Praised by composer Xavier Muzik as someone whose music is "beautiful, cleverly written, and quite a joy to listen to," Mukil Narayanan is an award-winning American pianist, composer, arranger, poet, and conductor of South Indian descent known for his contemporary classical style that fuses unexpected chromaticism with modern melodic colors. A true 21st-century musical polymath, Mukil’s artistic voice is rooted in deep historical awareness, poetic nuance, and an extraordinary sensitivity to harmony, melody, phrasing, structure, and human emotions.

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Mukil began studying piano at the age of six, and at ten, began to learn under Dr. Jamie Del Priore, D.M.A. A top performer in the prestigious Certificate of Merit program administered by the Music Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC), Mukil was selected among the top 4% of examinees to perform in a Branch Honors Recital in 2020. Since then, throughout high school, he was awarded consistent State Honors, and appeared in numerous branch and convention-level recitals. Mukil’s musical achievements were aided by his ability as a self-taught homeschooled high schooler.

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Mukil also took part in dual enrollment at West Valley College, where he graduated with top honors in all four intensive levels of music theory and history. Alongside solo repertoire, Mukil frequently collaborated with violinist Max Polosky, performing and arranging an array of violin-piano chamber works.

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Mukil’s compositional journey began at the age of 14, and in the years since, he has created an astonishing portfolio of over 50 original works spanning solo, chamber, vocal, and orchestral forms. His music—described by mentors and peers as introspective, lyrical, visual, and emotionally immediate—is deeply connected to both poetic language and evocative imagery. Mukil often composes with a painterly sensitivity to color and structure, linking musical gestures to psychological and philosophical states of being. He is praised for his command of harmony and motivic development, which integrates Romantic, post-Romantic, and modernist traditions with freshness and depth.

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His works have drawn praise from leading composers and musicians including Xavier Muzik, Arjun K. Verma, Dr. Byron Adams, Ian Venables, Dr. Martin Hebel, Dr. Sean Friar, Gabriela Lena Frank, Robert J. Sinclair, Dr. Andrew Conklin, Vineel G. Mahal (of Chanticleer), and many others. In 2023, Mukil was selected as one of 65 young musicians nationwide to attend the Lamont Summer Academy at the University of Denver. There, his chamber work Hoffnung for oboe, violin, cello, and piano was premiered by members of the Playground Ensemble to enthusiastic praise for its expressive immediacy and mature lyricism.

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Mukil’s growing reputation has led to numerous commissions and performances from musicians at SFCM, Lamont School of Music, and West Valley College. His output includes art songs, chamber works, solo instrumental pieces, song cycles, full orchestral scores, and choral compositions, many of which have been performed in public recitals and conservatory concerts.

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As a conductor, Mukil is self-taught, yet his expressive, intuitive, and informed style has garnered attention from performers and faculty alike. Whether rehearsing chamber music, leading song cycles, or conducting large ensembles, Mukil brings an innate sense of musical direction and emotional communication that belies his age and training.

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Mukil is also an active poet and scholar, writing original texts for his vocal music and drawing on a vast knowledge of history, language, and literature. A passionate historian and linguist, Mukil is fluent in English, Tamil, and Sanskrit, with the ability to compose poetry in English and Sanskrit, and has strong working knowledge of German, French, and classical musicological traditions.

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He is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Music in Composition at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studies under the American composer David Garner.

Elise Arancio is a composer from Atlanta, based in New Haven, CT. She has studied at the Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School and currently studies at the Yale School of Music.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Adrian Wong (b.1999) strives to create music that is engaging to perform and listen to, and he aims to create an emotional connection with his audience through imagery, drama, and unapologetic conviction. Adrian’s music takes inspiration from a wide array of subjects, ranging from the natural world, intersections of Chinese and Western culture, to the personal, day-to-day occurrences in life. His pieces have been performed at the Brevard Music Center,  Midwest Composers Symposium,  University of Michigan – Ann Arbor,  University of North Texas, Bard College, the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, Radio Television Hong Kong, Ko Shan Theatre, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Tokyo Daiichi Seimei Hall, Kobe Bunka Hall and other esteemed venues and concerts. Adrian has also been commissioned by notable ensembles and musicians, including the award-winning Diocesan Boys’ School and Diocesan Girls’ School Senior Mixed Choir, the Diocesan Choral Society, the Hong Kong Composers’ Guild, and the Aurora Winds. Adrian was selected to participate in the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra’s Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Composers Scheme, and he also won first prize in the Hong Kong New Generation 2019 Composition Competition, held by the Hong Kong Composers’ Guild.

Adrian is currently pursuing a B.M. in music composition at the University of Michigan, studying with Bright Sheng, having previously studied with Kristin Kuster. He has also studied with Robert Aldridge, David Dzubay, and Ng Wah-hei. Adrian is also studying piano with Matthew Bengtson and conducting with Courtney Snyder, with previous teachers including Mark Stover, Julie Skadsem and Felix Shuen.

黃子峻（1999-）是香港土生土長的作曲家，而他希望能夠透過充滿魅力及戲劇性的音樂感動聽眾。黃氏的音樂從多處取材 – 除了日常生活的經歷之外，他亦曾經探討過有關大自然以及中西文化等題材。黃氏的作品曾在Midwest Composers Symposium，Brevard Music Center，University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, University of North Texas, Bard College, 香港校際音樂節，RTHK Studio One，高山劇場，香港中文大學，東京第一生命音樂廳及神戶文化中心等音樂會及演奏廳中上演。他曾被拔萃男女書院混聲合唱團，香港作曲家聯會，以及Aurora Winds 等優秀的表演團體委約作品。黃氏最近被香港管弦樂團的「何鴻毅家族基金作曲家計劃」揀選為該樂團譜寫新作，亦於香港作曲家聯會舉辦的2019 New Generation 作曲比賽中贏得冠軍。

黃氏現正於密西根大學修讀作曲系學士，師隨盛宗亮博士及Kristin Kuster博士，而他曾師隨Robert Aldridge博士，David Dzubay博士及伍華晞博士。黃氏亦跟Matthew Bengtson博士學習鋼琴及跟Courtney Snyder博士，Adrian Slywotzky博士，Mark Stover博士，Julie Skadsem博士，和孫子承先生學習指揮。

Described as “beautiful, lyrical” and brimming with “unexpected harmonic shifts” (International Trumpet Guild), the music of Macedonian-American composer Zach Gulaboff Davis centers on the core elements of musical narrative: Emotion, drama, and expression. The winner of the 2019 American Prize in Composition (Vocal Chamber Music division), Zach maintains an active schedule as a composer and collaborator across the globe. His works have been performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, Bulgaria’s National Palace of Culture, Norway’s Arctic Cathedral, Hamburg’s Zinnschmelze Cultural Center, NYU Steinhardt and Shanghai, the DiMenna Center, International Trumpet Guild and National Saxophone Alliance conferences, and at schools and conservatories throughout the country. Since beginning compositional studies in 2013, Zach’s works gave garnered over 20 national and international awards. With degrees in composition from Mannes College of Music and the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Zach is also active as a pianist and conductor, having appeared as concerto soloist, chamber musician, solo recitalist, and champion of young composers’ works on the podium. In his spare time, Zach is active in American Kennel Club events, traveling the country as a licensed Dog Agility judge. Don’t ask him about the (countless) similarities between composing and designing Agility courses unless you have hours to spare! Born in Los Angeles and raised in Oregon, Zach currently resides in Jersey City, NJ.

I am a singer and a producer who makes original music, as well as covers of all kinds of different genres of music! I am based out of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Composer and percussionist, IU Jacobs School of Music '25.

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