Alba Music Festival Composition Program

Praised as “experimental and ethereal” (T&C Media) and a “welcome addition to the new music scene,” (Boston Musical Intelligencer) the Hinge Quartet is comprised of Philipp Stäudlin (saxophones), Dan VanHassel (electric guitar), Matt Sharrock (percussion), and Keith Kirchoff (piano). Lying somewhere between a chamber ensemble and an avant-garde rock band, the Hinge Quartet combines cutting-edge contemporary classical and experimental music with seamless multimedia integration and the innovative re-imagining of rock and pop songs.

Dedicated to expanding and diversifying the repertoire for their ensemble, the Hinge Quartet has commissioned new works from composers including Bahar Royaee, Per Bloland, Kirsten Volness, LJ White, Ed Martin, Chen-Hui Jen, Kirsten Carey, Marti Epstein, Yoon-Ji Lee, Curtis Hughes, and Nicole Murphy. Recent seasons have also featured works by Julius Eastman, Sam Pluta, Jessie Cox, Philippe Hurel, Meshuggah, Katherine Young, Louis Andriessen, Chaya Czernowin, Klaus Lang, Björk, and more.

The Hinge Quartet’s educational initiatives have included residencies and workshops throughout the United States at institutions such as the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Brandeis University, University of California Berkeley, East Carolina University, Ohio University, Miami University, the University of Georgia, St. Cloud State University, the University of Montana, and Western Michigan University.

Laura Elise Schwendinger, composer of the opera Artemisia (about Artemisia Gentileschi), winner of the 2023 American Academy of Arts Ives Opera award and was the first composer to win the Berlin Prize (1999). Her works have been championed by Dawn Upshaw (1997-2005), Matt Haimovitz, Chameleon Arts Ensemble, Collage New Music, Trinity Novus; and by the Arditti, Spektral, JACK and Amernet Quartets; Jennifer Koh, Janine Jansen, Miranda Cuckson, ICE, Eighth-Blackbird, American Composers Orchestra, Richmond Symphony, Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra of Hungary, and at the Kennedy & Lincoln Centers, Berlin Philharmonic, Wigmore & Carnegie Halls, Miller Theater, Théâtre du Châtelet, Tanglewood, Aspen, Ojai, & Talis Festivals. Her prizes & fellowships include those from the Guggenheim Foundation, Harvard-Radcliffe Institute, ALEA III, American Academy of Arts and Letters (3), Rockefeller Foundation-Bellagio, fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo Colony, Copland House, Bogliasco Foundation, Tyrone Guthrie Center (IRE) and Visby Center (Sweden). She was a League of League of American Orchestras/ New Music USA composer in residence with the Richmond Symphony Orch(2014); and a rare two-time recipient of commissions from the Fromm and Koussevitzky Foundations. She was recently named as the 2025 Abravanel Distinguished Visiting Composer, University of Utah and was the featured composer of the 2025 XXVII New Music Miami ISCM festival. In reviews, her music has been called “captivating, artful and moving”, “music of infinite beauty” (NY Times), “ the genuine article…onto the ’season’s best list “(Boston Globe); Colin Clarke wrote about her JACK CD QUARTETS, “the sheer intensity of the music is spellbinding…the passion shines through like a light.” She was just awarded a the Creative Arts Award ($30,000) for her third opera, about the writer Margaret Fuller, from UW Madison, where she is the head of the music composition program, which will receive its premiere in April 28 2026, at Symphony Space in NY on Cutting Edge Concerts.

Read her full bio on our website!

David Post has studied with some of the leading composers of the twentieth century, including Ralph Shapey and Lukas Foss. His choral, vocal, orchestral and chamber works have been widely performed, broadcast and recorded in the United States and Europe, by a large variety of individuals, groups and artists. He has received commissions from numerous
performers and organizations. His work is recorded on the MMC, Naxos, Centaur and Bridge labels, and his scores are published by Editions Bim, Switzerland (now Editions Marc Reift) and Subito Music Corporation.

For more information, please log onto
davidpostmusic.com and YouTube.

Reinaldo Moya is a graduate of Venezuela’s El Sistema music education system. He is the recipient of the Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, two McKnight Composers’ Fellowships, the Van Lier Fellowship from Meet the Composer and the Aaron Copland Award. He was the inaugural winner of the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation Composer Award. Mr. Moya’s music has been performed by some of the most sought-after musicians, including orchestras, chamber ensembles, vocalists, and opera companies. His recent work I Will Dance, and Dance with You was commissioned by Chiarina Chamber Players in Washington DC and was premiered in March 2025 by Ricardo Morales (Principal clarinetist of the Philadelphia Orchestra), Domenic Salerni (from the Grammy-Award-winning Attacca Quartet) and the artistic directors of Chiarina Efi Hackmey and Carrie Bean Stute. Mr. Moya was the Composer-in-Residence of the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra from 2021-24, and he wrote two works during his residency period: Polo Romanesco (premiered at the Harris Theater for Dance in Chicago in March of 2022), and Rise for cello and orchestra premiered by Joshua Roman in January of 2023.

“I have been delighted to be experiencing the very alien music of Angine de Poitrine. I am excited for alien arrival on earth and look forward to having them as the new leaders of the aesthetic revolution.”

Dr. J. Anthony Allen is a musical renaissance man who’s written music for orchestras, produced chart-topping tracks, and taught electronic music to over a million students globally. This Michigan-born, Minneapolis-based creator founded Slam Academy, and several other education-disrupting companies. With a Ph.D. in Music Composition and multiple awards, Allen’s work spans continents and genres. He’s equally at home writing orchestral scores or crafting Netflix jingles. When not pushing musical boundaries, you might find Allen sailing the Arctic, composing under the midnight sun – because regular adventures aren’t enough for this musical polymath.

Elliott Miles McKinley has had music performed in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Commissions include those from the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Music Society, the SOLI Chamber Music Ensemble, the Martinů String Quartet, and the Janaček Trio. The Minnesota Orchestra, the Warsaw Philharmonic, and the Czech Radio Symphony have performed his orchestral music, and his works have been featured on many international festivals. He is the recipient of a number of awards, grants, and fellowships including those from BMI, ASCAP, SCI, Meet the Composer, the American Music Center, the American Composers Forum, and Indiana University, the Bogliasco Foundation, and the MacDowell Colony. McKinley earned degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music, University of Michigan, and University of Minnesota. He has taught at Indiana University, the University of Tennessee, Washington and Lee University, and is currently Professor of Music Composition, Theory, and Technology at Roger Williams University.

Aidan Cadigan is a composer and trumpet player currently studying composition at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington, where they study under Dr. Jiyoun Chung. Aidan explores the boundaries of genre and convention, seeking to incorporate various styles in their musical lexicon. Aidan has premiered a piece for solo trumpet and piano, (un)stuck (2025), and a setting of Tennison S. Black’s Unruly for solo voice and piano (2026). They are an alum of the 2025 Walden Creative Musicians Retreat in Dublin, New Hampshire, and are honored to be attending Alba Music Festival as part of the 2026 Composition Program.

Demir Ozen (b. October 12, 2005, Turkey) is a composer whose work explores the integration
of contemporary music practices with elements of Turkish cultural heritage. He completed his primary and secondary education at Çakır Schools, where he began his musical training at an early age, studying saxophone and piano.

During his studies at Zeki Muren Fine Arts High School, Ozen discovered a strong interest in composition and pursued focused studies in this field under the guidance of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Armagan Durdag. This period played a significant role in shaping his compositional approach and artistic direction.

Ozen is currently pursuing a degree in Composition at San Diego State University, where he continues his compositional studies with Prof. Dr. Texu Kim. His works often combine contemporary compositional techniques with idioms, modes, and rhythmic characteristics drawn from Turkish musical traditions, reflecting an ongoing interest in cultural dialogue and musical synthesis.

“My roommates and I have a record player in our living room, and my Paul Simon record tends to be our ol’ reliable.”

Kieran Bakunas is an Ohio-based composer and french horn player who explores themes of nature, social justice, and representation. With a focus on environmental activism, he has delivered award winning presentations at multiple interdisciplinary conferences on how nature conservation can become more accessible through its connection to music. Through the Honors Tutorial College at Ohio University, he works one-on-one with faculty members in fields of music theory, composition, and music history; as an ambassador for the School of Music, he assists in the operation of electroacoustic festivals such as CLICK FEST as well as admissions events for the college. Kieran has also worked with professional ensembles such as Unheard-of//Ensemble, and is looking forward to an upcoming premiere with the Hinge Quartet. He also remains an active musician, performing in Ohio University’s Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, and has performed on stage with well-known groups such as the Boston Brass, R.E.M. and the Indigo Girls. He is currently pursuing a Bachelors of Arts in Music with concentrations in music composition and french horn performance at Ohio University.

Cole Davin is a composer and pianist from Fairfield, Connecticut, currently studying at the University of Miami’s prestigious Frost School of Music. With a major in Media Scoring, a minor in Composition, and a concentration in Classical Piano, Cole is deeply committed to merging classical foundations with contemporary scoring techniques. Through a unique blend of media music and traditional composition, Cole strives to craft emotionally resonant and innovative musical landscapes. Whether composing for film, television, or concert settings, his work is characterized by a deep understanding of both musical theory and the power of storytelling through sound.

Follow him @ angytttttt !

Angus Thomson is an up-and-coming composer who is currently attending Music Theory and Composition at Roger Williams University. He has experimented with composition since he was 14, and is currently writing various pieces for a string quartet. This past year he composed works for piano, and a work for solo vibraphone, premiered by Matt Sharrock at the Bristol Art Museum in Rhode Island.