Dr. Kristin Kuster

Professor

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Biography

Composer Kristin Kuster writes commandingly for orchestra, with music that has invitingly tart edges. Her compositions draw inspiration from architectural space, weather, and mythology. Kuster's orchestral music demonstrates expertise in crafting unique timbres. Upcoming premieres include Upland Green for violinist Matt Albert and orchestra in November 2025, Thousand Acres with Des Moines Metro Opera in July 2022, and Dune Acres performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in February 2019. Kuster's work, Nine, features mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton and was presented at Cabrillo Festival Contemporary Music Orchestra, incorporating poetry by Megan Levad. Kuster received the OPERA America Discovery Grant for female composers, supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, which facilitated her 75-minute chamber opera, Kept: a ghost story based on northern Michigan’s Old Presque Isle Lighthouse, premiering at the Virginia Arts Festival in collaboration with the John Duffy Institute for New Opera in 2017. Her music has been performed by esteemed organizations such as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and American Composers Orchestra, receiving recognition from various foundations and orchestras including the American Academy of Arts and Letters and New Music USA.

Research Interests

Requirements for University of Michigan

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.5
TOEFL
Total
Required:84
GRE General
Verbal
Required:155
Verbal Percentile
Required:50
Quantitative
Required:168
Quantitative Percentile
Required:50
Analytical Writing
Required:3.6
Writing Percentile
Required:50
Prerequisites
Bachelor degree in engineering, physics, or mathematics Calculus Physics
Application Checklist
  • Rackham Graduate School Application
  • Official Transcripts
  • 3 Letters of Recommendation
  • Academic Statement of Purpose
  • Personal Statement
  • CV/Resume
Specialization Notes

Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science