Full Length Biography
The music of Kirsten Broberg has been programmed by internationally recognized ensembles such as the Kronos Quartet, Chicago Symphony Orchestra MusicNOW Ensemble, International Contemporary Ensemble, New York New Music Ensemble, Jack Quartet, Ensemble Dal Niente, New Millennium Orchestra, Sonic Inertia Dance and Performance Group, Third Coast Percussion and the University of Minnesota Symphony Orchestra. Her music has been heard at events such as Nuovi Spazi Festival at the American Academy in Rome, Italy; Sonic Fusion Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland; International Contemporary Ensemble New York and Chicago ICE Fests; June in Buffalo Festival in New York; Sonic Impact at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago; Electronic Music Midwest Conference in Chicago; Sound Field New and Experimental Music Festival in Chicago and Opera Cabal Multimedia Festival in Chicago.
Among Broberg’s numerous awards and grants are the Fromm Foundation Commissioning Grant from Harvard University, three Encore Grants from the American Composers Forum, two William T. Faricy Awards at Northwestern University, three Wyatt fund grants from Northwestern University, first place in the Accent '04 International Call for String Quartets at Cincinnati Conservatory and first place in the University of Minnesota Call for Orchestral Scores. Her primary composition instructors include Augusta Read Thomas, Jason Eckardt and Jay Alan Yim. She has also worked with Oliver Knussen and Kaija Saariaho in lessons and with Bernard Rands, Tristan Murail and Brian Ferneyhough in masterclasses. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree in music theory/composition and a minor in creative writing from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota in 2001; a Master of Arts in music composition from the University of Minnesota in 2003; and a doctorate in music composition at Northwestern University where she graduated with honors.
The article and radio broadcast, "Kirsten Broberg in the Abstract," by Trevor Hunter was released by the American Music Center for their New Music Box and Counterstream Radio "Spotlight Session" and her solo piano piece, "Constellations," recorded by Matthew McCright, was released by Innova Records in May 2009. Her choir piece “Breathturn,” recorded by conductor Donald Nally and the Crossing Contemporary Choir, will be released by Parma/Navona records 2011. Her Resonant Strands cycle for piano, bowed piano and string quartet recorded by Winston Choi with the Spektral Quartet is slated for release in 2011.
Broberg is passionate entrepreneur and advocate for the arts. She co-founded and currently co-directs the Minneapolis-based group Ensemble 61. Broberg also founded the Chicago-based not-for-profit contemporary music group Ensemble Dal Niente in 2004 and she currently serves as the Composer and Artistic Advisor for the organization. She was also the president of the Northwestern University Graduate Music Organization from 2005-2008, the Music Composition Chair for the 2005 Midwest Graduate Music Consortium and has served on the Board of Directors for New Music Chicago, the Steering Committee for the Chicago Composers Forum and on the 2006 Northwestern University New Music Marathon planning committee.
Also an accomplished instructor, Broberg has taught undergraduate through graduate level music theory, composition, contemporary music, form and analysis, music history, popular music, jazz music, song writing and music production at institutions such as Northwestern University in Chicago; Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University in Chicago; North Park University in Chicago; University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota; the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota and to her studio of award-winning private composition, French horn and piano students.
