Cynthia Van Maanen, D.M.A.

About Cynthia

Dr. Cynthia Van Maanen’s compositions have been performed by professional musicians, faculty members, and students from around the country. Current projects include a new band piece for Texas State University, Dr. Caroline Beatty conducting; and an orchestral work for the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Alain Trudel conducting. Both will premiere in the 2023-2024 season. Van Maanen is also published in The Music Handbook of Composition Pedagogy.

Recent projects include a commission for string orchestra and harp and underscoring for the play The Laramie Project, which is being produced in northern Michigan. Her sabbatical and residency with the San Francisco Conservatory TACS program allowed her to focus on chamber music with electronics and provide time for both composition and teaching with that institution. In addition to concert music, she enjoys collaborating on projects with artists in other mediums. You can find more information by visiting adjectivenewmusic.com.

Van Maanen’s music is focused on communicating with the audience through an emotional experience. Music is such a beautiful way of expressing the human experience and through it providing an outlet for us in whatever circumstance(s) we are living through—from the most joyful to the most profoundly life changing moments.

Van Maanen teaches composition and theory for Interlochen Arts Academy. She also teaches for the Boston Conservatory High School Composition Intensive (HSCI). She is a member of ASCAP and is on the composition council for NAfME.

In addition to composing, Van Maanen is also involved in local community arts organizations as a flutist, singer, and actor. She is a member of the Artistic Committee for Traverse City's Old Town Playhouse.