Composer Ingrid Stölzel (b.1971) has been described as having “a gift for melody” (San Francisco Classical Voice) and creating work that is “richly introspective” (BBC Music Magazine) and “downright beautiful” (American Record Guide). Equally at home writing for orchestra, choir, wind ensemble and chamber ensembles, her exquisitely crafted compositions are united in the belief that music can create profound emotional connections with the listener.
A melodist at heart, Stölzel’s compositions have been commissioned and performed by leading ensembles and soloists across the globe, including the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, American Wild Ensemble, Volti San Francisco, NAVO, Boston New Music Initiative, Juventas New Music Ensemble, New Morse Code, pianists Eunmi Ko, Yi-Yang Chen and Van Cliburn Gold Medalist Stanislav Ioudenitch, to name a few. Her works have been performed in some of the world’s most revered concert halls and festivals, including Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Kennedy Center, Seoul Arts Center, Thailand International Composition Festival, Beijing Modern Music Festival (China), Vox Feminae Festival (Israel), Dot the Line Festival (South Korea), Ritornello Chamber Music Festival (Canada), and many festivals in the United States such as the Festival of New Music at Florida State, Festival of New American Music, Bowling Green State University New Music Festival, and SoundOn Festival of Modern Music.
Stölzel is the recipient of numerous international composition prizes, among them recently the Winds Composition Contest Saxony, Accademia Musica Arte Teatro Competition, the Suzanne and Lee Ettelson Composer’s Award, Red Note Composition Competition, the Robert Avalon International Competition for Composers, and the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra Competition. Her music has received support from New Music USA, National Endowment for the Arts, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Meet the Composer, and Women’s Philharmonic.
Her discography is extensive and includes a monograph album entitled “The Gorgeous Nothings,” which was selected as AllMusic 2018 Favorite Classical Vocal Album and Apple’s Classical Music – A list, a list that features editor selections of the best new recordings from across the genre.
Stölzel was born and raised in Germany and moved to the United States in 1991. She holds a DMA in composition from the University of Missouri, Conservatory of Music and Dance in Kansas City and a Master of Music in Composition from the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, CT. Stölzel is Associate Professor of Composition at the University of Kansas School of Music. Before joining the University of Kansas School of Music, she served as Director of the International Center for Music at Park University.
For more information please check out her website www.ingridstolzel.com