b i o g r a p h y

The music of internationally performed American composer Kirsten Broberg has been programmed by leading artists and organizations around the world including: ensembles such as the Kronos Quartet, International Contemporary Ensemble, New York New Music Ensemble, Jack Quartet, Ensemble Dal Niente, New Millennium Orchestra, Sonic Inertia Dance and Performance Group, University of Minnesota Symphony Orchestra, Third Coast Percussion, flutist Harvey Sollberger with guitarist Paul Bowman, Renegade Ensemble, Northwestern University Contemporary Music Ensemble, Wild and Wulliman duo and the Ai Ensemble; soloists such as Chicago Symphony Orchestra MusicNOW pianist Amy Briggs, pianist Matthew McCright, pianist Mabel Kwan, Eighth Blackbird violinist Matt Albert, violinist J. Austin Wulliman, Ensemble Modern clarinetist Gareth Davis, clarinetist Alejandro Acierto, cellist Isabel Castellvi, percussionist Peter Martin, violinist David Yonan, soprano Carrie Henneman Shaw, soprano Amanda DeBoer and soprano Peyee Chen; conductors such as Michael Lewanski, Francesco Milioto, Ryan Nelson, Yuri Ivan, David Ramael and Emanuele Andrizzi; and at events such as Nuovi Spazi Festival at the American Academy in Rome, Italy, Sonic Fusion Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, International Contemporary Ensemble New York and Chicago ICE Fests, June in Buffalo Festival in New York, Sonic Impact at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Electronic Music Midwest Conference in Chicago, Sound Field New and Experimental Music Festival in Chicago and Opera Cabal Multimedia Festival in Chicago.

Among Kirsten Broberg's awards and grants are the Fromm Foundation Commissioning Grant—a $10,000 award from Harvard University, two Encore Grants from the American Composers Forum, two William T. Faricy Awards at Northwestern University, three Wyatt fund grants from Northwestern University, first place in the Accent '04 International Call for String Quartets at Cincinnati Conservatory, first place in the University of Minnesota Call for Orchestral Scores, National Dean's List, and Piano Performance and Academic Excellence scholarships from Concordia College in Moorhead. Kirsten Broberg's primary composition instructors include Augusta Read Thomas, Jason Eckardt, Jay Alan Yim and Judith Zaimont. She has also worked with Oliver Knussen and Kaija Saariaho in lessons and with Bernard Rands, Tristan Murail and Brian Ferneyhough in masterclass settings. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree and minor in creative writing from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota in 2001; Master of Arts in music composition from the University of Minnesota in 2003; and graduated with honors with a doctorate in music composition at Northwestern University. The article and radio broadcast, "Kirsten Broberg in the Abstract," by Trevor Hunter was released by the American Music Center for their New Music Box and Counterstream Radio "Spotlight Session" in May 2009 and her solo piano piece, "c o n s t e l l a t i o n s," recorded by Matthew McCright, was released by Innova Records in May 2009.

with Ensemble Dal Niente

As a passionate advocate and entrepreneur, Kirsten Broberg founded and is currently the Executive Director of the Chicago-based not-for-profit contemporary music group Ensemble Dal Niente. She was also the Northwestern University Graduate Music Organization from 2005-2008, the Music Composition Chair for the 2005 Midwest Graduate Music Consortium and has served on the Board of Directors for New Music Chicago, the Steering Committee for the Chicago Composers Forum and on the 2006 Northwestern University New Music Marathon planning committee. An accomplished instructor, she has taught undergraduate through graduate level music theory, composition, contemporary music, form and analysis, music history, popular music, jazz music, song writing and music production at institutions such as Northwestern University in Chicago, Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University in Chicago, North Park University in Chicago, Prairie State College in Chicago, the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and to her studio of award-winning private composition and piano students. If you are interested in contacting her about her music, instruction, collaboration or commissioning, please contact her directly.