Welcome to the Composition Department!
By any measure, the composition department at IU consistently ranks among the top institutions of its kind in the world. The faculty is thoroughly committed to providing the best environment, stimulation, training and opportunities for young composers, acting individually as teachers and mentors and together as a department. The number of students in the department averages around fifty, split fairly evenly between graduate and undergraduate students; all receive weekly private lessons with the artist faculty.
IU composition students have been outstandingly successful, winning recognition in competitions, receiving significant commissions and performances, and finding placement in the academic and professional world when they complete their studies. Our students are also quite diverse in many ways and display a high regard for the interests, ideas, and creations of their student colleagues, an attitude that is strongly supported by the philosophy and structure of the composition department.
New offerings in Music Scoring for Visual Media: In 2017, noted film score composer Larry Groupé joined our faculty. He is teaching and coordinating a number of exciting courses and projects for both undergraduate and graduate students. Scoring minors are available to both undergraduate and graduate students. Starting in fall 2019 we will be offering a MM in Music Scoring for Visual Media as well as certificates at the undergraduate and graduate levels for degree and non-degree students.
I believe that the more you can learn about the composition department at Indiana, the more you will appreciate why we believe this is the best place for young composers to discover and develop their potential.
PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS: Please read our frequently asked questions and sample music by our students and faculty. I also encourage you to contact the coordinator of music composition with any other questions you might have about the study of composition at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Additionally, feel free to write to Professor Don Freund if you are applying for the BM, Professor Aaron Travers if applying for MM or DM, or Professor Larry Groupé if applying for a music scoring degree, certificate or minor.
Sincerely,
David Dzubay
Chair, Composition Department
Director, New Music Ensemble
Please click the button below to make a gift to the Sven-David Sandström Composition Scholarship. This scholarship, in his honor, provides important financial aid for IU Jacobs School of Music students in the Composition Department.
Listen to works by IU Composers on Youtube!
2015 DM graduate Texu Kim's Lotus Voice
Georgina Joshi Composition Commission Award
IU New Music Ensemble, February 4, 2016