Molly Joyce
Active as a composer and performer, Molly Joyce’s music has been described as "impassioned" (The Washington Post), written to "superb effect" (The Wire), and “vibrant, inventive music that communicates straight from the heart” (Prufrock’s Dilemma). Her works have been commissioned and performed by several distinguished ensembles including the New World Symphony, New York Youth Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and the New Juilliard, Decoda, and Contemporaneous ensembles. Additionally, her work has been performed at the Bang on a Can Marathon and VisionIntoArt's FERUS Festival, and featured in outlets such as Pitchfork, WNYC's New Sounds, Q2 Music, I Care If You Listen, and The Log Journal.
Her debut EP, Lean Back and Release, was released in January 2017 on New Amsterdam Records to much acclaim. Featuring violinists Monica Germino and Adrianna Mateo, the EP was praised as “energetic, heady and blisteringly emotive” by Paste Magazine and “arresting” by Textura. Additionally, Molly’s piece Rave was included on pianist Vicky Chow's recent album on New Amsterdam, and the work was subsequently featured on Pitchfork and WNYC’s New Sounds.
Past seasons have seen commissions from performers such as Avi Avital, Vicky Chow, Mike Truesdell, Present Music, and the Grand Valley State New Music Ensemble, among others. Additionally, Molly has received grants from New Music USA, the Jerome Fund / American Composers Forum, and has held residencies at ArtCenter/ South Florida and Willapa Bay AiR.
As a performer, Molly often plays on her vintage Magnus toy organ, an instrument she bought on eBay and has performed on in multiple capacities; including solo, with toy piano, and with a beatboxer. She is additionally active as a DJ, spinning under the moniker “DJ MJ.”
Also an active participant in other aspects of the music industry, Molly is currently the Digital Content Manager for New Amsterdam Presents/Records and has assisted composers Glenn Kotche, Missy Mazzoli, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and Shara Nova, among others. A committed teaching artist, she has taught as part of Yale’s Music in Schools Initiative, Juilliard's Morse and Gluck Outreach Fellowships, and with the New York Philharmonic's Very Young Composers Program.
Molly has studied at The Juilliard School (graduating with scholastic distinction), the Royal Conservatory in The Hague as a recipient of the Frank Huntington Beebe Fund Grant, and the Yale School of Music.
For more information, please visit mollyjoycemusic.com.