Cassi Sturm

Cassi Sturm is an organizer, composer, and instrument builder based in Denver, Colorado. She has worked with a variety of organizations including the Denver Performing Arts Complex, the LA Philharmonic, QORDS, The Industry LA, and Coaxial Arts to develop and support unique, interdisciplinary, and inclusive experiences across a variety of mediums. She is dedicated to uplifting the work of all musicians and artists, connecting them with new audiences.

In her own work, she designs and builds absurd, speculative instruments that explore how instrument design not only impacts sound and performance, but can also be a platform for social critique and self-exploration. Many of her creations make use of unconventional interfaces that challenge cultural norms and ask participants to confront their expectations about design and musicianship. She uses algorithmic processes, chaotic acoustics, and cybernetic circuitry to imbue her inventions with autonomy that blurs the line between creator, performer, and instrument.

Her recent projects include an augmented alto saxophone, an instrument that manipulates radio signals from outer space, and a drawing synthesizer. She has performed and presented these inventions with a variety of organizations, including ISIM, Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt, M.A.R.S. Festival, and High Desert Soundings. 

Alongside her practice, she passionately supports her local creative community as an organizer and educator. Currently, she works as a House Manager at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, helping organizations like Opera Colorado, Colorado Ballet, DCPA, and then Colorado Symphony to create a safe and inclusive environment for their patrons. She has also worked as an adjunct lecturer at CalArts, where she taught has taught a variety of courses on everything from software development for musicians, to baroque counterpoint, to the history of noise music. 

Sturm holds an MFA in Composition and Integrated Media from CalArts and a BM in Composition and Theory from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music.