Philip Schuessler

Recently selected as 2017 Music Teachers National Association Distinguished Composer of the Year, Philip Schuessler explores the intricacies of subtle timbres and delicate dynamics through extended acoustic and electro-acoustic resources. Many world-renowned artists and ensembles such as Yarn/Wire, Hypercube, Mantra Percussion Ensemble, Dither Guitar Quartet, iKtus Percussion, violinist Graeme Jennings, cellist Craig Hultgren, and soprano Tony Arnold have championed his music. He has had works performed at notable venues such as June in Buffalo, the mise-en Festival, Birmingham City Stages Festival, Festival Miami, the Czech-American Summer Music Workshop, CCMIX in Paris, SEAMUS Conferences, ArtSounds in Kansas City, Artomatic in Arlington, Virginia, Electronic Music Midwest, New Music Forum in San Francisco, the School for Designing a Society in Urbana, Illinois, Electroacoustic Juke Joint in Cleveland, Mississippi, and the Spark Festival in Minneapolis. He has also been a participant/resident at the Brush Creek Artist Residency, the MusicX Festival, the Ernst Bloch Music Festival, the Elliott Carter/Oliver Knussen Chamber Music Intensive Workshop at Carnegie Hall, and the Oregon Bach Festival. His electro-acoustic music has been recognized in France by Elektrophonie’s NuitBleue Music Festival, the Futura Festival, and the Bourges Residence. Recent awards also include winning the Duo Fujin Composition Competition, the Cello Loft Commission, and Random Access Music’s call for scores. He is also the recent recipient of a Composers Assistance Program grant from New Music USA. Schuessler received his degrees in composition at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, University of Miami, and Birmingham-Southern College. His teachers have included Charles Mason, Dorothy Hindman Dennis Kam, Keith Kothman, Dan Weymouth, Sheila Silver, Perry Goldstein, and Daria Semegen. He is currently an instructor of music theory and composition at Southeastern Louisiana University, and he is Assistant Director and Co-founder of Versipel New Music. His music is published by Pendula Music, Potenza Music, Murphy Music Press, Alia Music, and SCI Journal of Scores. Recordings of his compositions may be found on the Centaur, Curvepoint Media, Janus, and Capstone labels.