Kory Reeder

Visiting Assistant Professor of Music

Primary Academic Program: Music

Kory Reeder is an American composer and performer. Drawing inspiration from the visual arts and political theory, his music is often introspective, described as having a “rarefied atmosphere” (Bandcamp), as “resonant and quietly unsettling” by The Wire, and “elegantly consonant and languorous” by Boomkat. Kory's work investigates ideas of objectivity and immediacy, while exploring the social implications of musical interaction, with pieces ranging from symphonic and chamber works to field recordings, text scores, and computer-assisted improvisations. 

Described as “one of the most captivating composers in modern classical music” (Dallas Observer), Kory’s music is performed frequently in concert halls, festivals, academic settings, basements, and bars across North and South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe. A dedicated collaborator, he has frequently worked with opera, theater, and dance programs, as well as noise, free-improv, and new media artists, on projects ranging from video collaborations to 24-hour live performance art works. Chamber Music America notes that “pushing at limits was always on Reeder’s agenda”. As a performer, Kory tours frequently as an independent artist or as an ensemble member, performing his own chamber music along with the works of others, as well as in creative and improvised musical contexts. As a guest speaker, guest lecturer, and guest artist, Kory has presented at more than a dozen universitates on topics ranging from professional development to metamodernism and creative composition.

With a catalog of over 150 programmed works, his music has been released on Edition Wandelweiser Records, where one may also find scores of his work, as well as portrait albums released on Another Timbre, Full Spectrum Records, Sawyer Editions, Sawyer Spaces, Impulsive Habitat, kuyin, Sawyer Spaces, Impulsive Habitat, Thanatosis, Harmonic Ooze, Ftarri, Granny Records, and Discrete Archives. Kory runs Sawyer Editions, a label specializing in contemporary, experimental, and improvised music, especially of unreleased artists, and the Sawyer Spaces imprint, focused on field recordings and soundscape composition. 

Kory is from Nebraska and lives in the Hudson Valley of New York, where he is an active performer and teaches at Bard College. He received his PhD from the University of North Texas, a Master of Music degree in composition from Bowling Green State University, and a Bachelor of Music in composition from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, where he was named a Gary Thomas Distinguished Music Alumnus in 2024.