Katherine Pukinskis
Katherine Pukinskis is a composer-scholar whose work explores storytelling and voice—tracking how words and ideas travel in music, across the world, and over time. Collaborators include eighth blackbird, Akron Symphony Chorus, and Spektral Quartet, as well as members of Ensemble Dal Niente and the Chicago Symphony Chorus. Pukinskis has been commissioned by the San Antonio Symphony, Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, Akropolis Reed Quintet, the Esoterics Choir, Mägi Ensemble, and Nuorten Kuoroliitto. Dr. Pukinskis’s scholarly work centers cultural identity, diaspora, and choral music in Latvia, with secondary areas in contemporary American art song and musical theater analysis. She has presented her original compositions and research across the United States and Europe. Pukinskis is an Assistant Professor of Music Composition and Theory at Carnegie Mellon University.