Cerulean S. Payne-Passmore

Discipline: Composing

Based In: New Haven, CT

Year at Millay: 2026

Awards/Honors: Fulbright Fellowship to the Republic of Georgia (2012), the Emerging Composer Award from the Oregon Symphony (2019), and the Benjamin Franklin Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania (2020-2024).

Website: https://ceruleancomposes.com/

Cerulean is a composer and performer whose work lives at the intersection of identity, technology, and the outer edges of music. Drawing on processes of collaborative improvisation and the integration of electronics with acoustic sound, their music often navigates themes of grief, the climate crisis, and genderqueer expression, making what seems strange sound beautiful. 

Cerulean earned a PhD in Music Composition from the University of Pennsylvania. Over the past 5 years, Cerulean’s work has been presented nationally at the SEAMUS National Electro-Acoustic Music Conference (2023, 2024) and at the Society of Composers National Conference (2022, 2023), Electronic Music Midwest (2024) and MoxSonic (2024), as well as regionally by Network for New Music and the Cybersounds concert series. Recent commissions include works for Arcana New Music Ensemble. Cerulean has been recognized for their innovative use of the voice with electronics, receiving the Helen L. Weiss Music Prize in 2024.