Staff

Shahrzad Talebi

Shahrzad Talebi is a composer, sound artist, and educator from Tehran, Iran. In her work, timbre is the main focus as a means for exploring new soundscapes, color, time, space, and concepts.

Benjamin Shirey

Benjamin Shirey (was CEMI staff from 2013-2016 and is currently serving), a native Texas composer and artist, obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of North Texas under the mentorship of renowned composers like Jon Nelson, David Stout, Cindy McTee, Andrew May, and Panayiotis Kokoras.

His work, from experimental opera to film scores, delves deep into acoustic phenomenology, art teleology, artificial life, and immersive systems. His film contributions, such as “Hustler of Providence” and “The Great Hanging,” have earned significant accolades.

Benjamin Damann

Benjamin Damann is a composer, percussionist, and music technologist. His works — inspired by probability, indeterminacy, improvisation, and the timbral manipulation of acoustic instruments through physical preparation and electroacoustic augmentation — have been performed throughout the United States and Europe.

Reagan Maginn

Reagan Maginn is a Dallas/Fort Worth based concert and media composer whose become known for his keen ability to connect emotionally with audiences, allowing music to be a dwelling place for expression. Reagan writes with the conviction that awe-filled, beautiful music, and the arts in general, have transformative power to touch the hearts and minds of people. His musical language is elegant, with a wealth of fluidity and heart.

Insun Choi

Insun Choi is a composer, conductor, and piano accompanist from South Korea. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in music composition with an emphasis on media composition at the University of North Texas. Her music works have recently been performed by professional ensembles including Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and The Julius Quartet. She is interested in digital electronic music as well as acoustic and orchestral music and is studying how to blend samples of various distinctive timbres into one piece of music.

Connor Scroggins

Connor Scroggins is a composer who is currently seeking a PhD of Music Composition from University of North Texas. He recently completed a Master of Music from Bowling Green State University in 2022 and previously received a Bachelor of Music from Arkansas State University in 2020. He was a finalist for the 2023 ASCAP/SEAMUS Student Commission. At Arkansas State’s Create@State research symposium, he presented on musique concrète instrumentale and won awards for his presentations on spectralism and musical logic. His current research interests include phenomenology and acoustic ecology.

Simon Kaplan

Simon Kaplan (b. 7 Feb. 1993 in Maisons-Laffitte, FR) is a French composer, researcher and pedagogue. He graduated from the Royal Flemish Conservatoire of Brussels (M.A. cum laude in composition, 2022) and the Royal Conservatoire of Mons (M.M. cum laude in compositional didactics, 2023), where he studied in the classes of Peter Swinnen and Claude Ledoux.

Kaplan's music includes solo and chamber pieces and has been premiered internationally by renowned performers, particularly on the European stage and in Japan.

Patrick Reed

Patrick Reed is a native of Dallas Texas, as a composer and educator, he hopes to foster and teach an interest and love for contemporary music to people of all ages. His music style ranges from solo to large ensemble compositions, to works written for beginners and young band ensembles. His works have recently been performed at the International Computer Music Conference(ICMC), Electronic Music Midwest,  New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, SEAMUS, NSEME, and  Society of Composers national and regional conferences.