Composer Alyssa Weinberg (b. 1988) uses color, texture and gesture to channel big emotions, creating music that is “quite literally stunning” (Chicago Tribune). She is fascinated with perception and loves to play with form, subverting expectations to create surreal scenarios, often in dreamy, multidisciplinary productions.

Weinberg’s current season features the development of two new operas: DRIFT, commissioned by Opera Saratoga, in collaboration with librettist J. Mae Barizo and director Mary Birnbaum; and Claude & Marcel, commissioned by West Edge Opera with librettist Stephanie Fleischmann and director Elkhanah Pulitzer. Additional highlights include the premiere of Kol Nidrei with the Pittsburgh Camerata, and a performance of Caligo with cellist Gabriel Cabezas and the Berkeley Symphony. 

Weinberg’s music has been performed by celebrated artists and ensembles around the world, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, as well as Sandbox Percussion, yMusic, PUBLIQuartet, and the Aizuri Quartet. She has received commissions and awards from organizations including the Barnes Foundation, Chamber Music America, FringeArts and the Pennsylvania Ballet, New Music USA, Opera America, and Paris Dance Project. She has been awarded fellowships and residencies at Avaloch Farm, Copland House, MacDowell, Millay Arts, and VCCA, among others. Alyssa’s percussion music has been celebrated for its inventive use of color and innovative performance techniques, most notably for her prepared vibraphone duo Table Talk which has received hundreds of performances across the globe. 

A dedicated educator, Weinberg currently serves on the composition faculty at Mannes School of Music, and has held positions at institutions such as the Peabody Conservatory, Butler School of Music at UT Austin, and the Juilliard School. She is the Founding Director of the Composers Institute at the Lake George Music Festival, a summer program that centers mentorship and community alongside the craft of composition.

Alyssa Weinberg holds a PhD in composition from Princeton University, as well as degrees from Vanderbilt University, Manhattan School of Music, and the Curtis Institute of Music.