Malik Muhammad, composer

Meet Malik

Malik appears on Show 459.

Malik Muhammad (composer),16, from Chicago, IL is currently a senior at Muhammad University of
Islam. For the past three years, Malik has been a fellow with Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative
(CMPI), first as a violinist and then as a violist. Through CMPI, he was invited to participate in
Civic Orchestra of Chicago’s composition program, where he debuted his first composition,
“Softly Blue (Suddenly) Grey.” Malik was then accepted to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s
Young Composers Initiative (YCI), where he has been studying under Jessie Montgomery since
2022.

In addition to CMPI and YCI, Malik attends the Merit School of Music’s Alice S. Pfaelzer
Conservatory Program and is a member of their chamber orchestra. He has also participated in
summer programs such as the Interlochen Arts Camp and The Elisabeth Morrow School Summer
String Festival. Malik’s chamber piece, “Recoverless,” will be featured in an upcoming
documentary titled “What’s Left Behind” about mothers who have lost their children to gun
violence in Chicago, produced by Professor Ruby Mendenhall of the University of Illinois.
In 2021, Malik and his father, Ray Muhammad, were named winners of the Carle Illinois College
of Medicine Health Make-a-Thon for their project proposal “Music to My Ears, A Balm from
Bronzeville” – a program designed to use live performance of classical music as a balm for
overburdened staff at hospitals, health clinics, and schools serving communities victimized by
COVID-19 and chronic violence. Through the support of a resulting grant, Malik was able to
provide customized stress management packages for staff at hospitals, health clinics, schools, and
businesses by performing with professional string ensembles and other young musicians in staff
break rooms. The musical intervention helped to prevent burnout and improved staff wellness,
performance, and retention.

Receiving the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award will support Malik’s music education by
covering the cost of composition and piano lessons, allowing him to attend a summer music
festival, and providing him with the resources to purchase essential composition technology and
software.

Malik is a Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist.
Scholarship Year: 2025