Veronica “Vonnie” Kao is a composer from Boston, Massachusetts whose works make up a mosaic of styles and whose pieces include motivic-based writing and foregrounding colors that spin out organically into poetic phrases.  Taking inspiration from a variety of contemporary musical styles, folk musics, literature, and human psychology, her compositions can move freely between free timbral exploration, quasi-tonal lyricism, and punchy, energetic, and rustic folk-inspired styles.  Her music has been performed internationally and throughout the United States.  Veronica has a Platinum Prize and the Artistic Visionary Special Award from the Beethoven International Music Competition S1 2023 and was a finalist in the International Artists Competition.  Her choral composition “Two-Headed Calf” was the winning composition of the U.S. Navy’s 2023 Alton Adams Award for Emerging Composers.  She holds a B.A. from Williams College where she studied composition with Zachary Wadsworth and is currently pursuing graduate studies at the Boston Conservatory with Mischa Salkind-Pearl.  Veronica also remains an avid performer on flute and piccolo in various ensembles and holds a certification in Early Childhood Education.