Composer Tim Corpus MM ’12 will debut his double percussion concerto The Great Lake Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the direction of chief conduction Marin Alsop. The performance on July 25, at 8 p.m. at Ravinia Festival will feature soloists Ed Harrison (Lyric Opera of Chicago) and Vadim Karpinos (Chicago Symphony Orchestra).
Since earning his MM degree in music composition from Hartt, Corpus has been recognized across a broad spectrum of genres and fields. Corpus is a Filipino-American composer and arts manager, and his compositions span across concert music, film, and interactive media. His works have been performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Bolshoi Theatre, NYC MoMA, and the Auditorium Theatre, with features on BBC Radio 3, NPR, CNN Money, 98.7 WFMT, and Classical King FM. As a film and media composer, he has scored over 25 films and episodic projects, earning industry recognition from national festivals.
His album “MMXX”, a 2022 GRAMMY-selected release, was praised by critic Robert Hugill as “a striking disc.”Recent concert commissions include “Horizon’s First Light”, premiered at the 2025 Illinois Music Education Association conference, and a new balletic work with Evanston Dance Ensemble. An active arranger and orchestrator, he often prepares music for Renée Fleming, Andrea Bocelli, Placido Domingo, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Third Coast Percussion, among others.
Beyond composition, Corpus currently serves as Executive Director of the 2025 Ear Taxi Festival, the Hyde Park Youth Symphony, and co-founder/Vice-Chair of the Chicago Chapter of the Society of Composers & Lyricists. Other recent leadership roles include Executive Director for the Lake Forest Symphony, Board President of the Illinois Council of Orchestras (2018–2024) and founding member of the Opera Festival of Chicago.
Corpus has received honors from 3Arts, ASCAP, The American Prize, Illinois Arts Council, and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs among others. An advocate for Filipino music, his commitment to his Filipino heritage is evident through his research of Filipino composer Lucio D. San Pedro, presented at institutions like Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History and the University of Hartford.