Kerrith Livengood recently completed her Ph.D at the University of Pittsburgh, writing her dissertation on Morton Feldman’s setting of Samuel Beckett’s radio play Words and Music. In 2009 she won the American Philosophical Society 1st annual Composition Award for her flute, harp, and viola trio, Persiflage; she has also presented her compositions and performed works at the Music11 and Music09 Festivals in Blonay, Switzerland; June In Buffalo; and the Festival of Contemporary Music in San Francisco. A composer of a wide variety of chamber music, art songs, orchestral pieces, electronic music, graphic scores and experimental improvisations, she has also been principal flutist and chairman of the board of directors for Alia Musica Pittsburgh, a collective of young composers and performers devoted to performing and promoting new music by up-and-coming Pittsburgh composers.