The Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University will welcome Katherine Balch to its composition faculty for the Spring 2022 semester.
Called “spellbinding” by Seen and Heard International, the music of composer Katherine Balch captures the magic of everyday sounds, inviting audiences into a sonic world characterized by imagination, discovery, and stylistic variety. Often inspired by literature, nature, and science, her work has been commissioned and performed by leading ensembles including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the London Sinfonietta, Ensemble Intercontemporain, and the symphony orchestras of Minnesota, Oregon, Albany, Indianapolis, and Tokyo. She has been featured on IRCAM’s ManiFeste, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, and Festival MANCA in Europe, Suntory Summer Arts and Takefu Music Festival in Japan, and the Aspen, Norfolk, Santa Fe, and Tanglewood music festivals in the United States. Upcoming projects include new works for Ensemble Modern and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
Balch is the recipient of the 2020-21 Elliot Carter Rome Prize Fellowship. She recently completed her tenure as composer-in-residence for the California Symphony, and held the 2017-2019 William B. Butz Composition Chair at Young Concert Artists, Inc. Currently a doctoral candidate at Columbia University, Katherine has served on the faculties of Mannes School of Music, the Walden School, and Bard College Conservatory Prep.
