About the Composer

Hailing from Annandale, Virginia, Ahrens’ music has been described as “powerful, refreshing, and narrative-driven”. His works expand from solo piano to full symphonic orchestra and wind ensemble. He has collaborated with ensembles across the east coast of the United States and across the Atlantic in Wales. He has performed in venues across the world including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Musikverein. He has studied composition under Dr. Mark Volker, Mark David Boden, Joseph Davies, and John Hardy. Also an avid conductor, Ahrens works to hone his craft of directing ensembles alongside composing for them. Regarded as professional and a promising newcomer to the composition world, Ahrens continues to push himself and his music to the highest caliber available.

Ahrens has worked with multiple acclaimed ensembles including the Belmont University Wind Ensemble and Concert Band, Bute Voices, the Middle Tennessee Sinfonietta, and the Band of the Welsh Guards. Alongside concert works, Ahrens has scored films that have been a part of the Nashville Film Festival and International Black Film Festival and has spoken on panels about his work. As a member of ASCAP and The Society of Composers and Lyricists, he works to collaborate with others and learn from those who have come before. In 2025, Ahrens studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, Wales. Ahrens currently attends Belmont University in Nashville, TN and plans to graduate in 2027 with degrees in Music Composition and Music Theory.