Alarm Will Sound has premiered over 40 new works and arrangements that take advantage of the orchestral color of our instrumentation and the rhythmic agility of a chamber ensemble. We have commissioned works by established composers such as John Adams, Michael Gordon, David Lang, Wolfgang Rihm, and Augusta Read Thomas; by young and emerging composers such as Oscar Bianchi, Donnacha Dennehy, Aleksandra Gryka, and David T. Little; and by Alarm Will Sound members Caleb Burhans, Miles Brown, Gavin Chuck, Dennis DeSantis, Stefan Freund, Payton MacDonald, Matt Marks, and John Orfe.

As Artists-in-Residence at the annual Mizzou New Music Summer Festival, we premiere eight works written specifically for Alarm Will Sound by the newest generation of composers. And we regularly do readings of student works at schools such as University of California at Davis, Duke University, Harvard University, MIT, and NYU.

We play numerous arrangements of music originally made as electronica or created in genres not conventionally associated with classical music. These include music by Aphex Twin, Autechre, The Beatles, Ben Frost, David Longstreth, Mochipet, The Shaggs, and Preshish Moments.

Gavin Chuck

A native of Jamaica, Gavin grew up in a very musical culture and was exposed to a variety of music from a young age. Gavin sang in the boys’ choir and pursued classical piano, but was also surrounded with reggae and Jamaican folk music on a daily basis.

It wasn’t until he came to the US for a two-year stint at an international school in New Mexico that Gavin fully realized his affinity for music. He originally intended to pursue a career in computer science, but an assignment to write a piece of music sparked his interest and eventually led him to pursue multiple degrees in music theory and composition.

Gavin puts most of his creative energy these days into his work as Managing Director of Alarm Will Sound fueled by his passion to create a cultural space for contemporary music and living composers. But he also makes time for an occasional Scrabble game—only the real deal, though, none of these knock-offs like Words With Friends! He makes a tough competitor having memorized all the 2-letter words.

Read articles by our members, get behind-the-scenes reports about our projects, and share your thoughts at Alarmists, our blog.

David Biedenbender’s Schism

This is our world premiere performance at the Mizzou New Music Summer Festival in 2011.