Liam Cummins finds music in every moment, from the song of wind rushing through a forest to the babble of conversation, from the dripping of water to the silence of a global pandemic, from the hum of crickets on a summer night to the dings and bangs of pots and pans.
Fed by his insatiable creativity and inventive spirit, Liam’s music pays homage to time-honored traditions while also diving into unexplored territory. His many wide-ranging works include a string quartet that honors children who perished in the Holocaust, an evening-length tone poem for orchestra created in response to the global pandemic, a cello choir written for more than thirty cellists, film scores, countless improvisations in a range of styles, and even a fanfare using only household objects as instruments.
Liam’s music has been shared widely by orchestras, chamber ensembles, soloists, and students in the United States and beyond. He has also given numerous recitals at the piano, playing the classical repertoire, his own works and a range of concert improvisations. He is a passionate advocate of concert music and seeks to share his love of the art form whenever possible, programming it in new forms and surprising venues.
Liam studies at Cleveland Institute of Music, Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory and New England Conservatory. He has participated in numerous festivals and programs, including the Curtis Institute of Music’s Young Artist Summer Program, Atlantic Music Festival, Walden School, and Cleveland Institute of Music's Young Composers Program. Through these programs he has studied with luminaries such as Martin Bresnick, David Ludwig, Pierre Jalbert, Reiko Füting, Melinda Wagner, George Tsontakis, Zhou Long, and Chen Yi. He was a finalist for the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award in both 2020 and 2021. In the fall of 2021, he was named a winner of the 2022 YoungArts Award in classical music.
When not creating or sharing music, you’ll likely find Liam in the natural world, camera and notebook in hand, seeking adventure at every opportunity. In turn, these experiences away from the piano deepen and enrich his lifelong passion for music.
