Alarm Will Sound is “one of the most vital and original ensembles on the American music scene” (The New York Times). A 20-member band committed to innovative performances and recordings of today’s music, the ensemble has established a reputation for performing demanding music with energetic virtuosity.

With classical skill and unlimited curiosity, Alarm Will Sound takes on music from a variety of styles. “Stylistically omnivorous and physically versatile” (The Log Journal), the ensemble’s repertoire comes from around the world, and ranges from the arch-modernist to the pop-influenced. Since its inception, Alarm Will Sound has been associated with composers at the forefront of contemporary music. The group itself includes many composer-performers, which allows for an unusual degree of insight into the creation and performance of new work.

Alarm Will Sound is the resident ensemble at the Mizzou International Composers Festival. Held each July at the University of Missouri in Columbia, the festival features eight world premieres by early-career composers. In 2013–2014, Alarm Will Sound served as artists-in-residence at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Alarm Will Sound may be heard on 18 recordings, including For George Lewis | Autoshchediasms, the ensemble’s most recent release featuring the music of Tyshawn Sorey, and the premiere recording of Steve Reich’s Radio Rewrite. The genre-bending, critically acclaimed album Acoustica features live-performance arrangements of music by electronica guru Aphex Twin.

Visit alarmwillsound.com for more information.

Alan Pierson has been praised as “a dynamic conductor and musical visionary” by The New York Times, “a conductor of monstrous skill” by Newsday, and “one of the most exciting figures in new music today” by Fanfare. In addition to his work as artistic director of Alarm Will Sound, he has served as artistic director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and guest conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, LA Opera, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Steve Reich Ensemble, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and New World Symphony, among others. He is co-director of the Northwestern University Contemporary Music Ensemble, and has been a visiting faculty conductor at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Eastman School of Music, and Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Passionate about using storytelling to bring listeners inside of contemporary music, Pierson has led the creation of innovative musical experiences, like Alarm Will Sound’s “1969” and the Soundbites video series, and the Brooklyn Philharmonic’s “Brooklyn Village.” He has collaborated with major artists, including Yo-Yo Ma, Steve Reich, Dawn Upshaw, John Adams, John Luther Adams, Augusta Read Thomas, David Lang, La Monte Young, Taylor Mac, and Mark Morris. He received bachelor’s degrees in physics and music from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a doctorate in conducting from the Eastman School of Music. Pierson has recorded for Nonesuch Records, Cantaloupe Music, and Sony Classical.

Ron Himes is founder and producing director of The Black Rep, where he has produced and directed more than 200 plays, including all 10 plays written by August Wilson. Himes also created and directed the highly acclaimed Crossin’ Over and Tell Me Somethin’ Good. He has directed several world premieres, including Hold On! and Torn Asunder. Operas include Porgy and Bess (Union Avenue Opera), and Joshua’s Boots and Highway 1, USA (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis). Other directing credits include Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Fences (Clarence Brown Theatre in Knoxville); The Colored Museum and Blues for an Alabama Sky (Indiana Repertory Theatre); Flyin’ West (Delaware Theatre Company); For Colored Girls ...(People’s Light and Philadelphia Theatre Company); Riffs (7 Stages in Atlanta); Spunk, Spell #7, and Radio Golf (Studio Theatre in Washington, DC); and An Enemy of the People (Perseverance Theatre in Juneau, Alaska).

St. Louis native Aloha Mischeaux is a dynamic multi-hyphenate creative who thrives within a collaborative community of fellow creatives. In 2014, she co-created a punk-rock hip-hop duo called The Knuckles with Rockwell J. Knuckles. Together, they produced three albums: Set One, Set Two, and Good Timing. Their journey reached new heights when they were cast as guest artists on the 2020 season finale of the television series Good Trouble. In 2021, Mischeaux and Knuckles voice-acted and produced music for the animated show Jacked! (based on “Jack and the Beanstalk”) with Metro Theater Company in St. Louis. Currently, Mischeaux is writing and producing a stage play called Grow Up, a musical comedy–therapy show that encourages people of all ages to pursue their dreams.

Isaiah Taylor is a 17-year-old student from St. Louis. He currently attends STEAM Academy at McCluer South-Berkeley High School and is in his senior year. Throughout his childhood, Taylor always showcased a love for the arts. He found a passion for music after singing in a choir. At 10 years old, he participated in The Black Rep’s Summer Performing Arts program, where he had the opportunity to express his musical abilities through acting. At age 13, he co-founded the collective GenZinius (later rebranded as Zeno), in which he embraced his musical aspirations. He then recorded original songs, leading to his first project, The Album No One Will Remember, released in 2020. Taylor’s follow-up project will be released this summer.

Inversion Vocal Ensemble is a touring collective of vocalists based in Nashville. Inversion sings a dazzling array of music that includes jazz, classical, gospel, and musical theater. Inversion recently premiered the opera/dance collaboration Steal Away at OZ Arts Nashville. In 2019, Inversion was the featured artist for the Nashville Symphony’s annual “Let Freedom Sing” concert in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 2018, Inversion was a featured performer in Nick Cave: Feat. Nashville at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, which earned the ensemble an Emmy nomination. In 2016, the National Civil Rights Museum invited Inversion to perform at its inaugural memorial service for Dr. King, where the ensemble sang “Precious Lord,” Dr. King’s favorite hymn. Inversion debuted Grammy winner Marcus Hummon’s musical American Prophet: Frederick Douglass In His Own Words. Inversion has also performed with Rivers Rutherford, The Fairfield Four, John Prine, Tanya Tucker, and Lynda Randle. Previous engagements include performances at the Tennessee Arts Academy, Cheekwood, and Roland Hayes Museum.