Charles Peck is a composer whose work centers on the physicality and nuance of live performance, but draws inspiration from electronic sounds and processes. His music, spanning a range of chamber and large ensembles, has been performed by the Minnesota Orchestra, the Albany and Columbus Symphonies, the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the JACK Quartet, and Sandbox Percussion. Recently awarded fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Peck has also received commissions from the Fromm Foundation, the Barlow Endowment, the McKnight Foundation, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Alarm Will Sound, the New York Youth Symphony, the Bergamot Quartet, and Ji Hye Jung. His music has been featured at a variety of venues and festivals, including Carnegie Hall, Chicago’s Symphony Center, the Aspen and Cabrillo Festivals, the Beijing Modern Music Festival, and the Tribeca New Music Festival, among others. Peck is a member of the composition faculty at the University of Pittsburgh.
While at MacDowell, Peck worked on extending his percussion, string quartet, and video piece "Superhuman", which was performed at the Nief-Norf Festival in Knoxville in June 2026. He also worked on a new commission for the Grossman Ensemble, which will premiere in Chicago in December 2026.
