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Cindy Cox
Professor of Music at UC Berkeley
Cindy Cox is a prominent composer and professor of music at the University of California, Berkeley. Here are some key details about her career and accomplishments:
Academic Career
Cindy Cox is currently a Professor in the Music Department at UC Berkeley.13 She previously served as Chair of the Music Department from 2014 to 2020 and as Associate Dean of Arts & Humanities in 2021.4 Cox recently retired from her position at UC Berkeley in 2024.4
Compositional Style and Influences
Cox's compositions are known for their:
- Synthesis of old and new musical designs
- Inspiration from the natural world and ecological processes
- Use of special harmonies and textural colorations
- Incorporation of technologies developed at UC Berkeley's Center for New Music and Audio Technologies (CNMAT)25
Her work is described as "transparent yet complex" and "both radical and traditional".1
Notable Works and Performances
Some of Cox's notable compositions include:
- Sylvan Pieces
- Hierosgamos: Seven Studies in Harmony and Resonance
- The Blackbird whistling/Or just after
- Pianos (for keyboard sampler/piano, large ensemble, and live electronics)
- Dreaming a world's edge (premiered by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in 2022)2
Her music has been performed by renowned ensembles such as the Kronos Quartet, the National Symphony, and the California Symphony.2
Awards and Recognition
Cox has received numerous awards and commissions, including:
- American Academy of Arts and Letters
- Fromm Foundation
- National Endowment for the Arts
- Guggenheim Foundation
- Fulbright Foundation2
She has also been a Fellow at prestigious institutions like Tanglewood, Aspen, and the MacDowell Colony.1
Recordings and Publications
There are five monograph recordings of Cox's music, and her scores are published by World a Tuning Fork Press. A recording of her complete string quartets by the Alexander Quartet was released on the Naxos label in 2015.1
Throughout her career, Cindy Cox has made significant contributions to contemporary classical music as both a composer and educator, leaving a lasting impact on the field and her students at UC Berkeley.

