Mary C. Wright is a composer and sound artist. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She holds degrees in composition from Princeton University (M.F.A., Ph.D.), the California Institute of the Arts (M.F.A.) and in music theory from Cleveland Institute of Music (B.M.).


The greater part of Mary Wright's compositional output is instrumental chamber music. By not aligning herself with any particular aesthetic "camp," she has maintained a unique and original voice. Nevertheless, her frequent, subtle references to popular music and the use of theatrical elements have enabled her music to appeal to a diverse audience. Her current interests and explorations include sound installations and multimedia projects.


Ms. Wright's music has been performed by the Kronos String Quartet, the California Ear Unit, Bang On A Can All-Stars, New York New Music Ensemble, and the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. She has received commissions from the MIT Symphony Orchestra, American Composers Forum, Fromm Foundation at Harvard University, the Meet the Composer/Readers Digest Commissioning Program in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Lila Wallace Readers Digest Fund, and ASCAP/Bang On A Can (In Memory of John Cage). She has received awards from the International League of Women Composers, ASCAP (Young Composers Award), and the first Margaret Blackburn Memorial Competition.