Baljinder Singh Sekhon, II
The music of Baljinder Sekhon has been presented in over 600 concerts in twenty-six countries. From works for large ensemble to solo works to electronic music, Sekhon’s music demonstrates a wide range of genres and styles. His works have been performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Seoul Arts Center (Korea), and National Recital Hall (Taiwan). Eighteen commercial recordings of his work have been released, with his most recognized output being his contributions to the percussion and saxophone genres. Alchemy, the second full album of Sekhon’s work, features compositions for saxophone and was released on Innova Recordings October 22, 2021, with the first portrait album entitled Places & Times featuring works for percussion. Upcoming (fall 2026), Sekhon will serve guest composer residencies at Oberlin Conservatory and Peabody Institute.
Sekhon’s most recent wind ensemble work Remembering was premiered in Heinz Hall (Pittsburgh, PA) by the Penn State Symphonic Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Tonya Mitchell-Spradlin. Since the premiere, Remembering has received numerous performances around the United States, including those at the CBDNA Region 8 Conference (Ithaca, NY) and NYSSMA 2024 (Rochester, NY). Sekhon’s orchestral work STARS was premiered by The Florida Orchestra (Michael Francis, director) during The Florida Orchestra’s Masterworks Series Concerts. STARS received three performances to sold-out audiences at The Straz Center (Tampa, FL), Mahaffey Theater (St. Petersburg, FL), and Ruth Eckerd Hall (Clearwater, FL). The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” presented a portrait concert of Sekhon’s chamber music in Arlington, VA. His works have also been presented at the Kennedy Center and at the EurSax2017 Conference (Portugal) where he joined composer Johan de Meij as guest presenters for the Composer in First Person lectures. His recent Double Percussion Concerto (wind ensemble) and his choral work There Are No Words were both premiered at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium Perelman Stage. His orchestral work The Offering is a 22-minute, three-movement concerto for saxophone and orchestra that received its premiere by saxophonist Doug O’Connor and the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, and a recent performance at the opening concert of the North American Saxophone Alliance National Conference in 2017 with the CCM Symphony Orchestra. His work Civil Variations for orchestra was performed at the Albany Symphony’s American Music Festival in 2015 and Ancient Dust, also for orchestra, was premiered at the Cabrillo Festival for Contemporary Music where it was described as “still and mysterious, animated, haunting and peaceful” by the Epoch Times. Sekhon is regularly commissioned by ensembles and soloists from around the world. Recently, Sekhon was commissioned to compose a new ballet to celebrate the centennial of the Eastman School of Music and the 50th anniversary of the Garth Fagan Dance Company. The resulting work Dreamer has been performed regularly by ensembles around the USA since the premiere.
Sekhon currently serves as Associate Professor of Composition at Penn State University where he is head of the composition program and received the 2024 Excellence in Mentoring Award from the College of Arts and Architecture. Previously, Sekhon taught composition and electronic music at the University of South Florida where he received a 2017 Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher award. He holds the PhD and MA from the Eastman School of Music where he is a three-time recipient of the Howard Hanson Orchestral prize, and holds a BM from the University of South Carolina. Sekhon is also active as a percussionist with numerous appearances including those with the Northeastern Pennsylvania Chamber Music Society, at the L.A. Philharmonic’s Green Umbrella Series in Walt Disney Hall, Festival Spazio Musica in Cagliari, Italy, and at the Bang On a Can Marathon in New York City.
Baljinder Singh Sekhon 