Composition

Mannes School of Music brings together two distinct histories: one deeply experimental, the other rooted in the classical tradition. The result is the only institution that can boast the likes of Steve Reich, Bohuslav Martinů, John Cage, and Henry Cowell among its former faculty, and icons such as Ursula Mamlok, Charlemagne Palestine, Shulamit Ran, Burt Bacharach, Johanna Beyer, George Rochberg, Ruth Crawford Seeger, Susie Ibarra, and Bill Evans among its former students.

Rooted in classical excellence and driven by a spirit of fearless experimentation, Mannes School of Music prepares you to become a thoughtful, versatile artist for a rapidly evolving musical world.

Mannes Composition occupies a unique place in today's musical ecosystem, reaching across genre, style, and approach. Embracing both experimentalism and traditional technique, the program is designed to help you find your artistic voice and communicate your ideas with clarity, confidence, and vision as you prepare to navigate an evolving professional landscape.

At Mannes, you develop your creative voice while cultivating mastery of your craft, resulting in artistry that is precise, powerful, and resonant. Guided by world-renowned faculty and supported by Parsons' programs in art, design, and media, you become part of a one-of-a-kind creative community with opportunities to collaborate across performance, composition, technology, and entrepreneurship. In this vibrant and supportive environment, you are prepared to thrive as a bold, versatile, and empowered creative professional.

Under the guidance of leading composers and performers, you refine your compositional craft, discover your unique artistic identity, and chart your own path as an artist. Studying in New York City, you build lasting connections with emerging performers who are actively shaping and championing the music of tomorrow.

Mannes Composition's world-class faculty includes internationally renowned working composers Andy Akiho, Timo Andres, Christopher Cerrone, Robert Cuckson, Nathan Davis, Mary Kouyoumdjian, Joan La Barbara, Lowell Liebermann, David T. Little, David Loeb, Arturo O'Farrill, Huang Ruo, Kamala Sankaram, Nina Shekhar, and Alyssa Weinberg. The department is committed to boundary-breaking work rooted in mastery of craft, boundless possibility, and a collaborative spirit. Faculty members have received honors including the Pulitzer Prize, the Rome Prize, GRAMMY® Awards, Guggenheim Fellowships, the Elise L. Stoeger Prize, and the Fromm Commission, as well as commissions from organizations such as the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Kronos Quartet, Opera Philadelphia, and the Royal Ballet (UK), among many others.

With New York City as your classroom, you'll receive weekly private lessons with renowned faculty and participate in weekly Composer Forum meetings featuring presentations by members of the Mannes community and distinguished guest artists.* You can take part in seven annual Composers Concerts, as well as workshops and performances with the Mannes Orchestra, MACE (our in-house new music ensemble), and resident ensembles including JACK Quartet, Sandbox Percussion, and The Westerlies. Through Composer-Performer pairing courses, you also collaborate directly with fellow musicians from the moment you arrive on campus.

As an undergraduate in the Bachelor of Music program, you combine rigorous conservatory training with complementary studies across disciplines. Entrepreneurship courses help you build the tools to create your own opportunities as an artist, while liberal arts electives at Lang and design electives at Parsons expand the ways you can engage with the world through your work. Through the Music for Collaborative Media minor, you can also focus on scoring for film, television, and multimedia environments.

As a graduate student in the Master of Music program, you participate in an elite two-year course of study focused on advancing every aspect of your musical and compositional development. You may also choose to explore your practice as a hybrid artist in the distinctive Master of Music Composer-Performer program.

The breadth of opportunities available at Mannes prepares you for a wide range of careers as a professional artist.

*Recent Composition Forum guests have included Pulitzer Prize-winning composers Tania León, Anthony Davis, Du Yun, Gabriela Lena Frank, Ellen Reid, Kevin Puts, Melinda Wagner, and Raven Chacon; composers Missy Mazzoli, Nico Muhly, Jessie Montgomery, Mason Bates, Michael Gordon, and Jeanine Tesori; playwright and librettist David Henry Hwang; flutist Claire Chase; and leading new music organizations Sandbox Percussion and NOW Ensemble.