Penn State Composition & Technology

A few weeks ago, The JANO Duo (Naomi Siedman-Flute and Johnathan Dexter-Cello) participated in a recording along with many of the other music faculty for new music. This project is meant to provide professional recordings for new works that may not be discovered yet. The piece is titled Sylvan Sketches by Cherise D. Leiter. Special thanks to all of the sound engineers, Paul Coleman, Evan O’Dell, Zach McKee, and Gabe Gekoskie, and producer and Penn State Flute Studio’s very own, Jordan Toliver. .

Calling all Young Composers! Penn State Young Composers Institute registration is now open! The deadline to register is August 11, 2026. Click the link in the comments for details.

Check out some past works of YCI students!
Check that out here: https://sites.psu.edu/pennstatecomposition/young-composers-institute-sample-works/

Last week we had the great fortune of hosting guest composer Scott Wollschleger for composition seminar, lessons, and the Other Arts Ensemble concert!

We heard two of his beautiful works performed by Other Arts Ensemble and were treated to an intimate performance of his solo percussion work "I is Not Me"performed by Other Arts director Kevin Sims in composition seminar.

What a way to end the semester!!!

Penn State School of Music

Negar Gharibi (MM '26)!!!

Negar Gharibi was accepted to the SPLICE Institute 2026. During this week long festival, she will participate in workshops and concerts focused on new music, electronics, and emerging technologies. She is also collaborating with a pianist on a new work for amplified piano and electronics, which will be premiered at the festival.

About Negar:
Negar Gharibi is a composer whose work explores texture, color, and the emotional traces left behind by lived experience. She draws on the rhythmic and timbral nuances of Iranian musical practice and experiments with acoustic and electronic media. Her music has been performed globally by artists and ensembles, including the Penn State Percussion Ensemble, Ensemble Metis (Mario Caroli and Martyna Kosecka) at the Nice International Music Festival in France, and the Mivos Quartet at the MDW University in Vienna. She is currently pursuing the Master’s degree in Music Composition and Theory at Penn State University where she studies with Baljinder Sekhon and Paul Coleman. Beginning fall 2026, she will be pursuing the DMA in Music Composition at Cornell University.

Paul Coleman!

Today in Brooklyn!

Ensemble Signal performs Michael Gordon’s “Trance” at the Bang On a Can Long Play Festival!

Penn State Assistant Professor of Composition and Audio Arts, Paul Coleman, serving as Sound Director! 🎉

Penn State School of Music

Evan O'Dell (MM '27)!!!

Evan was named a winner of the Vox Novus Fifteen Minutes of Fame call for works featuring Baritone Violin and Clavichord for Alisa Rose and Monica Chew. Rose and Chew will perform Evan's composition "Staircase that wasn't there before" in a virtual performance of selected works on May 9, 2026 at 5pm EDT.

About Evan:
Evan O’Dell (he/they, b. 2001), is a composer and sound artist from Atlanta, Georgia. Their music can be characterized by its evocative imagery which uses process and color to explore imaginary worlds and fluid states of being. O’Dell’s pieces have been featured in performances across the United States and Europe including notable collaborations with BlackBox Ensemble, Contemporary Arts-Music Project, and presentations at the 2025 International Tuba-Euphonium Conference (ITEC). They are currently pursuing a Master’s in Composition at Penn State University. In addition to music they enjoy hiking trails, reading, and cats.