Madeline Starck

About

Education: M.M., Music Theory/Composition, University of Louisiana, B.A., Composition/Writing, Luther College.

Madeline Starck grew up in Deer River, Minnesota, where she developed her passion for music through school and community opportunities. Between community bands, choirs, and musical theater productions, Ms. Starck sought out vast arrays of musical opportunities to develop her skills in tuba, electric bass, voice, and composition, ultimately leading her to her studies at Luther College.

While at Luther, Ms. Starck was involved in the Concert Band, Symphony Orchestra, Cathedral Choir, and multiple chamber ensembles. While performing was and remains an important part of her musical identity, the passion to compose and teach music superseded performance. In receiving a Summer Research Grant in 2022, Ms. Starck utilized this opportunity to explore various methodologies behind composition more deeply, ultimately inspiring her Honors Capstone Project, Ouroboros: Birth, Life, and Death (2023). In working with faculty in both the Music and English Departments on campus, this opportunity bridged the gaps between Ms. Starck’s interest in both music and English studies.

The drive to continue her education led Ms. Starck to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she served as a graduate assistant in both Low Brass and Music Theory. Between teaching low brass and composition lessons, conducting studio ensembles, performing in ensembles, and attending, aiding, teaching, and tutoring undergraduate music theory courses, Ms. Starck obtained a vast array of practical experience alongside her coursework. Excelling in her assistantship, Ms. Starck was nominated for the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award at ULL. For her Master’s project, Ms. Starck composed a 20-minute piece for SATB choir and strings entitled Nihilism (2025), aiming to explore the expression of the themes of meaninglessness, hopelessness, and existentialism present in nihilistic beliefs.