Marybeth Kurnat

Illinois-based composer Marybeth Kurnat (b. 1987) is a rising voice in modern choral music. Her debut work, Epitaph For A Romantic Woman, was premiered by the St. Charles Singers in October 2021. Her SATB work, I, Lover, was the 2021-22 winner of True Concord's Stephen Paulus Emerging Composers' Competition. She premiered her work, The Lagoon, as a Composition Fellow for the 2023 PREMIERE|Project Festival. She has premiered 15 works from 2023 to 2024.

Described as "transcendent" and "otherworldly," Marybeth's compositional voice is strongly influenced by her musical roots as a jazz saxophonist - most clearly illustrated in her colorful, adventurous harmonic vocabulary and uniquely fluid command of rhythm. She has received especially high praise for her piano writing. Her compositional influences include Brad Mehldau, Wayne Shorter, Jacob Collier, Rollo Dilworth, and Ivo Antognini. Her arranging portfolio also includes music for jazz ensemble, concert band, chamber music, string orchestra, and commercial a cappella.

Marybeth earned a B.M.E. from Northern Illinois University, where she studied voice with Diane Ragains and saxophone with Steve Duke. She has spent 14 years in public schools, and currently teaches middle school band and AP music theory for the DeKalb School District. She is a District 8 Representative for ILMEA, and was a Student Composition Workshop clinician at the 2024 ILMEA All-State Festival. She is currently pursuing her M.A. in Composition at Washington State University.

In addition to teaching and composing, Marybeth writes poetry and maintains an active performance schedule as a choral singer and soprano soloist in the greater Chicago area. She regularly appears with the St. Charles Singers, Chicago Choral Artists, and the Grant Park Music Festival Chorus. She is a member of ACDA, AGMA, ILMEA, and ASCAP. Her music can be found on MusicSpoke and in Graphite Publishing's Compose Like a Girl Series.