Doctor of Musical Arts in Contemporary Music
The DMA in Contemporary Music program at BGSU develops versatile musicians through a concentrated focus on contemporary music. The degree is grounded in the applied study of music performance or composition, and multidisciplinary seminars in culture, digital media and music cognition. Its flexible curricular programming fosters critical analysis, creative examination, pedagogical training, professional development and traditional as well as nontraditional performing experiences. Graduates of the program have been recipients of major grants and awards and maintain leadership positions at the forefront of contemporary music around the world as performing musicians, scholars, and teachers.
At BGSU, students in the doctoral program are at the heart of the College of Musical Arts' new music specialization, serving as leaders and models for their student peers. Their projects and performances are supported by the MidAmerican Center for Contemporary Music (MACCM), which is devoted to the study and promotion of contemporary music. MACCM hosts the College's longstanding annual New Music Festival and other internationally recognized activities, such as concerts, symposia, sponsored research, and archival collection and curation.
DMA Student & Alumni News
Our Shared Vision
A BGSU doctoral student will:
- be an outstanding musician conversant in the technical, aesthetic and philosophical aspects of the creation and performance of contemporary music.
- be an excellent teacher with significant experience in the classroom and the studio.
- produce significant research and a professional portfolio that provide evidence of outstanding scholarship and multidisciplinary work.
- broaden their entrepreneurial skills through practical training and outreach endeavors beyond the classroom.
DMA Performances
Jacob Koch performs Imagined Orders by Jonathan Scales
Recorded and mixed at BGSU's College of Musical Arts as a Recording Services Special Project
Rachel Constantino and Shelly Du play Cosmic Rose by Anne LeBaron
Commissioned by Constantino (DMA '25) and funded in part by BGSU's MidAmerican Center for Contemporary Music
Stephen Eckert performs Pluton by Philippe Manoury
For Eckert's 1st degree recital, an iconic work for solo piano + live electronics via hexaphonic speaker array
Ode to Noise #23
Cellist Otávio Manzano Kavakama (ABD) and pianist Humay Gasimzade (DMA '23) jam with MM percussionist Jacob Hargrove
Updated: 10/24/2025 02:07PM