Faculty Profile
Katherine Pukinskis Kate Pukinskis teaches composition and theory at Longy School of Music. Her work has been premiered by Grammy-nominated performers such as Eighth Blackbird and Spektral Quartet, as well as members of the Chicago Symphony Chorus and San Antonio Symphony. She has been involved in a variety of cross-genre projects that combine her passion for composition, research and storytelling through music. We often have a really romantic idea of musical transformation—like you’ll hear a piece of music and have your world open up. But really, transformation happens on all sorts of scales, and it happens all the time at Longy. Some of my favorite moments in the classroom are when I see students’ concept of music change just a little bit. As a teacher, you get to see the small changes in perspective that lead towards larger transformation. Every day in my work I’m challenged to meet my students where they are in the moment and let go of the way I’ve experienced things. Exploring other art and genres helps us understand the infinite ways we can make sense of our own lives and, as result, form deeper connections with those around us. Every semester I have my students submit a list of songs they want to explore, and we get to see so many different facets to creativity.
