Austin Engelhardt is a composer, improviser, guitarist, and multimedia artist whose work explores communication, perception, and human connection through sound. Raised in rural Kansas and entering music later in life, he developed an artistic practice shaped by experimentation, abstraction, and a deep curiosity about the social and physical nature of sound. His compositions frequently challenge traditional notation and performance practice, inviting performers into collaborative acts of interpretation and discovery. Drawing equally from improvisation, visual art, and electronic media, Austin’s work seeks to blur the boundaries between sound, space, and interaction.
      Austin has collaborated with a diverse range of performers and ensembles, including Loadbang, Yazhi Guo, Don-Paul Kahl, the Shimmer Quartet, and Xuehui Yu, and has appeared internationally as both a composer and improviser. Recent projects include Woven Sound, a collaboration with the 701 Center for Contemporary Art that transformed human performers into a living sound installation; the release and touring of his album Anti-Solo; and a collaboration with Australian pianist Esmond Choi for the Adventurous Project. As a guitarist and improviser, he has toured extensively across the United States. Performing both as a soloist and as a member of various ensembles, he is also the founder of Turnsōl Tapes and The Grand Slam Quartet. Both are improvisation and experimental arts collectives through which he has released numerous recordings. He publishes graphic and open-form scores through Turnsōl Editions.
      His recent compositions continue to explore dialogue, performer agency, and collective creation. Works such as Book I & II, a collection of graphic scores centered on conversation and perception; Megalith, a vocal work focused on collaborative harmonic construction; and Talk to Each Other for percussion and electronics reflect his ongoing interest in communication and feedback systems within performance.
      His music has been featured at festivals and conferences including the International Computer Music Conference, SoundSCAPE, TURN UP Multimedia Festival, and the Southern Exposure New Music Series. In addition to his creative work, Austin has worked as a concert organizer, audio engineer, and technical director for the concert series Ears Wide Open.
      Austin holds degrees from the University of Missouri–Kansas City and the New England Conservatory. He is currently a Presidential Fellow and Teaching Assistant at the University of South Carolina, where he is pursuing a DMA in composition.