The New York Philharmonic has commissioned Cornell doctoral student Sean Shepherd to write a musical composition, to premiere in April 2010. Before beginning work on the piece, Shepherd must finish another composition for the Cleveland Orchestra, perform his workin Warsaw, Washington and elsewhere, and finish his doctoral dissertation.

Shepherd composes "new music," a term he struggles to define. "It's a catch-all," he admits. "It catches too much, maybe. For me, classical music is challenging because if I'm not aware of what has come before me, in some ways I'm working in the dark. I think everybody has his own idea of new music. I try to do what's new for me. I don't feel bound or constricted in terms of technique. When you don't feel those burdens, your imagination is free to wander."

Nine months ago Shepherd was invited to submit his scores and recordings to the Philharmonic. "I was in Berlin and ran around to get them what they wanted." Shepherd said. "It's an unusual experience for a composer who is still in his 20s to work with the crème de la crème of the world's musicians. 'Honored' only begins to describe it." In October he received the commission.

"The roster of Cornell composers commissioned by the New York Philharmonic is select: Steve Reich, Karel Husa, Christopher Rouse," said Steven Stucky, the Given Foundation Professor of Composition and a 2005 Pulitzer Prize winner. "Sean is joining very distinguished company. Sean's current and recent successes -- the American Academy in Berlin, Cleveland Orchestra, National Symphony and many others -- are very exciting. Everybody should know that this is the tip of a pretty terrific iceberg: Our doctoral composition students are among the very brightest lights in the country, winning prizes, commissions and performances at the highest levels."

Shepherd's contract calls for him to write a 15- to 20-minute composition for 17 instruments for Contact, the New Music Series, to be conducted by the Philharmonic's new director, Alan Gilbert.

Seven composers were chosen. "I think we're going to get seven extremely different pieces, seven different perspectives on what's going on today, and seven personal ideas about what new music is," Shepherd said. "These will be cutting-edge pieces." Shepherd will spend a week rehearsing in New York before the premiere of his piece. "I like to have a working dialogue with the performers," he said. "I like having physical, tangible, social interaction with the music."

The music is due the last week of December. "The only thing that gets you from letter A to letter Z is that constant work every day," Shepherd said. "There really seems to be some subconscious machine at work in me."

He writes using a computer program, but "getting it written down is a constant source of consternation. One of the most interesting things about a composer's work is getting from the very abstract world of sound and trying to get that into a rather concrete world of musical notation."

Shepherd grew up in Reno, Nev., where at the age of 11 he began to compose. "We went to the local music shop," he recalled. "There was blank music paper sitting on one of the shelves, and I just wanted to take it. Since 11 years old I've been composing essentially nonstop. A lot of that was very untrained and very instinct-based and intuition-based. It was probably easier to write music than play the bassoon. My hands weren't big enough."

After earning a master's at Juilliard, Shepherd came to Cornell in 2004 to study for a Doctor of Musical Arts degree, which he expects to finish in August. "I came for the teachers," Shepherd said. "Steven Stucky and Roberto Sierra are a huge draw for composers looking for a professional career. They're beyond dedicated teachers. Cornell has been a huge boost professionally and personally."

For his Philharmonic debut, Shepherd's hope is to produce work he is pleased with. "Writing music for me is a very difficult, almost costly game," he said. "Emotionally, physically difficult. I lose a lot of sleep, and I work very hard on these pieces."

"Any artistic career is bound to hit some bumps. I'm waiting for the bumps to come."