CO-DIRECTOR
Preben Antonsen (b. 1991), a graduate of Yale University (Music and Computer Science, 2013), has been composing since he was a small child and studied composition with John Adams from 2001-2009. He was featured as a young composer on NPR’s program From the Top in 2008, and had his first orchestral work premiered by the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra in March 2009. Pianist Sarah Cahill, commissioned him to write a piano work for her anti-war project, "A Sweeter Music," which she performed in Berkeley and New York in 2013. He is a 2005 BMI Student Composer Award winner, and six of his compositions were recognized by ASCAP, by honoring him with the Morton Gould Young Composer Awards in 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2010. In addition, he collaborated regularly with other teenage composers and instrumentalists on the Bay Area new music concert series, "Formerly Known As Classical," which seeks to engage teenage audiences.
Preben transcribed John Adams' Second String Quartet for two pianos, Roll Over Beethoven, performed by Christina and Michelle Naughtan in March 2016. Kris Antonsen performed his trumpet concerto with Laurie Cohen and the Mill Valley Philharmonic in June 2016.
As a pianist, Preben has performed at the Garden of Memory, an annual new music festival at Chapel of the Chimes. He has accompanied vocal students at the Yale School of Music as well as live tango dancers. His bachelor's degree has given him experience in a range of computer music applications such as sequencing, recording, and designing software synthesizers. Preben's musical pursuits are diverse and include electronic dance music and experimental noise.