Chicago Philharmonic Selects Three Composers for Inaugural Residency Program

The organization's first Composer in Residence program, designed for composers of color, aims to promote diversity, inclusion, and equity in the classical music industry

Three composers of color were chosen to participate in the Chicago Philharmonic's Composer in Residence program, a 3-year residency with a cumulative award of $2,500 per candidate. Each composer will present a newly composed chamber work and a newly composed symphonic work during the Residence program.

The program was open to American composers between the ages of 20-40 as of March 31, 2021. 27 applicants representing 13 states were considered for the residency.

This year's selected candidates were 32-year-old Jonathan Bingham, 36-year-old Reinaldo Moya, and 29-year-old Marcus Norris.

A graduate of Howard University and New York University, Bingham is known for his compositions in film and advertisements, using electronic and acoustic instrumentation in his works.

A protege of Samuel Adler and Robert Beaser at the Juilliard School, Moya's music has been performed internationally in various conservatories and music festivals. A former teacher at Interlochen Arts Camp, he currently serves as Assistant Professor of Composition at Augsburg University in Minneapolis.

Currently a Ph.D. candidate at UCLA, Norris was previously chosen for the LA Philharmonic’s National Composers Intensive and was awarded 1st Prize in the Southeastern Composers League Competition in 2017.