Justin Merritt

Justin Merritt serves as Associate Professor of Composition within the Department of Music at St. Olaf College. His compositions have been performed by the Minnesota Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony, and featured on A Prairie Home Companion, with his evening-length oratorio "The Path" scheduled for premiere at Minneapolis's Orchestra Hall.

Education:

• Bachelor's degree from Trinity University
• Master's degree from Indiana University
• Doctorate from Indiana University

His research spans contemporary composition, electronic music, and cross-cultural integration of Buddhist texts within Western classical frameworks. Studies under Samuel Adler and Sven-David Sandstrom inform his work in orchestral/choral forms and computer-assisted composition techniques.

Award highlights include:

• ASCAP Foundation Rudolph Nissim Award (youngest-ever recipient)
• McKnight Fellowship
• Copland Award
• Polyphonos Prize

While specific advising details are unmentioned, his faculty role implies active mentorship of composition students. No research laboratories or grant-funded projects are referenced in available materials.