2025-2026 Pianist in Residence & Composer Commissions: In Progress
Our 2025–2026 Composer Commissions are in full swing! Our composers are hard at work on new pieces, set to premiere next year. As anticipation builds, we’ve invited them to share insights into their music and inspiration through words and images.
We’re thrilled to begin with composer Wynn-Anne Rossi and her piece Alien Landscapes: Six Adventures in Color and Texture.
Wynn-Anne Rossi
Wynn-Anne Rossi is an American composer with vibrant educational outreach. She has respect for all genres of music, and her diversity of experience and love of discovery reflect in her expressions as a composer and presenter. She has over 150 piano publications with original repertoire ranging from vocal and chamber groups to concert band and orchestra. Wynn-Anne resides in Wayzata, MN where regional wildlife and 10,000 lakes continue to inspire new music.
Tassali n'Ajjer, Algeria
Socotra, Yemen
Pamukkale, Türkiye
In her words:
“Curiosity is at the root of most new works. These Alien Landscapes are the result of harmonic curiosity mixed with my particular love of science fiction. Each of the six short movements is a window into a new world, communicating a mood, an energy, a landscape. I’ve always been intrigued by the use of quartal/quintal harmonies and their interactions with the sounds of jazz. Mix in the tritone and these thin, open sounds dramatically change, compelling music to move in new, unexpected directions. Originally, these pieces were accompanied by short, colorful descriptions which painted scenes of alien worlds. However, I decided to omit this imagery. It is a joyful task to enter the imagination as these musical visions unfold in real time. Once a composition is complete, the journey becomes the listener’s, not mine.”
Next, we present Aaryn S. Ricucci-Hill and their work, …and long was the discontent.
Aaryn S. Ricucci-Hill
Aaryn S. Ricucci-Hill (b. 1992) hails from Troy, MO and is based in Kansas City, MO. Ricucci-Hill has worked with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, saxophonists Don-Paul Kahl and Nick May, the I Exist Project, the Plaza Winds, and Longy. Ricucci-Hill’s music was featured at Zodiac Music Festival (2016), Oregon Bach Festival (2018), and was an ASCAP honoree (2021). They currently serve as VP of the Festival for Creative Pianists and their publishing arm, Abundant Silence (2022-present). They graduated from the Conservatory of Music and Dance, UMKC (B.M and M.M in Composition (2018, 22’)).
In their words:
“A lot of the inspiration for this piece comes from the pervasive tension and listlessness in the air as we are caught in the tides of uncertainty. From uncertainty springs the need for order - stalwart action. Direction. Consolidation of purpose before the hand uplifts, the fist extends, the people strike.”
We hope you enjoyed this glimpse into the creative process—one of the most exciting parts of commissioning a new piece from a living composer!
If this preview has sparked your curiosity, you can take part in the commissioning process yourself. We invite you to support this initiative by contributing to our fundraising campaign. Every gift, no matter the size, helps us champion living composers.
Thank you for celebrating new music with us!
Up next: The Insights of Our Pianist-in-Residence and the Collaborative Commissioning of a New Work from Che Buford.