Biography
Justin Weiss is a composer, conductor, and theorist whose music explores the perception of time, energy, and transformation through collective textural play and melodically driven lyricism, immersing the listener in dramatic and vibrant sonic worlds. Much of Justin’s recent work has been focused on relationships between the visual arts and sound.
Justin’s work has been recognized with a Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the League of Composers/ISCM Prize, the Prix Langage Musical from Les Écoles d’Art Américaines de Fontainebleau, the Walter E. Aschaffenburg Prize for Composition and awards and recognitions from institutions including ASCAP, Society of Composers, Inc., and The American Prize. Justin’s music has been performed internationally by ensembles and musicians including Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Quatuor Diotima, Grossman Ensemble, TAK Ensemble, ~Nois Saxophone Quartet, Ekmeles Vocal Ensemble, and Sandbox Percussion Quartet and presented at conferences and festivals worldwide. In the Summer of 2025, Justin was a Susan and Ford Schumann Composition Fellow at the Aspen Music Festival.
Justin is the co-artistic/executive director and conductor for the contemporary music ensemble, Mycelium New Music. Justin’s research focuses particularly on the perception and phenomenology of silence, stillness, and fragility in contemporary music. He has presented at conferences including the Music Theory Southeast, the Research on Contemporary Composition Conference, and Manhattan International Composers Conference.
