Frances Pollock ’19 MusM

Frances Pollock is a composer whose work has been programmed by festivals and opera companies across the United States. Pollock is also the CEO of Midnight Oil Collective (MOC), a venture studio that incubates, accelerates, and invests in art and entertainment. To date, MOC has invested in ten arts and entertainment ventures and has created jobs for over 300 artists.

Originally from North Carolina, Pollock’s music digs its roots into jazz, blues, gospel, folk, and a variety of other styles. Her music has been performed all over the country by the Bridge Ensemble, Prima Volta, The North Carolina Governor’s School, Divine Waters Ensemble, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, and many others. In 2016, Pollock was commissioned by the Washington National Opera to write a one-act opera entitled What Gets Kept as part of the Kennedy Center’s American Opera Initiative Festival.

Pollock holds a BM in theory and composition from Furman University where she studied with Dr. Mark Kilstofte. She graduated from the Peabody Conservatory with an MusM in vocal performance under the tutelage of Dr. Steve Rainbolt. She also earned an MusM in composition from the Yale School of Music and is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in composition at Yale.