CODY RAY is a freelance composer, conductor, performer, and educator currently serving as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Western Michigan University. Cody performs in the Aero Brass Quintet and is a regular substitute musician for Kalamazoo College. In the spring of 2019, he received a Bachelor of Music from the University of Akron. During his time at UA, he performed with the University of Akron Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Chamber Orchestra, Brass Choir, New Music Ensemble, The Cleveland Philharmonic, the Avenue Brass Quintet, and the University of Akron Faculty Brass Quintet. Cody has enjoyed the opportunity to perform with guest musicians including Nestor Torres, Alexis Cole, Joseph Alessi, John Fedchock and others. He has competed as both a quarter and semi-finalist in the National Trumpet Competition. Cody's primary trumpet instructors have included Dr. Robert White, Dr. Joshua Ganger, Mark Maliniak, Scott Johnston, and Dr. Mark Dulin. He has also had the privilege to participate in numerous masterclasses with world class artists such as Justin Emerich, Michael Sachs, Jack Sutte, Mark Hughes, and Hunter Eberly.
Cody is the founder and Executive/Artistic Director of N.E.O. SOUND, a new music organization in North East Ohio focused on performing new music, collaborating with local artists, and creating a strong sense of community. As a composer, he has collaborated with numerous ensembles including the Grammy Award winning Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Arizona State University Wind Ensemble, Western Michigan University Symphony Orchestra, The Oberlin Conservatory Brass Ensemble, The University of Akron Brass Choir, and The University of Akron Symphony Orchestra to name a few. His works have been featured at the North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conference, the Akron New Music Festival, and Cleveland's NEOSONIC fest. He has enjoyed the pleasure of receiving numerous commissions throughout his undergraduate and graduate career by both student and professional groups. Cody was the winner of the University of Akron's Composition Competition, the recipient of the James P. and Maureen C. Kovach Scholarship for the Performing Arts, and a finalist for the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composers Award. His primary composition teachers have included Dr. Lisa Coons, Dr. Richard Adams, Dr. Nikola Resanovic, Dr. Robert Brownlow and Dr. Daniel McCarthy. In addition, he has participated in masterclasses with Dr. Jordan Pal, Dr. Anthony Donofrio, Dr. Andrew Boysen, and Mark Camphouse.
Cody is the founder and Executive/Artistic Director of N.E.O. SOUND, a new music organization in North East Ohio focused on performing new music, collaborating with local artists, and creating a strong sense of community. As a composer, he has collaborated with numerous ensembles including the Grammy Award winning Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Arizona State University Wind Ensemble, Western Michigan University Symphony Orchestra, The Oberlin Conservatory Brass Ensemble, The University of Akron Brass Choir, and The University of Akron Symphony Orchestra to name a few. His works have been featured at the North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conference, the Akron New Music Festival, and Cleveland's NEOSONIC fest. He has enjoyed the pleasure of receiving numerous commissions throughout his undergraduate and graduate career by both student and professional groups. Cody was the winner of the University of Akron's Composition Competition, the recipient of the James P. and Maureen C. Kovach Scholarship for the Performing Arts, and a finalist for the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composers Award. His primary composition teachers have included Dr. Lisa Coons, Dr. Richard Adams, Dr. Nikola Resanovic, Dr. Robert Brownlow and Dr. Daniel McCarthy. In addition, he has participated in masterclasses with Dr. Jordan Pal, Dr. Anthony Donofrio, Dr. Andrew Boysen, and Mark Camphouse.