Young Concert Artist Composer-in-Residence, Alistair Coleman’s recent composition activity has included a concerto for violinist Soovin Kim, a concerto for cellist Zuill Bailey, a sonata for Joseph Alessi, Principal Trombonist of the New York Philharmonic, a work for pianist Amy J. Yang, a cello sonata for Zhu Wang and Tate Zawadiuk, a song cycle for Hyunah Yu commissioned by the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, a work for violin and piano commissioned by Chamber Music Festival of Lexington for violinist Nathan Cole and pianist Alessio Bax, and a vocal work commissioned by Young Concert Artists for bass-baritone Joseph Parrish that premiered at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in February 2024. His string quartet, Moonshot, was premiered by the Abeo Quartet in collaboration with the Glenstone Museum and the Smithsonian Institution. 

As a student at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, PA he has written new works for the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and a solo piece for the 2022 Curtis violin auditions under the guidance of internationally acclaimed violinists Ida Kavafian and Midori. As winner of the 2020 Juilliard Gena Raps Chamber Music Prize, Alistair’s piano trio was premiered at Alice Tully Hall in May 2022. He has also composed solo piano works for Janice Carissa in collaboration with Steinway Spirio. In summer 2022, he was the protégé composer-in-residence at Chamber Music Northwest. 

Following a 2024 summer residency at Chamber Music Northwest featuring the premiere of new bass quintet for Viano Quartet and Nina Bernat, Alistair’s upcoming commissioning projects include a new work commissioned by Young Concert Artists for marimba for Michael Yeung to be premiered at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall, a piano trio commission by Philharmonische Gesellschaft Bremen to celebrate their 200th anniversary that will tour throughout Europe, and an orchestral commission from the New York Youth Symphony to be premiered at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium as a result of his winning the NYYS First Music Prize.

Alistair has collaborated with violinist Alexi Kenney, flutist Tara Helen O’Connor, violist Teng Li, trombonist Carlos Jiménez Fernández, and baritone Randall Scarlata. His music has also been performed by “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Orchestra, National Cathedral Choral Society, and the Washington Master Chorale. He is the composer for Vestibule, a short film directed by Julian Elia (Spielberg’s West Side Story). 

Alistair is winner of three ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards (2020, 2021, 2024), the 2020 Brian Israel Prize from the Society for New Music, and awards from the American Composers Forum, NPR’s From the Top, and the National YoungArts Foundation.

During the summer of 2020, Alistair founded an annual composition mentoring program with NYC’s Opportunity Music Project. In partnership with Carnegie Hall’s PlayUSA, over thirty students receive mentorship on their pieces, engage in weekly seminars taught by Alistair and Njioma Grevious, and hear their pieces workshopped by professional musicians.

Alistair holds a BM from the Curtis Institute of Music and an Undergraduate Diploma from The Juilliard School. At Juilliard, he was recipient of the George Gershwin Scholarship, took academic coursework at Columbia University, and engaged in mentorship with President Emeritus Joseph W. Polisi. He is pursuing an MM at Curtis where his teachers include Richard Danielpour, Nick DiBerardino, Jonathan Bailey Holland, Amy Beth Kirsten, and Steven Mackey. His mentors include Jennifer Higdon and David Serkin Ludwig. 

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YCA represents composer Alistair Coleman for worldwide engagements. Please contact us for more information.