CCM welcomes Charles H. Turner Post-Doctoral Fellow in Music Composition

Tovar-Henao is a Colombian composer, full-stack software developer and researcher who specializes in computer-assisted creativity, procedural art and music information retrieval. His creative work is deeply rooted in aesthetic experiences with technology, philosophy and cinema, and often focuses on exploring sound perception, memory and recognition.

"I'm deeply interested in the ways in which new technologies redefine human creativity and transform our understanding of it, not only as creators and performers, but also as an audience — not to mention the societal implications of these, such as what we're currently witnessing with the wide-spread use of artificial intelligence," said Tovar-Henao. 

In honor of Charles Henry Turner, one of the first Black students to earn a graduate degree at UC, the Charles Henry Turner Post-Doctoral Program aims to attract talented post-doctoral fellows to the university who will contribute diverse perspectives, expertise and skill sets that bolster inclusion and innovation and enhance the student experience. The program provides participants with the opportunity to enhance their personal and professional skills in preparation for a faculty career. Fellows will receive mentorship from departmental faculty and university administrators. 

"The Charles H. Turner Postdoctoral Fellow in Music Composition not only gives me the opportunity and resources to continue pursuing my research, but also to share it with others and hopefully contribute to the CCM community at large," said Tovar-Henao. "This is a quite unique position for composers like me, as it will allow me to be fully immersed in my work for two consecutive years, while being able to interact with a vibrant community of faculty, students and staff at UC. I'm really looking forward to this year."

Tovar-Henao will teach one course per year at CCM during his post-doctoral fellowship. During the 2024 spring semester, he will teach a Special Topics in Composition course. He is interested in teaching courses about computer-assisted creativity, but he is also considering topics that aren't conventionally taught in-depth in music programs. 

He has held research and teaching positions at different institutions, including the 2021-22  Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Chicago's Center for Contemporary Composition, Associate Instructor and Coordinator of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Composition Department, as well as Adjunct Professor in Music Theory and Composition at Universidad EAFIT in Colombia. 

Tovar-Henao's music has been performed by international artists and ensembles such as Alarm Will Sound, Grossman Ensemble, Quatuor Diotima, Sound Icon, IU New Music Ensemble, AURA Contemporary Ensemble, Hear no Evil, Sociedad de Música de Cámara de Bogotá, Ensamble Periscopio, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Orquesta Sinfónica EAFIT, among many others.

He has been a featured composer at a variety of international festivals such as WOCMAT (Taiwan, 2019), Electroacoustic Barn Dance (US, 2019), SCI National Conference (US, 2019), SEAMUS National Conference (US, 2019, 2018), Seoul International Computer Music Festival (South Korea, 2017), IRCAM's CIEE Summer Contemporary Music Creation + Critique Program and ManiFeste Academy (France, 2016), Electroacoustic Music Midwest (US, 2016), and the Midwest Composer Symposium (US, 2019, 2016).

Recent highlights include being a resident composer at the 2022 Mizzou International Composers Festival, being a finalist of the 2019 SEAMUS/ASCAP Award, as well as receiving the 2018 SCI/ASCAP Student Commission Award and the 2018 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Award.

"His music, which balances both acoustic and technological mediums into a fresh and compelling musical statement, made a strong impression on all members of the search committee," said Fiday. Listen to Tovar-Henao's music on his professional website.

"We are happy to welcome Felipe to CCM for the doctoral fellowship and look forward to the innovative perspectives on creativity and composition he will share with our community," said Kregor. "I want to recognize the outstanding work of our search committee, which was chaired by Michael Fiday and also included Mara Helmuth, Demarre McGill and Douglas Knehans."