OSSIA strives to provide Eastman Students with

Opportunities to perform contemporary music

Anyone is welcome to get involved. Performers range from first year undergraduates to doctoral candidates, who come together to put on concerts of contemporary music at the highest level.

Community Engagement

Each year, we present four to five concerts and three to four outreach concerts based on proposals, ideas, and suggested works submitted by performers and audience alike.

Diverse and vibrant composers

Our commissioning program annually presents several new works by Eastman students. Composers from around the world submit their works to our annual composition competition, and the winning work is showcased in our season finale. The prize-winning composer travels to Rochester and rehearses intensively with the ensemble before the performance.

Arts Administrative Experience

Every year a new student board is elected to oversee all operations, including concert planning, programming, and personnel recruitment. Board members are asked to fill a variety of roles, from secretary to treasurer and web designer to librarian—indispensable skills for the modern musician.