Area of Study: Composition

Composition at YSM

With an internationally acclaimed faculty and diverse performance opportunities across the Yale campus, the composition program at the School of Music attracts students from around the world. 

Composition students’ pieces are showcased frequently by fellow YSM students in recitals, in chamber groups on the New Music New Haven series, in orchestral performances by the Yale Philharmonia, in interdisciplinary settings at Yale's Center for Collaborative Arts and Media, and beyond. Distinguished guest composers visit the School regularly to meet with students in the composition seminar. 

In recent years, School of Music alumni have won Pulitzer Prizes and Grammy and Grawemeyer awards, and have served as composers-in-residence with a variety of orchestras, festivals, and other organizations. 

Faculty Spotlight

Chris Theofanidis
Professor in the Practice of Composition

Christopher Theofanidis

Faculty composer Christopher Theofanidis’s works have been programmed by celebrated orchestras, operas, and ballet companies.

Degrees + Programs

Master of Music

The two-year master of music (M.M.) degree program is open to students who hold a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in any major.

Master of Musical Arts

The performance-oriented master of musical arts (M.M.A.) program is designed for students who want to further their education beyond an M.M. degree.

Doctor of Musical Arts

The intensive doctor of musical arts (D.M.A) program is comprised of a two-year residency followed by a three-year period in which candidates launch their professional careers.

Composition seminars

2022-2023 dates to be announced

Composition Faculty
Katherine Balch

Katherine Balch

Visiting Assistant Professor, Adjunct, of Composition , Yale School of Music
Martin Bresnick

Martin Bresnick

Charles T. Wilson Professor in the Practice of Composition, Yale School of Music
Director, New Music Workshop, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival
Aaron Jay Kernis

Aaron Jay Kernis

Professor Adjunct of Composition, Yale School of Music
Artistic Director, New Music New Haven, Yale School of Music
David Lang

David Lang

Professor Adjunct of Composition, Yale School of Music
Christopher Theofanidis

Christopher Theofanidis

Professor in the Practice of Composition, Yale School of Music
Coordinator of Composition Studies, Yale School of Music
Perform at Yale
At the Yale School of Music, there are numerous opportunities to perform in the School’s historic concert halls and throughout New Haven.
… [the Yale composition department] is constantly engaged with the world ...
Krists Auznieks, composition, ’16MM ’23DMA