Skye Neal is a 16 year old composer and musician from Portland, Oregon who is inspired by the rich landscapes and abundant wildlife of the Pacific Northwest. She has participated in Fear No Music’s Young Composers Project since 2018 and she was the 2024-25 Composer in Residence for the Junior Orchestra of Yamhill County (JOY), a program providing elementary school students with free access to music education. 

Skye's pieces have won recognition by National Young Composers Challenge, International Young Women's Composition Competition, Webster University's Young Composers Competition, Music Teachers National Association, National Federation of Music Clubs, Tribeca New Music, Original Music/New Ideas, and Oregon Music Education Association.

Some upcoming and recent performances:

• In July 2026, Skye's string quartet Bloom will be premiered by Chamber Music Northwest's Young Artist Institute.

• In May 2026 Adagio for Strings will be performed by Metropolitan Youth Symphony's MYSfits string ensemble.

• In March 2026 Elegy for Lost Time was performed by members of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra at the National Young Composers Challenge winners concert.

• In March 2025 Season Finale was performed by Chamber Project St. Louis at the Community Music School's concert for Young Composers Competition winners.

When Skye isn’t composing or making music, you might find her rowing on the Willamette River, bird watching, or crocheting.

Two Sides of Dawn is about the contrast between the eerie darkness of the night and the exhilaration of running through empty streets just before the first light. It begins with a slow theme passed around the whole ensemble to depict the stillness of the waning night. Then, with a metronomic texture in the piano, the pace quickens into a more invigorating section as I start to experience the rush of wonder in the wide open spaces. The piano has a pulsing beat that follows a repetitive chord progression throughout, slightly changing over the course of the piece as I explore different parts of my neighborhood. This texture is meant to evoke the freedom of being alone in a place that’s normally bustling with activity. In the final section we hear sparkling arpeggios in the piano as I arrive at my destination, the beautiful Willamette river.

Performed by Fear No Music's Young Composers Project in April 2026.

Elegy for Lost Time is a reflection on all the days that have come to pass, all the realities that could have been, and the freedom that comes with letting go. The piece begins in C minor, with a solemn, reminiscent theme first introduced in the clarinet, later repeated in the cello. This theme is meant to represent the sadness of knowing you can never return to the past. As the piece goes on, it moves to a more hopeful theme in the relative major of E flat, representing the nostalgia of returning to forgotten moments. The piece then takes a turn into a more tumultuous section, with lots of arpeggios in the piano and clarinet, as memories begin to swim and blur. In the end, a variant of the first theme returns, with a new sense of clarity and direction as it begins to move forward from the past.

Performed by members of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra in March 2026

In Impatience, I explore the emotions that come with waiting for something to happen, like restlessness, boredom, and frustration. I want to capture that mix of nervousness and excitement, along with the perception of time being stretched out while you’re wishing it would hurry up. The piece begins with a rolling arpeggiated theme in the piano, with the cello and violin providing countermelodies, conveying the tense anticipation you feel as you wait. After that theme develops for a bit, we transition into a slower section with a lush cello solo. This part is meant to represent the idle passage of time as you try to distract yourself from whatever it is you can’t get off your mind. Eventually those efforts fail and the original rushed theme returns. After a bit more interplay between the first two themes, the piece speeds into an invigorating conclusion.

Performed by Jacobs Composition Academy in July 2025

I wrote Season Finale at the end of the school year when life felt very hectic trying to find a balance between school, rowing, and composing. These three areas of my life are very important to me, so I always want to give full effort into each one even though it means being overscheduled at times. This piece is written in ABA form, with the A section jumping right into in a hurried pace with a perpetual motion theme trading voices throughout. This is meant to capture the stress I felt as I frantically juggled multiple projects and deadlines. In the lyrical B section I enjoy the calm of a slower tempo, a reminder of how important it is to take breaks wherever I can find them. The pace quickens as it moves toward a grand finale, the big arpeggios and triumphant chords representing that great feeling of accomplishment that comes with successfully rising to the challenge. 

Performed by Juilliard SummerComp Ensemble  in July 2024.

Trio Sonata No. 1 in C Major begins by jumping directly into the exposition, with a very jubilant main theme. Afterwards it transitions to a softer, more peaceful second subject. The melody trades between the flute and the violin before diving into a quick development section. Following a long crescendo passage, the main theme returns to round out the piece.  I love writing sonatas because of how the constrained structure unlocks a whole world of creative freedom. 

Performed by Fear No Music's Young Composers Project in April 2024.

As an enthusiastic birdwatcher, I was inspired to write The Birds to highlight birdsong and bird behavior. The opening movement revolves around my favorite shorebirds, specifically soras, killdeer, and sandpipers. The hurried flutter of the notes in the main theme captures their song and their hurried steps as they scatter away from the waves. In the second movement, I paint an aural picture of raptors gracefully soaring higher and higher, until they seem to be nothing but a speck of dust in the sky. In the third movement, we hear a melody that imitates the gorgeous spiraling song of the swainson’s thrush, and the cheery calls of the robins. At the end of the piece we return to the sea to listen to the shorebirds once more.

Commissioned by the Metropolitan Youth Symphony's Camerata ensemble, and performed in February 2024.

Romance in G Major is a two-part romance for viola and piano. A romance is a short, light, very lyrical piece often for voice or a solo instrument. The first movement, graceful and smooth, is written in ABA form, the middle section a sharp contrast to the flowing arpeggios of the beginning, with spiccato passages in the viola and the piano taking over the melody. The second movement follows a traditional sonata-allegro form, immediately jumping into a light, bouncing melody that grows and develops as the piece goes on. Later, we hear a second contrasting theme, with more chromatic patterns in the piano, and double stops in the viola creating tension. This tension eventually fades back into the original theme, which leads to a grand finale.

Performed by Fear No Music's Monica Ohuchi and  Kenji Bunch in January 2024.

A minuet is a slow and graceful dance in 3/4 time that is typical of the Baroque and Classical eras. I took some inspiration for this piece from a few of my favorite minuets by Haydn. I especially enjoy how his music can be both elegant and cheerful at the same time. In Minuet, I tried to combine a classical style with my own sense of liveliness to make a light, skipping dance. I hope this piece brings a smile to your face.

Commissioned and performed by the Portland Metropolitan Youth Symphony's advanced orchestra in November 2022

Epiphany started as a tune that popped into my head one day and started growing in complexity and intensity until I finally had to sit down and write it. The main theme is meant to sound like the powerful whirlwind of ideas that were rushing through my head. The melody is split up between the first and second violins, with contrasting sections placed in-between the different variations. At the end, a new melody takes over while the other instruments provide an interweaving counterpoint.

Performed by the Tualatin High School Orchestra June 2022.

I wrote Waltz in Bb Major to combine my love of waltzes with my interest in

exploring new patterns and progressions. In the past, I had included the

waltz form as movements of other works and found them to be highly

engaging, so I was inspired to compose a full waltz for chamber ensemble.

This piece begins with a light, bouncing accompaniment in the piano before

the violin begins to sing with a gorgeous melody, interplaying with some

flourishes in the piano. This theme develops in a conversational style, an

answer to every question, before it jumps to a new, brighter section in the

high register of the piano. However, it's not long before we return to the

original theme and finish with a grand ending. I'm hoping the listener will

imagine a festive ballroom scene with couples dancing and enjoying

themselves in a light and welcoming atmosphere, moving in steps that are

simple and sweet, gradually becoming more intricate as the piece

progresses.

Performed by Inés Voglar Belgique and Judith Gordon at Chatter Sunday concert in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  December 2021