A Degree in Composition
The Music Composition program at Florida International University’s Wertheim School of Music prepares students to become versatile, innovative composers equipped for careers in contemporary music, media, and related creative industries. Designed for aspiring composers seeking advanced study or professional opportunities, the program provides comprehensive training in composition techniques, music theory, orchestration, and emerging technologies.
Students gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge tools in computer music, film scoring, video game and interactive media composition, digital audio production, and music notation software. Through a forward-thinking curriculum that blends traditional composition practices with modern technology, FIU’s Music Composition program develops the creative, technical, and collaborative skills needed to succeed as professional composers in today’s evolving music landscape.
Why Study Music Composition at FIU?
The Florida International University (FIU) Music Composition Program is one of the leading composition programs in the Southeast, offering students exceptional opportunities to develop as composers, collaborate with world-class performers, and prepare for careers in concert music, film, television, video games, and multimedia.
A Nationally Recognized New Music Program
FIU is home to New Music Miami ISCM, an internationally recognized contemporary music festival celebrating more than 30 years of artistic excellence. The annual festival features:
- Performances of works by FIU student composers and alumni
- Numerous world premieres each year
- Internationally acclaimed guest composers and performers
- Master classes, lectures, forums, and professional networking opportunities
As the South Florida section of the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM), FIU provides students with direct exposure to leading composers and contemporary music from around the world.
Learn from an Internationally Acclaimed Composer
The composition program is led by Orlando Jacinto Garcia, Composer-in-Residence and Director of Music Composition.
Professor Garcia brings more than 30 years of university teaching experience and is internationally recognized as one of the leading composers of his generation. His achievements include:
- More than 200 compositions published by Theodore Front and CF Peters
- Five Latin Grammy Award nominations
- Two Fulbright Scholar Awards
- Support from the Rockefeller, Knight, and Cintas Foundations, among many others
- Performances throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia
- More than 10 solo recordings and 15 compilation albums
Students benefit directly from his extensive professional experience, mentorship, and international artistic network.
Performance Opportunities Every Semester
FIU composition students hear their music performed regularly throughout the academic year. Every semester, students:
- Present original works on Emerging Student Composer concerts and departmental recitals
- Participate in reading sessions with the Amernet String Quartet (FIU Artists-in-Residence), the FIU New Music Ensemble, and the FIU Symphony Orchestra
- Receive performances by distinguished guest artists during the FIU Music Festival and the New Music Miami ISCM Festival including recent and/or upcoming sessions with ICE, Dal Niente, Hub New Music, Anthony de Mare among others.
- Participate in master classes, composition critiques, and forums with internationally recognized composers and performers including recent sessions with George Lewis, Chinary Ung, Augusta Read Thomas, Javier Alvarez, Daniel Asia, Zosha Di Castri, Ken Ueno, Carlos Sanchez Gutierrez, Jessie Cox, Laura Schwendinger, Nina Young, Curtis Stewart, among others.
Career Preparation Beyond the Classroom
The FIU Music Composition Program prepares students for today’s competitive music industry by combining artistic development with professional training.
Students develop:
- A professional composer portfolio
- Personal website and social media presence
- Career branding and networking skills
- Presentation and communication techniques, including an effective elevator pitch
Students also gain valuable interdisciplinary experience through coursework in:
- Film, television, and documentary scoring
- Media composition
- Collaborative arts projects
- Music technology
- Digital audio production
- Recording techniques and industry-standard composition software
Outstanding Graduate Success
FIU graduates have continued their studies at prestigious institutions, including:
- Boston University
- UCLA
- USC
- UC San Diego
- California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)
- Manhattan School of Music
- SUNY Buffalo
- And many others
Our alumni have built successful careers as:
- University professors
- Concert composers
- Film composers
- Television composers
- Video game composers
- Multimedia artists
Distinguished Alumni
FIU Music Composition alumni include internationally recognized composers such as:
- Carlos Rafael Rivera – Emmy Award-winning composer for Netflix series and major motion pictures
- Marcus Norris – Founder and Music Director of the South Side Symphony Orchestra and film composer
- Juan Pablo Carreño – Rome Prize recipient
- Jorge Villavicencio Grossmann – Guggenheim Fellow
These distinguished alumni represent the wide range of career opportunities available to FIU composition graduates.
Join FIU’s Creative Community
Whether your passion is concert music, orchestral composition, chamber music, opera, film scoring, television, video games, electronic music, or multimedia, the FIU Music Composition Program provides the artistic mentorship, professional training, and performance opportunities needed to launch your career.
Join a vibrant community of composers at Florida International University and begin creating the music that shapes the future.
B.M. in Composition
The Music Composition Program at the Wertheim School of Music at Florida International University prepares students for advanced graduate study in composition and careers in today’s evolving music industry, including concert music, film scoring, multimedia production, and music technology. Through a dynamic and innovative curriculum, students gain hands-on experience with computer music, interactive media, video, film scoring, audio production, and professional notation software. The program emphasizes creativity, collaboration, entrepreneurship, and contemporary artistic practices, preparing emerging composers for success in both traditional and interdisciplinary musical environments.
The Wertheim School of Music’s Undergraduate Composition Program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive foundation in music composition, contemporary classical music, music theory, orchestration, and creative musical practices ranging from common-practice traditions to the most innovative experimental and contemporary approaches. Combining composition, analysis, music technology, and performance, the program prepares emerging composers to work fluently across diverse musical styles while developing an individual artistic voice and personal compositional language.
The Bachelor of Music in Music Composition at the Wertheim School of Music emphasizes advanced musicianship, score study, conducting, and live performance opportunities, allowing students to hear, rehearse, and conduct their own works with accomplished performers and ensembles. Students gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge music technology, including computer music, electroacoustic composition, digital audio production, film scoring, multimedia composition, video, interactive media, notation software, and recording techniques as integral parts of the curriculum.
Located in Miami, one of the most culturally diverse artistic centers in the United States, the Wertheim School of Music’s Composition Program offers numerous concerts, collaborations, workshops, and professional development opportunities featuring new music, interdisciplinary arts, and contemporary performance practices. Student composers regularly work with distinguished faculty, guest artists, chamber ensembles, orchestras, and electronic music resources in a highly creative and supportive environment.
Graduates of the Music Composition Program at the Wertheim School of Music have continued advanced study at prestigious universities and conservatories throughout the United States and abroad and have received recognition through ASCAP Student Composition Awards, BMI Student Composer Awards, and other important national and international honors. The four-year undergraduate music composition degree prepares students for graduate study in composition, careers in concert music, film and media scoring, music production, arts entrepreneurship, music technology, and related creative professions in today’s evolving musical landscape.
For more information, contact:
M.M. in Composition
The Music Composition Program at Florida International University prepares students for advanced graduate study in composition and careers in today’s evolving music industry, including concert music, film scoring, multimedia production, and music technology. Through a dynamic and innovative curriculum, students gain hands-on experience with computer music, interactive media, video, film scoring, audio production, and professional notation software. The program emphasizes creativity, collaboration, entrepreneurship, and contemporary artistic practices, preparing emerging composers for success in both traditional and interdisciplinary musical environments.
The M.M. in Music Composition at Florida International University is a nationally recognized graduate degree program designed to help emerging composers develop their unique artistic voices while advancing their compositional craft and professional skills. Located in Miami, one of the most culturally diverse artistic centers in the United States, the FIU Master of Music in Composition offers advanced training in contemporary classical music composition, computer music, film scoring, multimedia composition, orchestration, and music technology.
Students in the FIU graduate composition program work closely with internationally acclaimed faculty composers while benefiting from numerous performances and recordings of original student works by outstanding performers, chamber ensembles, orchestras, and new music groups. The curriculum combines traditional compositional techniques with cutting-edge creative practices, including electronic music composition, interactive media, digital audio production, notation software, video integration, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Graduate students gain extensive hands-on experience with music production software, DAWs, computer-assisted composition tools, film and media scoring, interactive technologies, and contemporary music performance practices. The FIU School of Music provides a dynamic environment for composers interested in concert music, electroacoustic music, experimental music, multimedia performance, interdisciplinary arts, and creative technologies.
Many FIU composition graduates have continued doctoral studies at prestigious universities and conservatories and have received major honors, including ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, BMI Student Composer Awards, commissions, residencies, and national and international performances. The two-year Master of Music in Composition degree prepares students for doctoral study, university teaching, professional composition careers, film and media scoring, music production, arts entrepreneurship, and a wide range of creative careers in the contemporary music industry.
For more information, contact:
M.M. in Composition
4 + 1 Combined B.M. & M.M. in Music Composition
The 4+1 Combined Degree program is designed for serious composers who wish to complete both their B.M. and M.M. from FIU.
To be considered for admission to the combined bachelor’s/master’s degree program, majors must be in good standing. Eligibility will be determined during the Composition I and II classes which are taken during the sophomore year.
For more information, contact:
Minor in Music Composition
A Minor in Music Composition is available for students accepted into and working on the B.M. degree in areas of studies other than Composition (e.g. Jazz, Applied, Music Education, and Music Technology). Admittance into the Music Composition Minor is based on the results of an interview with the Music Composition Program Coordinator and pending availability within the program.
A Minor in Music with a Concentration in Music Composition is available for students accepted into the minor in music. Acceptance into the Music Minor is based on a successful audition on the student’s instrument. After successful admittance into the School of Music, admittance into the Music Minor with an emphasis in Music Composition is based on the results of an interview with the music composition program coordinator and pending availability within the program. For more information, contact: Minor in Music with a Concentration in Music Composition
Handbooks & Forms
New Music Miami ISCM Festival: An International Festival of Contemporary Classical Music
The New Music Miami ISCM Festival (NMMF) is South Florida’s leading contemporary classical music festival and one of the longest-running new music festivals in the United States. Presented by Florida International University (FIU), the festival showcases innovative music by internationally acclaimed, emerging, and student composers through concerts, world premieres, U.S. premieres, lectures, masterclasses, and educational programs.
Founded in 1993 as the May in Miami Music Festival, the event began as an annual week-long celebration featuring nightly performances by members of the New World Symphony and FIU faculty. In 1997, the festival expanded into a year-round concert series and adopted its current name, reflecting its growing international reach and commitment to presenting contemporary music throughout the academic year.
In 2002, Florida International University became an Associated Chapter of the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM), one of the world’s leading organizations dedicated to the promotion of contemporary music. Through this affiliation, the New Music Miami ISCM Festival became part of a global network of more than 60 organizations in over 50 countries, fostering international artistic exchange and bringing distinguished composers and performers from around the world to Miami.
Today, the New Music Miami ISCM Festival presents an exceptional range of contemporary repertoire, from landmark works of the late twentieth century to the newest compositions by today’s most innovative composers. The festival regularly features internationally recognized guest artists, interdisciplinary collaborations, and performances by the NODUS Ensemble, FIU’s award-winning contemporary music ensemble, making it a vital destination for audiences interested in new music, composition, and musical innovation.
The festival was founded by Dr. Orlando Jacinto Garcia, an internationally recognized composer, Professor of Music, and Director of the Composition Program at Florida International University. He also serves as Artistic Director of the NODUS Ensemble. Garcia’s music has been described as “time-suspended, haunting sonic explorations,” an aesthetic shaped in part through his studies with Morton Feldman and other influential composers. Under his artistic leadership, the New Music Miami ISCM Festival has earned an international reputation for artistic excellence, innovative programming, and its commitment to advancing the creation and performance of contemporary classical music.