MIC Faculty Member Mischa Zupko Releases New Album, In Sympathy, on Cedille Records

Music Institute of Chicago faculty member and composer Mischa Zupko is celebrating the release of a new album, In Sympathy, arriving November 13 on Cedille Records. Featuring collaborations with saxophonist Timothy McAllister, MIC Resident Ensemble Civitas Ensemble , and ~Nois Quartet, the album brings together more than two decades of musical partnerships and creative discovery.

Mischa has taught Music Theory at the Academy for twenty years, and was also one of MIC's past Composers in Residence. The title work received its premiere at Nichols Concert Hall in May 2025, giving the album a particularly meaningful connection to the Music Institute of Chicago.

Mischa's music has been commissioned, premiered, and championed by leading orchestras and ensembles across the United States, including the Grant Park Symphony and Chorus, Minnesota Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, New York Youth Symphony, Civitas Ensemble, Fulcrum Point New Music Project, Western Brass Quintet, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, American Modern Ensemble, Camerata Chicago, St. Olaf Band, Eighth Blackbird, Corigliano Quartet and the Lincoln Trio. Other significant commissions have come from the Fromm Foundation, the Barlow Endowment and the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival.  His works have been featured at Carnegie Hall, Weill Hall, Merkin Hall, Ravinia, Segerstrom Hall, and the Moscow Conservatory, as well as major festivals including the Aspen Music Festival and the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival.

His new album centers on the world-premiere recording of In Sympathy, written for McAllister and Civitas’ combined instrumentation of saxophone, violin, cello, and piano, with the addition of nine tuned, resonating wine glasses. 

“The principle of sympathetic resonance—where a vibration from one source causes the same vibration in another—represents in a physical way what this album means to me," Mischa shares. "It’s ultimately about relationships and how they can become so much more than the sum of their parts, creating things that could only be imagined otherwise.”

We’re excited to celebrate this milestone and congratulate Mischa on the release of In Sympathy! We’re proud to see his work and creativity continue to reach new audiences. In Sympathy can be streamed here.

Watch the full interview: