About the CCCC

In its sixth decade of presenting contemporary music, beginning with the Contemporary Chamber Players under Ralph Shapey in 1964 and continuing as Contempo in 2002 under Shulamit Ran and in 2015 under Marta Ptaszyńska, the University of Chicago started a new chapter with the Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition in 2018.

The Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition at the University of Chicago is a dynamic, collaborative, and interdisciplinary environment for the creation, performance, and study of new music and for the advancement of the careers of emerging and established composers, performers, and scholars. The CCCC is distinguished by its formation within an uncompromising, relentlessly searching, and ceaselessly innovative scholarly environment that celebrates excellence and presents new possibilities for intellectual dialogue.

The Center brings exemplary professional and student composers and artists together to collaborate and share their talents by creating and presenting innovative works that will shape the future of contemporary music. The CCCC is home to the resident Grossman Ensemble, a supergroup of Chicago’s contemporary music specialists with a creative rehearsal process focused on the interaction between composers, musicians, and conductors.

Audiences experience new contemporary works throughout the CCCC’s annual concert series featuring over 40 world premieres each season. The series includes performances by the Grossman Ensemble, guest artists, and the Department of Music’s ensemble-in-residence, with concerts planned and produced by graduate student composers, and the annual festival from the CHIME Studio. The CCCC partners with UChicago Presents to offer a contemporary series subscription.

Signature offerings of the CCCC are the annual appointments of a Distinguished Guest Composer and a Postdoctoral Researcher in composition. The Distinguished Guest Composer position offers a residency ranging between three months and a full year to work with the Center’s musicians and scholars. The Postdoctoral Researcher at the rank of Instructor in the Division of the Humanities is a yearlong position with opportunities to instruct undergraduate courses, provide lessons, and compose works for the Grossman Ensemble and guest artists.