Brandon Morrison Named SMU-ISO Composer-in-Residence for 2026–27

For Brandon Morrison, an upcoming orchestral premiere represents more than a professional milestone. It is an opportunity to share his Native American heritage through music, bringing the traditions of his family's Mvskoke (Creek) Nation to the concert stage.

Morrison, who graduated from Meadows with a B.M. in both Music Composition and Viola Performance in 2025 and is currently pursuing his M.M. in Music Composition, has been selected as the 2026–27 SMU-ISO Composer-in-Residence for the Irving Symphony Orchestra (ISO), where his original work, Dance of the Mvskoke, will premiere on November 14 under the direction of fellow Meadows alum Héctor Guzmán (M.M. Instrumental Conducting ’83).

Established in 2012, the SMU-ISO Composer-in-Residence program provides Meadows music composition students with the opportunity to compose original works for the ISO, gaining firsthand experience collaborating with professional musicians and bringing their compositions to the concert stage.

“Being chosen as the SMU-ISO Composer-in-Residence means everything to me,” says Morrison. “This will be my first time writing a commissioned piece for a professional orchestra, which has been a dream of mine since I started writing music over a decade ago.”


Morrison performs a viola solo written for his SMU composition seminar class.

The composition is the first in a planned trilogy of orchestral works inspired by the music of Morrison's Native American tribe, which also serves as the foundation of his master's thesis. Inspired by the concert's theme celebrating America's 250th anniversary, Morrison saw an opportunity to honor his own cultural roots through the music.

Dance of the Mvskoke incorporates elements of the Stomp Dance, a traditional ceremonial dance featuring call-and-response singing and a distinctive rhythm created by shakers worn by female dancers. Morrison recently participated in a Stomp Dance ceremony with members of his tribe, an experience that has deeply influenced his approach to the composition.

His extensive experience as both a composer and violist has also shaped his musical perspective. Over the past three summers, Morrison has participated in the National Orchestral Institute and Festival (NOI+F) as a Viola Fellow, performing alongside talented musicians from conservatories across the United States and abroad. During the 2026 festival, Morrison performed as principal viola in a concert featuring Ottorino Respighi's Roman Trilogy, drawing particular inspiration from Pines of Rome while developing Dance of the Mvskoke.


Morrison (left) poses with the NOI+F viola section and conductor Marin Alsop at Carnegie Hall this past summer.

Lane Harder (B.M. Music Composition ’99), senior lecturer and co-chair of music theory and composition at Meadows, believes Morrison's combination of orchestral performance experience and cultural background makes him particularly well-suited for the SMU-ISO residency.

“His knowledge of the orchestra from having played inside one for so long at a very high level informs his writing in subtle and effective ways,” explains Harder. “Brandon's use of the Muscogee's musical materials as an integral part of his work further integrates his dual experience in Native and Western musics and brings this fusion to audiences in a way that is uniquely his.”

Harder notes that the Meadows composition program emphasizes foundational techniques, orchestration and professional standards of musical notation to prepare students for opportunities like the SMU-ISO residency.

“As a real orchestral residency with the Irving Symphony Orchestra, we hold them to the same standards that they will encounter in a professional setting,” he says. “This residency really is a launching pad for students' professional careers as orchestral composers.”

Harder is also an active composer whose works continue to reach audiences beyond Meadows. On November 1, two of his works were featured in a performance by the Indiana University Percussion Ensemble: his original marimba sextet, Circus Plenus Clamor Ingens Ianuae Tensae, and his transcription of the fugue from Samuel Barber's Sonata for Piano. The performance continues a longstanding artistic relationship between Harder and the ensemble, which has performed several of his compositions over the years.

For Morrison, the upcoming premiere marks an exciting step toward a professional career in composition. Beyond the opportunity to collaborate with the Irving Symphony Orchestra and Guzmán, he is already exploring the possibility of another orchestral performance of Dance of the Mvskoke during the 2027–28 season.

As he continues developing his trilogy of works inspired by Mvskoke music, the residency offers Morrison a meaningful opportunity to bring his musical and cultural influences together on a professional stage, sharing a deeply personal composition with a new audience.