AUSTIN ENGELHARDT
CV last updated June 18, 2025
Hidemi Akaiwa & Austin Engelhardt premiering their collaborative work Gutai
Artist Statement:
I prioritize the aesthetic nature of sound and continuously endeavor to redefine how I communicate musical expression. As a composer, I integrate multimedia components and improvisational elements into my compositions, aiming to elicit perceptual shifts in the musicians who interpret them. Within my musical compositions the score assumes the role of a living entity, functioning as an additional collaborator with whom one engages and comprehends differently with each performance. Consequently, my compositions draw extensively from the visual realm and the abstract. I wholeheartedly embrace the ideas of experimentation and imperfection, with the goal of imbuing each work with the distinct musical identity of its performer. Composition is a dynamic art form that requires a commitment to representing our evolving humanity through each musical experience.
TV-MA, a graphic duet, being performed by Honor Hickmanand Corinne Foley
Dead Trees being premiered by The Shimmer Quartet
Biography:
Austin Engelhardt is a composer and improviser whose work is dedicated to challenging and reshaping communication through music. Raised in rural Kansas, Austin entered the musical world later in life, only learning to read music at the age of 20. This late start did not hinder his passion; rather, it fueled a relentless ambition to redefine and expand musical notation. His artistic vision—deeply influenced by the aesthetic nature of sound—draws inspiration from the abstract, always aiming to deepen the performer’s connection with the piece during performance. With each new composition, Austin strives to challenge himself and reshape his understanding of the sonic world. For him, composition offers both the composer and the performer an opportunity for self-discovery.
In recent years, Austin has collaborated with a wide range of musicians and ensembles, including The Shimmer Quartet, the Loadbang Ensemble, saxophonist Don-Paul Kahl, suona virtuoso Yazhi Guo, and pianist Aron Kallay. As an improviser and electronics operator, he has participated in numerous notable performances, such as the premiere of DESMANDRE, a six-hour improvisational epic by Lautaro Mantilla; a series of concerts with pianist Hidemi Akaiwa featuring their collaborative work Gutai; and performances with the Callithumpian Consort at the TENOR International Conference on Technologies for Music Notation and Representation. His works have recently been featured at events such as the SoundSCAPE Composition and Performance Exchange, the Southern Exposure New Music Series, TURN UP Multimedia Festival, and the International Computer Music Conference. He is the founding member of Turnsōl Tapes, a collective dedicated to improvisation and experimentation, and has released three albums with the group. Other recent album releases Ocean Noise and Trio MAnic.
Austin’s recent works showcase his innovative approach to music. Book I & II, a collection of 48 graphic scores, explores the concept of conversation and personal perception in practice. Megalith, a vocal quintet for five voices of any type, focuses on ensemble communication through the collaborative construction of vocal harmonies. The percussion and electronics piece Talk to Each Other centers on the idea of creating dialogue through feedback. His work has been featured in IM-OS, a journal focused on improvised music and open scores in various forms, including prose, graphic, and action notations. Several of his scores are published through Turnsōl Editions.
Austin has served as a Teaching Assistant at the New England Conservatory, contributing to both the Composition, Theory Department, the Avant-Garde Ensemble. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri–Kansas City and a master’s degree from the New England Conservatory. His teachers have included John Mallia, Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Paul Rudy, Yotam Haber, and Michael Miller. He is currently pursuing his DMA at the University of South Carolina.