How many living composers do you know? My freshman year hallmate who improvises on her guitar using only four chords (because she only knows four) was probably the most gifted person in my life, until I met Zachary Romeo ’10, a member of Cornell's undergraduate composing troupe Contrapunkt!.

At my request for a preview of this Sunday’s concert, he performed a piano solo titled “January.” It began as a soothing, bright ballad, the perfect soundtrack of a beautiful sunset. Then, he picked up the pace and the tonality and rhythm became more modern and complicated; an amateur could have easily been mistaken for an excerpt of a Chopin nocturne. The composition sounded sophisticated and professional, and Romeo’s performance was tender and confident. We applauded in awe, and Romeo smiled like it’s something anyone can do. It was hard to contain my jealousy. And he’s a senior engineer???

On Tuesday night, members of Contrapunkt! gathered in a snug practice room in Lincoln Hall to rehearse for their upcoming performance. The group was founded in 2007 by Julia Adolphe ’10 and Xander Snyder ’09, and has grown steadily since then. Cornell has a very strong graduate composing program, but aside from occassional composing courses, opportunities for undergrads to create music were virtually non-existent. As a result, Contrapunkt! was born. At Contrapunkt!, undergraduate composers have the opportunity to meet other composers, discuss composition, make their own music and receive feedback from others. In addition to composers, many Contrapunkt! members are also performers. As Contrapunkt! grew, students also learned first hand the business aspects of music: booking venues, finding performers, arranging rehearsals and getting funding, “which is always challenging,” said Carly Hodes ’10.

 Experimentation seem to be the theme in contemporary music, and Contrapunkt! is certainly keeping that in mind. Their name, “Contrapunkt!” is a synthesis of “contrapunctual,” a musical term which means multiple voices, and “punkt,” as the group is often influenced by punk, jazz, rock and other modern genres. However, even a word like that isn't enough to do the group justice.

“We treat our meetings like a lab setting,” said Liza Sobel ’12. Their compositions range from more familiar arrangements such as classical cello solos and string sextets to exotic tunes performed using a Gameboy controller and world music composed for the oud, a Middle Eastern banjo. This Sunday’s performance will also feature a modern Aria from Hodes’ senior thesis, jazzed up with influences from the blues and rock and roll.

“[I enjoy composing music because] we all have melodies in our heads, and it's exciting to see them grow,” said Sobel. “For Carly, it turned into a 40 minutes opera, and for me it turned into a 10 minutes song.” When asked for their favorite composers, Contrapunkt! members named off classical masters such as Bartok and Prokofiev, but most members are instead inspired by simpler things in life, such as random thoughts and tunes that come to mind while walking down the street, or fantasy novels and “singing in the shower,” said Pallavi Basu ’13. Hodes’ opera is inspired by a dream, following a “typical” storyline about pursuing one's passion in the real world. A piece at Sunday's concert will also be dedicated to the poetry of T. S. Eliot. In the fall, Contrapunkt! will be performing at the Johnson Museum, where each member will choose a work of art and compose music about it.