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Composer Commissioning

The ISMTA Composer Commisioning program is a great way for composers who are residents of Illinois to showcase their talent at the state level with their composition being performed at the state conference. Additionally, the selected composer will compete nationally against other state winners for the MTNA Distinguished Composer of the year competition. 

2024 Commissioned Composer
Matt Mason

The Pianist's Guide to Illinois for solo piano
Matt's Biography

Past Commissioned Composers

2019

IVETTE HERRYMAN RODRIGUEZ

"LET'S TALK CUBA "

Solo Piano

2017

DALLIN GULL

"RADIANCE"

Piano, Cello and Violin

2014

AMY JO SAWYER

"1) NEW ORLEANS STOMP
2) REVERIE
3) ESPANA"

Solo Piano

2012

DANIEL KNAGGS

"GENERATIONS"

Flute, Clarinet, Percussion, Piano, Violin and Cello

1981

STANLEY FLETCHER

"FANTASY IN THREE MOVEMENTS"

Solo Piano

2024 Conference

November 1-2, 2024
Millikin University, Decatur, IL
Learn More

Competition

2023 information coming soon.
Learn More

Illinois State Music Teachers Association is an affiliate of Music Teachers National Association

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Matt A. Mason is a composer, pianist, and educator from Lincoln Illinois whose work has been described as brimming with “constellations of pitch and rhythm in a densely complex mesh.” Matt’s work as a composer draws deeply from his rural midwestern background, telling stories about queer visibility, nostalgia, social responsibility, and trauma. Matt’s latest projects explore using the piano as an intermediary device in embodied performances. Matt is currently an Assistant Professor of Musicianship at Roosevelt University in Chicago, and a Ph. D in Music Composition and Theory (University of Iowa). Matt has worked with prestigious ensembles such as the JACK Quartet, Ensemble Dal Niente, Impulse Ensemble, Random Access Music, Hypercube, The Center for New Music, Out of the Box, and has participated in celebrated international projects such as 250 Piano Pieces for Beethoven, Songs from the Levant, Dances for Water, and Moments in this Time. Matt is the founder, artistic director, and pianist of the New Third Space Ensemble.