about

photo credit: Emma Foster

full bio (550 words)

The "spellbinding" (Washington Post) music of Chicago-based composer Paul Novak immerses listeners in shimmering and subtly crafted musical worlds full of color, motion, light, and magic. His recent projects engage with dreams and memory, queer identity, climate change and the natural world, and psychosomatic illness.

From 2026-2029, Novak will serve as composer-in-residence of the California Symphony, where he will collaborate with the orchestra and music director Donato Cabrera on three new commissions over the course of his three-season residency. His 25/26 season includes premieres and performances by Orchestra of St. Luke's, International Contemporary Ensemble, Alarm Will Sound, Chicago Composers Orchestra, the JACK, Formosa, Balourdet, Attacca, Alinea, and Varo Quartets, ZOFO, Blackbox Ensemble, and more. Novak's recent projects include forest migrations, an orchestral piece commissioned by American Composers Orchestra inspired by the movement of forests around the world in response to environmental threats; impossible inventions, commissioned by Balourdet Quartet, which reimagines a string quartet as a series of fantastical sci-fi machines; and seven dreams about my body, a “stunning fantasia” (ICIYL) suite of microtonal interludes for Blackbox Ensemble inspired by his strange recurring dreams during the pandemic. Novak’s other recent collaborators include the Reno Philharmonic, Austin Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, U.S. Army Band, Grossman Ensemble, Music from Copland House, DanceWorks Chicago, Sandbox Percussion, Ekmeles, Quince Ensemble, Decoda, Earplay, Musiqa, Left Coast Ensemble, cellists Dmitri Atapine and Alexander Hersh, and Quatuor Diotima. His music has been heard at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, New World Center, and Chicago's Symphony Center.

Novak's honors include a Fromm Foundation Commission, a Barlow Endowment Commission, and an Underwood/Earshot Commission; other recent recognition includes several ASCAP Morton Gould Awards and BMI Composer Awards, and awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Martirano Competition, SCI/ASCAP Commission, Red Note Competition, League of Composers/ISCM, Left Coast Ensemble, Lake George Music Festival, and National Association of Composers of the USA. He has received fellowships from MacDowell, Aspen, Norfolk, Copland House, Millay, and I-Park, and was featured in the Washington Post's "23 for '23: Composers and Performers to Watch this Year," where he was praised for his "impressive range and restless energy" in a catalog spanning "lithe, elastic vocal pieces...vibrant orchestral works...and evocative etudes for string quartet."

Novak is the co-artistic director and flutist of Chicago-based ensemble Mycelium New Music, which presents imaginative, multidisciplinary performances of contemporary music that showcase diverse emerging voices. Highlights of Mycelium’s 25/26 season include collaborations with pioneering composer-performer Pamela Z, visual artist Ruby Que, yangqin player Cheng Jin Koh, and soprano Kristina Bachrach, and compositions by rising star composers including Saad Haddad, Baldwin Giang, Sofia Jen Ouyang, and Charles Peck.

Collaboration and interdisciplinarity are at the center of Novak's creative practice, and his recent work has been driven by a passion for working with text, an attunement to the embodied experiences of musicians, and a fascination with collective, social aspects of performance. His work draws inspiration from literature, visual art, dance, and poetry, from biological and astronomical phenomena, and from history and myth. His recent projects have included collaborations with poets, visual artists, dancers, choreographers, and a spoken word artist.

Originally from Reno, NV, he completed his undergraduate studies at Rice University, and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago, where he studies with Augusta Read Thomas. www.paulnovakmusic.com/

Novak's full CV is available here (updated Dec. 2025).

medium bio (250 words)

The "spellbinding" (Washington Post) music of Chicago-based composer Paul Novak immerses listeners in shimmering and subtly crafted musical worlds full of color, motion, light, and magic. His recent projects engage with dreams and memory, queer identity, climate change and the natural world, and psychosomatic illness.

From 2026-2029, Novak will serve as composer-in-residence of the California Symphony, where he will collaborate with the orchestra and music director Donato Cabrera on three new commissions over the course of his three-season residency. Novak's 25/26 season includes premieres and performances by Orchestra of St. Luke's, International Contemporary Ensemble, Chicago Composers Orchestra, the Balourdet, JACK, Formosa, and Varo Quartets, ZOFO, Blackbox Ensemble, and more. His other recent collaborators include American Composers Orchestra, Reno Philharmonic, Austin Symphony, Chicago Civic Orchestra, Music from Copland House, DanceWorks Chicago, Sandbox Percussion, Ekmeles, Quince Ensemble, Decoda, and Left Coast Ensemble. His music has been heard at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, New World Center, and Chicago's Symphony Center.

Novak has received a Fromm Commission, a Barlow Commission, and an Underwood Commission, as well as awards from the ASCAP, BMI, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Red Note, League of Composers, and more. He has received fellowships from Aspen, Norfolk, Copland House, Millay, and I-Park, and was featured in the Washington Post's "23 for '23: Composers and Performers to Watch this Year," where he was praised for his "impressive range and restless energy" in a catalog spanning "lithe, elastic vocal pieces...vibrant orchestral works...and evocative etudes for string quartet."

Novak is the co-artistic director and flutist of Chicago-based ensemble Mycelium New Music, which is committed to presenting imaginative, multidisciplinary performances of contemporary music that showcase diverse emerging voices. Originally from Reno, NV, he is a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago. www.paulnovakmusic.com/

short bio (100 words)

The "spellbinding" (Washington Post) music of Chicago-based composer Paul Novak immerses listeners in shimmering and subtly crafted musical worlds full of color, motion, light, and magic. His recent projects engage with dreams and memory, queer identity, climate change and the natural world, and psychosomatic illness. Novak has been commissioned by and collaborated with orchestras, chamber ensembles, and musicians around the world. He has received awards from the Fromm Foundation, Barlow Endowment, ASCAP, BMI, American Academy of Arts and Letters, and more. He is 2026-29 composer-in-residence of the California Symphony, the co-artistic director and flutist of Chicago-based ensemble Mycelium New Music, and is a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago. www.paulnovakmusic.com/