My Bio

Christina Rusnak is a composer, explorer and cultural catalyst who draws inspiration from the world around her. Passionate about composing about place and the human experience, Rusnak seeks to integrate a sense of context into her music from a variety of sources including landscape, culture, history, ecology and art,  she strives to communicate something meaningful about the human experience through music. In that vein, she works to write music that is engaging as well as thought provoking.

Ms. Rusnak’s compositional palette includes chamber ensemble, orchestra, wind band, choral and solo pieces as well as  jazz, electro-acoustic works and short film.  She is eager to explore new challenges. In addition to composing for the Dallas Contemporary Art Museum, in 2009-10 she created a sound art series as composer-in-residence. In 2010-2011 she served as Executive Director for Orchestra 2001. An avid hiker and cultural geographer, she has been commissioned by the U.S. Forest Service, The National Park Service, and Oregon State Parks with over dozen pieces inspired by experiences in their landscapes. In 2018, Ms. Rusnak was commissioned by Kino-Lorber Films to score a silent film for the Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers series. She worked with cultural groups and tribal communities along the Columbia River to compose Wy’am, musically depicting the oldest continuously inhabited place on the North American continent. Rusnak’s work has been performed by amazing musicians at many festivals and concerts across the country. Videos on YouTube

A passionate writer and advocate for new music and place, Rusnak’s essays have been published in a variety of sources including New Music Box, Oregon Arts Watch, and the Journal of the International Alliance for Women in Music. Ms. Rusnak serves on the board of the International Alliance for Women in Music and on the advisory board of Signal Fire Arts. Her recordings are available through Amazon, Ariel and Parma Recordings, and Naxos. Her music is published by Rusnak Music Press. (Full biography below)