Viet Cuong

Short Bios

250 words

Described as “alluring” and “stirring” by The New York Times, the music of Vietnamese-American composer Viet Cuong (b. 1990) draws upon sincerity, wonder, and the spirit of invention to create works that resonate emotionally, embrace the unexpected, and celebrate our shared humanity. Grounded in a belief that craft and communication are inseparable, his music is brought to life through vibrant colors, rhythmic vitality, and inventive orchestration, with every phrase shaped in service of expressive clarity.

Cuong’s music has found homes with chamber ensembles like Eighth Blackbird and Sandbox Percussion, orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and wind ensembles including the Dallas Winds and U.S. Navy Band—all while remaining a familiar presence in university music programs and high school band rooms. Working across such varied musical worlds has produced an iterative process in which ideas invite further inquiry, resulting in a body of work where they echo, intersect, and evolve across works, instrumentations, and time.

Performed across six continents, Cuong’s work has been heard at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Center, as well as on NPR Music’s Tiny Desk, PBS NewsHour, and Performance Today. His pieces for wind ensemble alone have garnered over one thousand performances. Among Cuong’s distinctions are the Goddard Lieberson Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Barlow Prize, the William D. Revelli Award, and the Frederick Fennell Prize. He holds degrees from Princeton University (PhD), the Curtis Institute of Music (AD), and the Peabody Conservatory (BM/MM).

80 words

Called “stirring” by The New York Times, the music of Viet Cuong (b. 1990) draws upon sincerity and wonder to create works that resonate emotionally, embrace the unexpected, and celebrate our shared humanity. Grounded in a belief that craft and communication are inseparable, he shapes every phrase in service of expressive clarity. His work has been performed across six continents by ensembles ranging from the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Eighth Blackbird to the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Dallas Winds.