From his first violin lesson to composing his own music, Utah Valley University (UVU) alum Joe Osterstock has come a long way in his musical journey. Now, he’s taking the next step onto the national stage for his original composition in the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers (ASMAC) 2025 Pat Williams Composing and Arranging Student Competition.
Osterstock’s winning piece, “Aria,” is a piano trio composition, written and arranged for piano, cello, and violin. Originally written as a commissioned memorial to the life and work of Salt Lake City’s own Valter Nassi of Valter’s Osteria, Osterstock submitted to the competition last year and received recognition in October of 2025.
“I was honestly so shocked when I found out I won,” said Osterstock with a laugh. “I was cleaning out my email. You know, getting rid of ads, random spam, and then bam! There it was. It’s a great honor to receive the recognition.”
A Salt Lake City native himself, Osterstock has been playing violin since he was four years old, although he plays other instruments now too, including the piano. He first gained an interest in composing around 12 years old. It wasn’t until right before graduating high school, however, that he began to consider music as a potential career.
“One of my old high school teachers, Tim McMurray, gave me the idea to pursue music,” credited Osterstock. “He told my parents and me at a parent-teacher conference, ‘Hey, he’s got really great potential and could go far.’ Having someone outside my family show their support for me like that was life-changing.” McMurray now teaches as the Assistant Professor of Music Education and Orchestra Director at Converse University in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
As a former UVU School of the Arts Commercial Music major, Osterstock said the program shaped his ability to compose, giving him essential skills he wouldn’t have had without training from top industry leaders and faculty. The program at UVU stood out to him compared to others because the curriculum emphasized not only classical composition but also writing for modern genres, like pop and electronic music.
Osterstock also had glowing reviews for the faculty of the program and the Department of Music as a whole.
“The Commercial Music program has some of the best teachers who care about their students’ success,” said Osterstock. “Charlie Han and Todd Sorenson, especially, spent hours giving me one-on-one instruction throughout my education. And then, Dr. Donna Fairbanks was also a big influence in choosing UVU, as I consider her one of the best violin pedagogues in Utah.”
After earning his Bachelor of Music (BM) in Commercial Music from UVU, Osterstock was accepted into a highly selective graduate film scoring program at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, and has continued to develop his composition skills and process. He compared composing to the complexity of writing a novel, each motif, chord progression, and rhythmic phrase a character along a journey.
“While I like to practice writing out whole songs, more often than not, I am combining pieces I create together, weaving them into a story,” said Osterstock. He is set to graduate this year and recently completed his Master’s recital, in which he composed, performed, and conducted original film scores, chamber music, and piano solos for his presentation.
After graduating from his master’s program, Osterstock will be entering his third year of teaching composition skills to recent high school graduates for the Video Game Scoring Workshop, an online summer program held by the Music Creator’s Academy.
“In my dream job, I’m composing scores for video games,” explained Osterstock. “I find such inspiration and joy in the music involved.” Some of his favorite video game soundtracks include the BAFTA-winning score to the 2012 game Journey, the classic Super Mario Galaxy games, and Shovel Knight, an indie-developed game published in 2014.
And after this win, it seems that Osterstock is well on his way to making his composing dreams a reality. Readers can listen to Osterstock’s award-winning piece on his website. Other works by Osterstock are available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp.
Osterstock conducting during his Master's program.
Osterstock (right-center) pictured with the Uinta Trio, who performed his award-winning Aria.
Osterstock's studio setup for composing and practicing.
