Ryne Siesky

Assistant Professor of Music Technology
Profile image for Ryne Siesky
B.A. in Music (Virginia Commonwealth University)
M.M. in Composition (Ohio University)
D.M.A. in Composition (University of Miami, Frost School of Music)

Composition Samples:
‘pƐ-rI-qƆrt (four sopranos and four pianos)
lips evaporate (double bass and piano)
Art Miniatures (solo piano)

Discography Samples:
RMN Classical: Modern Music for Piano No. 4 | glass, evaporate[d] (three quarter-tuned pianos)
Petrichor Records’ New Music by Living Composers, Series 1, Vol. 6 | …grind… (8.1 fixed media)

Presentations: Guest Seminar: Recent Trends in Composition Calls and Competitions

Recent Awards: Andrew W. Mellon Foundation CREATE Grant Recipient, Ensemble vim Composer Fellowship (Winner), MUSIQA 2021 Emerging Composer Commission (Winner), Ensemble Ibis Composition Competition (2020 winner, 2022 second prize), Robert Avalon International Competition (Two Distinctive Mentions), Ars Electronica Forum Wallis (Special Mention), Sound Silence Thought International Competition (Honorable Mention), & the American Prize (National Finalist)

My favorite part about teaching at Johnson is: The community.

When I’m not teaching, I love to: Compose for musicians and/or electronics, circuit train, play racquetball and dodgeball, drink tea, and advocate for historically excluded communities through equitable and inclusive research.

In my classes, students can expect: To engage with course content through seminar-, perceptual-, and kinesthetic-based activities.

My best advice to a new student in my program is: To take the initiative to doubt the default, consider divergent ideas, and embrace the nuances of challenge and progress.

Because of my influence, I most want my students to become: Able to read, write, and speak intelligently about technology, music, and the world around them.

The myth-busting truth about my discipline I most want people to understand is: Showing up is 90% of the battle. The other 10% is craft and luck.

A quote that influences how I live: “In painting if you hesitate, you become immortal. In music if you hesitate, you are lost.” – Morton Feldman