Student Composer Wins CNME Call for Scores
April 08, 2026
The LSU School of Music's Constantinides New Music Ensemble (CNME) is proud to announce that K. Tiser Blankenship, a first-year Master of Music (MM) student, has been selected as the winner of the 2025-26 CNME Call for Scores. Ty's winning work, Buzzards, will receive its world premiere performance this Thursday, April 9th, 2026 at 7:30pm in room 115 in the School of Music building as part of the CNME's spring concert.
About K. Tiser Blankenship & Buzzards
K. Tiser Blankenship
K. Tiser Blankenship, also known as Ty, is a first-year Master of Music student at the LSU School of Music's composition program. Ty holds a Bachelor of Music from University of Louisiana at Monroe with concentrations in theory and composition. Ty's compositional work centers on creating musical narratives that draw from a wide range of subjects, from natural phenomena to personal anecdotes – an approach that is very much on display in Buzzards. The CNME Call for Scores win marks Ty's first major recognition while at LSU.
Buzzards is a nine-minute work scored for flute, bass clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion. The piece will be performed by:
- Pedro Mujica, flute
- Endurance-Malcom Badejo, bass clarinet
- Elizabeth Sutherland, violin
- Raudol Palacios, cello
- Chia-Hui Tu, piano
- Melissa Wilson, percussion
The Call for Scores
This year's CNME Call for Scores featured an updated format that included an external reviewer, Gilad Cohen, alongside the ensemble's leadership. Submissions were evaluated in December and the Call received an impressive number of competitive student works. In addition to Cohen, the panel also consisted of faculty member Nanci Belmont and Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra oboist Stuart Breczinski. Ty also received a cash prize of $500 along with the honor of having Buzzards premiered by the CNME
The Constantinides New Music Ensemble
The Constantinides New Music Ensemble (CNME) bears the name of Dr. Dinos Constantinides (1929–2021), a masterful composer, violinist, and conductor whose extraordinary tenure at the LSU School of Music spanned more than five decades. Dr. Constantinides began teaching at LSU in 1966, held the rank of Boyd Professor — the university's highest academic honor — from 1986 until his passing, and directed LSU's Festival of Contemporary Music for 22 years. In 2017, he and his wife, Judy, established the Constantinides New Music Ensemble Endowment, creating the ensemble that carries on his legacy of championing new music and student composers.
True to that spirit, the CNME consists of highly skilled and flexible musicians who work regularly with faculty and guest artists to explore readings of student and faculty compositions, community engagement, multidisciplinary works, guest artist residencies, and other related ventures. The ensemble is currently under the direction of Nanci Belmont, Assistant Professor of Bassoon, with assistance from Mara Gibson, Associate Professor and Coordinator of Student Composition.
The Constantinides New Music Ensemble's spring concert takes place Thursday, April 9, 2026, at 7:30pm in SOM 115. The full program also features works by Ken Topham, Julius Eastman, Lou Harrison, Sky Macklay, and Missy Mazzoli. Admission is free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other upcoming events, visit lsu.edu/cmda/events or follow us on social media.