musical career. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance (2017) in the Escuela Superior de Música from the Fine Arts and Literature National Institute in Mexico City, and her masters in Violin Performance (2019) and her Doctorate in Musical Arts in Violin Performance with a cognate in Entrepreneurship (2022) from the University of Florida. Since her studies in the hometown in Mexico, Dr. Mireles has performed as a soloist, joined jazz bands, folkloric music ensembles, new music projects, chamber music and orchestra performances, both in the classical and pop style. Nowadays, Pamela spends her time freelancing in several orchestras around North Florida, teaching violin lessons (privately and in public education), teaching music appreciation online as an adjunct and translating in-person lessons and masterclasses from Spanish to English and vic…
Dr. Robert Gross
He/Him/His Robert Gross is a composer, music theorist and music therapist. He received his DMA in music composition at University of Southern California where he also received a graduate certificate in Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television. He also received an MA in Music for Film, Television and Theatre from the University of Bristol; an MM in Music Composition from Rice University; and a BM in Music Composition from Oberlin Conservatory. He has taught graduate and undergraduate level music theory at Rice University. Composition awards and honors include winner of the Arch Composition Award for Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments; co-recipient of the Harry Warren Award for Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television from University of Southern California; Winner, tri-annual Inter-American Music Awards Composition Competition for Sonata for Solo Unaccompanied Violin. He has presented papers at the national Society for Music Theory conference, the Texas So…
Emelia Ulrich
She/Her Emelia Ulrich is current graduate student at the Florida State University, studying to receive her Masters in Music Composition under Dr Liliya Ugay. She is a recent graduate of the University of Florida, holding Bachelor’s degrees in Music Composition and Music Education, completing her composition studies with Dr.'s Scott Lee, Tina Tallon, and Paul Richards. As a composer, performer, and educator, Emelia seeks to draw in audiences and performers alike with her compositions. Her experiences with new music from the perspective of all three of these roles greatly informs her compositional voice. Emelia was recently a selected composer participating in the composition workshop of the 2024 Women Composers Festival of Hartford through which Balance Campaign recorded her festival commissioned work “Brambles” for pierrot ensemble with percussion. She was also one of the winners of the Contemporary Art Music Project’s Young Composers Competition for the 2024 CAMPGround Festival…
Gabriel Gekoskie
He/Him Gabriel Gekoskie (b. 2001) is a composer, sound artist, and educator based in State College, PA. Delving into the intricacies of the human experience and exploring the absurd, his creative portfolio spans diverse mediums. Gekoskie's cohesive musical methodology draws inspiration from contemporary phenomena—short attention spans, mass communication, and heightened individualism in the information age. His work resonates with the complexities of modern existence, offering a poignant reflection on the interplay between technology and the human psyche. Currently pursuing a Master of Music in Composition at Penn State University, Gekoskie is studying with Dr. Baljinder Sekhon.
Isabella Temperville
She/Her Isabella Temperville (b. 2000) is a composer and sound designer based in Baton Rouge, LA. She received a Bachelor’s of Music from Christopher Newport University in 2023 and is currently continuing her studies at Louisiana State University. Temperville’s music has been described as a “journey through sonic storytelling.” Her music “features cavernous, illuminated soundscapes, deceptively accessible melodies, and a clever double-take sense of orchestration.” Temperville’s works “The Thoughts that Corrupt” (2021) and “Fast Traveler” (2022) were featured in CNU’s Contemporary Music Festival, making her the first student at CNU to have a piece featured in the festival. Her work “LIFESTREAM” (2024) was also recently performed by the CRISP Electronic Music Ensemble at CNU. After Temperville completes her master’s degree, she wishes to pursue a degree in video game composition. When she is not composing, Temperville enjoys writing stories, playing difficult video games, and info-du…
Jake s. Jordan
He/Him Jake s. Jordan (1999) is a doctoral student at The Florida State University, where he studies with Dr. Clifton Callender, with additional responsibilities in teaching undergraduate aural skills (Dr. Evan Jones) and music theory (Dr. Nancy Rogers). His compositions range from music for the stage to short film scores; some past compositions include Sella the Musical (2020), Spring (2020), American Vignettes (2019), and Superbia (2017). Jake has two prior degrees, one in Music Education from The Ohio State University, and a Master's of Music from Florida State University. Email: jsjordan1066@gmail.com
Jane Kozhevnikova
She/Her Evgeniya “Jane” Kozhevnikova is a composer, pianist, and educator. Her works have been performed at regional, national, and international level music events. She composes in various styles, tastefully blending them. In 2019, she received a DownBeat Outstanding Performance award in the Latin jazz category. In 2020, she released a jazz-tango album Tango Avenue, and in 2022 an album of her art songs Lift Up Your Hearts. She holds two master’s degrees, in Music Composition and Music Performance, from Western Michigan University and is working on her doctorate degree in Music Composition at the University of Florida. Email: janekmusic@protonmail.com
Justine de Saint Mars
She/Her Justine de Saint Mars always knew that she wanted to pursue music as her career. She studied piano and cello for many years, but it was composition that really spoke to her. She started her composition journey in early high school and decided a path for herself in that field. She was accepted to the music composition department at Florida State University for her bachelor's and master's degrees and found a passion for film scoring, hoping her studies will take her in that direction. Contact: jdesaintmars@gmail.com 4843199943
Katherine Bergman
She/Her Katherine Bergman (b. 1985) is a Minnesota-based composer who draws on nature, environmentalism, and the intersection between art and science to create music described as hypnotic and visceral. She has received commissions and performances from leading ensembles throughout the United States and abroad, including the U.S. Coast Guard Band, Estonian Police and Border Guard Orchestra, Hub New Music, Zeitgeist, Unheard-of Ensemble, Seen/Heard Trio, Nautilus Music-Theater, and many others. Katherine’s music for band, orchestra, and chamber ensembles is frequently performed at concert halls, festivals, conferences, school band rooms, and national parks. Her work has been presented at ISCM World Music Days, The Midwest Clinic, North American Saxophone Alliance Conferences, College Band Directors National Association Conferences, IDRS, The Upper Midwest Chamber Winds Symposium, and the Liquid Music Concert Series. Her compositions have received support from the Minnesota State …
Ky Nam Nguyen
She/Her Ky Nam Nguyen (b. 1996) is a composer and pianist from Vietnam. Since the early days of her composition career, she has sought to merge her Vietnamese heritage with the Western classical education that she received from a young age. This blending of Eastern and Western cultures is a central theme in many of her works. For more information about her compositions and activities, please see her website at kynamnguyen.com. Contact: kynamnguyen14@gmail.com
Mary Denney
She/Her Celebrated for her eclectic, vibrant and sometimes irreverent music, composer Mary M. Denney explores the relationship between sound, music, and memory. More specifically, she is particularly drawn to the ways in which music can be used to shape one’s sense of identity. Mary finds inspiration from a diverse array of influences, including pop, indie rock, modern wind ensemble repertoire, minimalism, and free improvisation. Her music seeks to convey all aspects of the human condition, from its mundanities to its idiosyncrasies. An avid collaborator, Mary believes that the composition process does not end once the notes hit the page; she is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and creatively-stimulating environment for performers and composers alike. Her music has been workshopped and performed by Chartreuse Trio, Splinter Reeds, RE: Duo, loadbang, and the 28/78 New Music Ensemble; she has written extensively for all types of ensembles, ranging from solo works, brass choir,…