Alarm Will Sound is a 20-member chamber orchestra that focuses on recordings and performances of contemporary classical music. Its performances have been described as "equal parts exuberance, nonchalance, and virtuosity" by the Financial Times and as "a triumph of ensemble playing" by the San Francisco Chronicle. The New York Times said that Alarm Will Sound is "one of the most vital and original ensembles on the American music scene." Alarm Will Sound's repertoire ranges from European to American works, from the arch-modernist to the pop-influenced. The group has worked with contemporary composers, premiering pieces by Steve Reich, John Adams, John Luther Adams, Tyondai Braxton, David Lang, Tyshawn Sorey, David T. Little, Michael Harrison, Cenk Ergün, Aaron Jay Kernis, Michael Gordon, Scott Johnson, Augusta Read Thomas, Stefan Freund, John Orfe, Caleb Burhans, Dennis Desantis, Wolfgang Rihm, and Tyshawn Sorey. History Alarm Will Sound was founded at the Eastman School of Music in 1996 by graduating members of Eastman's new music ensemble, Ossia. The group's first concert was on May 24, 2001, when they performed Steve Reich's pieces Tehillim and The Desert Music with Ossia. From 2004 to 2007, they were musical artists-in-residence at Dickinson College. ASCAP recognized Alarm Will Sound with its Concert Music Award in 2006 for "the virtuosity, passion and commitment with which they perform and champion the repertory for the 21st century." After two recordings of music written by Steve Reich in 2001 and 2002, Alarm Will Sound's 2005 album Acoustica features acoustic arrangements of music by Aphex Twin. Their 2009 album a/rhythmia, released on Nonesuch Records is an eclectic mix of rhythmically complex music by Benedict Mason, Michael Gordon, György Ligeti, Mochipet, Johannes Ciconia, Conlon Nancarrow, Harrison Birtwistle, Josquin des Prez, and Autechre. In 2010, the group collaborated with Dirty Projectors to develop and perform The Getty Address in its new identity as a live performance piece at Lincoln Center, Disney Hall and the Barbican Centre. Music that Dirty Projectors front-man Dave Longstreth created on a computer by meticulous and complicated sampling, looping and layering was translated and arranged by Matt Marks, Alan Pierson, and Chris Thompson for 23 musicians of both bands. Since 2010, the group has been the ensemble in residence at the Mizzou International Composers Festival in Columbia, Missouri, hosted by the University of Missouri School of Music. As the resident ensemble, they have premiered 8 works each year by the festival's resident composers