What Is Noise is an award-winning contemporary music ensemble that has performed extensively throughout the United States since 2014, when it made its Carnegie Hall debut as part of the American Stories concert tour. That tour included performances in Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and New York, and marked the beginning of the ensemble’s mission to connect audiences with the music of our time.

In celebration of their 10th Anniversary Season, What Is Noise presented a landmark concert at Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium, featuring performances by Young Artist Spotlight Winners and Composer Spotlight winner Willie Cornish, Jr. This concert highlighted the ensemble’s continued dedication to fostering the next generation of performers and composers through meaningful collaboration and mentorship.

As a non-profit organization, What Is Noise seeks to build community through music by presenting culturally relevant concerts that bridge the gap between audiences, musicians, and composers. The ensemble is widely recognized for championing new works by emerging composers and providing platforms for diverse artistic voices. They have collaborated with esteemed composers including Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Lansing McLoskey, David T. Little, Rob Smith, Daniel Whitworth, Roger Zare, Don Freund, Edward Knight, Tania León, Katherine Hoover, and Jennifer Higdon, among others. According to composer Don Freund, What Is Noise possesses “the kind of energy and ability to project ideas that really captivates an audience.”

The ensemble has released two albums for international commercial distribution: their debut recording Equivocal Duration (Centaur Records, 2019), and their forthcoming sophomore album Temporal Echoes, on PARMA Recordings in April 2026.

What Is Noise currently serves as ensemble-in-residence at Furman University (2023–2026). Previous residencies include The Parish School in Texas (2020–2021), the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County in Maryland (2018–2019), the Young Composers Competition at Webster University in St. Louis (2016), and the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra in Branson, Missouri (2015).

 The ensemble has performed at a wide range of prestigious venues and festivals, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Florida State University Biennial Festival of New Music, Berklee College of Music, Boston Arts Academy, Longy School of Music at Bard College, University of Houston, University of Akron, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina at Asheville, George Mason University, University of Alabama in Huntsville, University of Missouri, and Hope College, among others. 

Formed in 2013, the ensemble’s name draws inspiration from Jacques Attali’s Noise: The Political Economy of Music, which argues that music has lost some of its inherent social value as it has become commodified. What Is Noise seeks to reclaim that value by creating meaningful connections between composers, performers, and communities through live performance, collaboration, and educational outreach.

Board of Directors:
Joshua Burel, President
Anastasia Christofakis, Vice President
Justin Page, Treasurer
Cholong Park, Secretary
Keith Hendricks
Lindsey Goodman
Lina Serpil Rotchadl
Dila Serpil
Bob Evans