Nurturing the Creation of New Choral Music

Solaris Vocal Ensemble is dedicated to bringing new and meaningful choral music to life. Through our Composer-in-Residence (CiR) Program, we invite a talented composer each season to collaborate closely with our ensemble, creating original works that reflect both artistic excellence and the spirit of community that defines Solaris.

We are pleased to announce our Composer-in-Residence program — a unique opportunity for a composer to work in close collaboration with our ensemble, will be guided by the creative leadership of Dr. James Stewart as mentor to our upcoming composers.

Joseph Rubinstein, 2026-2027 Composer-in-Residence

Joseph N. Rubinstein grew up in Newport News, VA and lives in New York City. Joseph’s work emphasizes vocal composition, and is often inspired by American life and history, explorations of identity, and the natural world. Organizations that have presented his music include the New York Festival of Song, Fort Worth Opera Festival, Seagle Music Festival, Renee Fleming’s SongStudio at Carnegie Hall, and students and faculty at a number of universities. He has received grants and awards from organizations including Opera America, the Institute for Choral Creativity, and The Young New Yorkers Chorus, and has been commissioned by Essential Voices USA and The Juilliard School, among others.

A frequent collaborator with poets, writers, and singers, he is an alumnus of American Opera Projects’ Composers & The Voice program, New Dramatists’ Composer-Librettist Studio, and the Pacific Chorale’s Choral Sketches program. He studied music at Columbia University and The Juilliard School.

Sam Wu, 2026-2027 Composer-in-Residence

Sam Wu’s music “abounds in delicate colours, wisps of sound and sylvan textures” (Gramophone). Many of his works center around extra-musical themes: architecture and urban planning, climate science, and the search for exoplanets that harbor life.

Invited to residencies at Zion National Park and the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, winner of an ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award and the New York Youth Symphony’s Jon Deak First Music Commission, Sam Wu also received Harvard’s Robert Levin Prize and Juilliard’s Palmer Dixon Prize.

Sam’s collaborations span five continents: the orchestras of Philadelphia, Minnesota, Columbus, Melbourne, Tasmania, and Shanghai, Carnegie Hall, New York City Ballet, Sydney International Piano Competition, the Lontano, Parker, Argus, ETHEL, and icarus Quartets, conductors Osmo Vänskä, Marin Alsop, Cristian Mǎcelaru, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya, and sheng virtuoso Wu Wei.

From Melbourne, Australia, Sam holds degrees from Harvard, Juilliard, and Rice. His mentors include Tan Dun, Gabriela Lena Frank, Scott Yoo, and Anthony Brandt.

Dr. James Stewart, Composer-in-Residence Mentor

Dr. James Stewart is a versatile and accomplished composer/arranger whose catalog spans original works, creative settings of poetry and text, and inventive arrangements for choir, instrumental ensemble, and voice. On his website, he shares a rich variety of compositions including:

• A setting of Emily Dickinson’s The Brain Is Wider Than the Sky for SATB choir, piano and cello, which Solaris performed in our April 2022 Delightful Pairings concert .

• A newly-created arrangement of May the Circle Be Unbroken, premiered in October 2023 by over a hundred singers.

• Creative re-imaginings of carols such as Hark the Herald Angels Sing and O Come, O Come Emmanuel for SATB choir with unique accompaniment, recorded on the Christmas with Solaris CD.

Click here to listen to his 2025 arrangements of I Wonder as I Wander, and commission, Shine On! performed in December 2025.

Click here to listen to his 2026 jazzy arrangements of Blue Skies and Someone to Watch Over Me, performed in April 2026 by Solaris.

With his experience and visionary approach, James will serve as mentor and advisor to the next Composer-in-Residence—ensuring the commissioned works not only reach high artistic standards, but also reflect the expressive voice and mission of our ensemble. Click here to visit James’ web site and hear many of his commissions performed by Solaris.

The Composer-in-Residence program is designed to support and celebrate the art of choral composition, offering composers a rare opportunity to work directly with an accomplished vocal ensemble.

A Creative Partnership

This program offers more than a commission — it’s a collaborative artistic experience that connects composers, singers, and audiences in the shared joy of creating something new. Solaris provides a supportive, professional environment where ideas can flourish and composers can hear their music realized at the highest level.

Support us in Shaping the Future of Choral Music