Pulse is a federation of award-winning composers who inspire and support each other in questioning and assaulting musical conventions and traditions in order to create music that bursts through categories.

Pulse began in May 2004, when founder and Artistic Director Joseph C. Phillips Jr. assembled a group of composers — including Darcy James Argue, Jamie Begian, JC Sanford, Joshua Shneider, and Yumiko Sunami — who shared his commitment to music that defies categorization: music that has no rigid divisions or categories. Music more plastic and fluid in its combination of jazz, contemporary ‘classical’, and ‘popular’ genres creating a highly expressive, engaging, and refreshing group not bound or defined by any one musical style.

The Pulse performing ensemble varies from project to project. Featuring some of the finest musicians in New York City, the Pulse musicians have also performed with Philip Glass, Charles Mingus, Alarm Will Sound, Gil Evans, Steve Reich, Wynton Marsalis, David Bowie, the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Fred Hersch, Bill Evans, Joe Lovano, Maria Schneider, Dawn Upshaw, Terence Blanchard, Gamelan Dharma Swara, Paul Nash, John Abercrombie and Michael Brecker.

Collectively, the composers of Pulse have been honored by BMI, ASCAP, SOCAN, the National Endowment of the Arts, the International Association of Jazz Education, Down Beat magazine, Meet the Composer, and the American Composers Forum. Their music has been performed at concert halls, music clubs, universities, and conservatories by orchestras and ensembles throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.

Through regular concert performances and collaborative projects with dance choreographers, video artists, photographers, poets and writers, as well as other composers and musicians, Pulse continually seeks to challenge and inspire each other and listeners.