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.

Since 2017, the Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition has provided composers in the early stages of their careers with the opportunity to join the dynamic, collaborative, and interdisciplinary environment for the creation, performance, and study of new music at the University of Chicago.

Through the Postdoctoral Researcher program, we have had the honor of supporting six exemplary composers, who continue to flourish in their careers:
 

2022-2023 -  Ania Vu 
2021-2022 - Felipe Tovar-Henao
2020-2021 - Dongryul Lee
2019-2020 - Ashkan Behzadi
2018-2019 - Tonia Ko
2017-2018 - Aaron Helgeson

The CHIME Studio (Chicago Integrated Media Experimental Studio) is a vibrant hub for the fusion of computer music, composition, and multimedia practices at the University of Chicago. Information on CHIME projects, courses, and events can be found on the CHIME Studio website.

CHIME is comprised of three studios: Studio A (Production and Spatial Audio Lab), Studio B (Production and Synthesis Lab), and Studio C (Equipment Checkout Room). Studio A supports projects in production, recording, and spatial audio. This studio hosts a twelve-channel Genelec speaker array, and features a Mac Studio computer running Reaper, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, SuperCollider, and Max/MSP. It also has high-quality production plug-ins, such as ValhallaDSP reverbs, FabFilter mastering software, and more. Studio B is a lab for music production and modular synthesis. It features a four-channel JBL speaker system and an extensive Eurorack modular synthesis system. Both studios are acoustically treated, capable of supporting projects in recording, and run on the latest RME audio interfaces. When working in CHIME, students have access to a number of high-quality microphones by brands such as Sennheiser, Neumann, Shure, DPA, and AKG. 

In addition to our studio spaces, CHIME regularly produces concerts, such as its yearly electroacoustic music festival, CHIMEFest, and engages in collaborative projects with artists from across disciplines, both on campus and across the city of Chicago. The studio frequently supports off-site performances and recordings with our equipment checkout room located in Studio C, which hosts a variety of audio/visual equipment for live performances, as well as a soldering station for repairs and work with DIY electronics. In addition to this, students have access to equipment and facilities at the Logan Media Center, located on the bottom floor of the Logan Center for the Arts.