Featuring over 100 composers under the age of 40, the American Composers Orchestra’s SONiC (Sounds of a New Century) Festival is energizing New York with a stellar kickoff to the season – eight days of amazing new work performed by 16 extraordinary ensembles. Yay!

Here at Q2 Music we’ve got all kinds of exclusive SONiC-related goodies for you, from concert coverage to ensemble portraits, and, of course, you can always rely on Q2 Music to provide a direct line from composer to listener -- five composers whose work is being featured on the festival stopped by the Q2 Music  studios to talk chat about their lives, their work, and the classical landscape.

Q2 Music spotlights the following five SONiC composers with interviews all next week beginning at noon:

• Monday: Andrew Norman
• Tuesday: Marcos Balter
• Wednesday: Susie Ibarra 
• Thursday: Matt Marks
• Friday: Bryce Dessner

Susie Ibarra aims to create a cultural dialogue through her music, via her innovative style and pan-cultural influences. As both a percussionist and a composer she works with a variety of ensembles, from the Susie Ibarra Quartet, in which she’s joined by musical luminaries Bridget Kibbey, Jennifer Choi, and Kathleen Supove, to her world electronics duo, Electric Kulintang, to her children’s world music outfit, Mundo Niños. As a composer, Susie’s music uses percussive sounds from around the world as well electronics, sampled field recordings, and acoustic instruments, to create a brand of music that is at once propulsive, unique and attractive.