Ash Stemke

Education

• DM, Florida State University

• MM, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

• PBC, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

• BM, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Expertise

• Music Theory

• Aural Skills

• Composition

• Digital Music 

Biography

Dr. Ash Stemke “…simply composes music he wants to hear, because it is beautiful…and manages nonetheless to avoid the too-well-known and trite.” (Steven Kruger, New York Arts). His compositions and research explore symmetry, self-similarity, teleology, and text-music relationships. His music has been performed by orchestras, choirs, and chamber musicians throughout the United States including yMusic, the Riverside Symphony (NYC), the Lee County Community Orchestra (NC), and musicians of the Paducah Symphony Orchestra (KY). In 2024, his music was rocketed into outer space on an Astrobotic lunar lander as part of Carnegie-Mellon University’s MoonArk project.

Dr. Stemke’s music and research have been presented at numerous conferences including the Society for Music Theory’s annual meeting, New Music on the Bayou, national and regional SCI conferences, and the Schoenberg Academy in Vienna, Austria.

Currently, Dr. Stemke serves as Associate Professor of Music at Murray State University, where he teaches courses in music theory, aural skills, composition, and digital music. He holds a Doctor of Music from Florida State University and additional degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

You can learn more about Dr. Stemke's work at COMPOSER WEBSITE