Led by Pulitzer Prize winner and MacArthur Fellow Julia Wolfe, Music Composition at NYU Steinhardt teems with possibilities. Whether you are writing for acoustic instruments, voice, or interactive media, you will realize your vision in the company of dynamic peers, high-level performers, and world-class faculty. Collaborating creatively with performers, video artists, choreographers, visual artists, and studio engineers, you will acquire tools that will empower you to take risks and the skills required to succeed after graduation.
Degrees In This Program
Bachelor of Music
Music Theory and Composition: Concert Music
Located in the heart of New York City, composers come to NYU from far and wide to be a part of the city's vibrant artistic life. NYU’s Music Composition community offers a creative, openminded, supportive environment in which to make new work.
Master of Music
Music Theory and Composition: Concert Music
New York City is the place to be! NYU has spawned numerous composer collectives, ensembles, record labels, festivals and more. Join a community of supportive peers to develop your unique compositional voice and chart your career. One on one contact with leading composers in the field will help realize your vision.
Doctor of Philosophy
Music Performance and Composition: Composers
Create a highly personalized program as you refine your compositional voice to write large-scale works and embark on significant research for in-depth study and writing.
Related Programs
Screen Scoring
Learn to write music for today’s media industry through rigorous course work, collaborations with schools throughout NYU, and recording opportunities.
Songwriting
NYU Steinhardt Songwriting helps you become the best songwriter you can be, in the genres, styles, and approaches you define.
Jackson A. Waters
Reminder of Silenced Tragedy
Jackson A. Waters' (BM`24) orchestral symphony Defending Greenwood was written in dedication to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Inspired by history passed down from his mother, Jackson wants to shed light on tragedies ignored by his childhood curriculum. NYU Orchestra debuted the third movement of his piece in 2024 at the Skirball Center.
News and Events
James Dashow and Anna Silvia Bombi Dashow Establish Endowment at NYU Steinhardt to Support Mid- and Late-Career Composers
The endowment will support multiple initiatives, including the creation of the James Dashow Archive and a commissioning program for new works from experienced composers.
NYU Steinhardt’s Julia Wolfe Named NYU University Professor
Composer, MacArthur Fellow, and Pulitzer Prize winner honored for her pathbreaking work as a practicing artist conducting powerful historical research.
Jackson A. Waters Wins National Cabrillo Festival Prize
Jackson A. Waters (MM ’25), has been named the 2025 recipient of the Emerging Black Composer Project (EBCP) Cabrillo Festival Prize by the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music.
Honstein Recognized by Fromm Music Foundation
Robert Honstein, Director of Concert Composition at NYU Steinhardt, has been named a 2025 commission recipient by the Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard University, one of the most respected supporters of new concert music in the U.S.
Julia Wolfe Awarded Two International Residencies for 2025–2026 Season
Wolfe—an influential composer, Pulitzer winner, and NYU Steinhardt professor and artistic director—will be honored in England and Belgium.
Questions
For more information, please contact mpap-concertmusic@nyu.edu