Grace Baugher Dunlap (b.1995) is a Kansas born composer, horn player, and music educator. Her music is known for its memorable melodies and highlights emotional aspects of the human experience. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville with a Masters in Music Composition and Graduate Certificate in Music Theory Pedagogy. Previously she studied Music Composition and French Horn at Kansas State University where she later received a Graduated Certificate in Music Education. Her music has an international presence and has made appearances at many colleges and conferences across the country. Grace lives in Kansas City with her husband Max, her cats Elsa and Willett, and many, many plants.

My Story

From a young age, Grace has pursued many areas of music such as piano, voice, wind instruments, music theory, and composition. After noticing patterns in the music she was playing on the piano, she began to apply those harmonic movements with new melodies and thus began composing her own music. What started as songs written for herself and her sister to perform eventually evolved in to chamber and choral works. In her senior year of high school, she was offered the opportunity to participate in the young composer’s institute with the Kansas City Symphony with composer in residence Adam Schoenberg. During this year of study, she became acquainted with compositional and orchestration techniques, observed first readings, and worked with the symphony musicians. The program concluded with a premier in Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center in Kansas City with members of the Kansas City Symphony. This was the premier of her first chamber work, Luminescent Skies. ​

Just two months later Grace began her college education at Kansas State University studying with Dr. Craig Weston. During her time at Kansas State she had multiple premiers by students, faculty, and guest artists. Several of her pieces were performed by major ensembles at the university including the Woodwind ensemble, Brass ensemble, and the Symphony Orchestra. In addition to a Bachelors degree in Music Composition, Grace completed an emphasis in Horn Performance and a minor in Leadership studies. Since graduation her pieces have been performed across the country at multiple colleges and conferences. Grace finished her Masters of Music in Composition at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville studying with Dr. Andy Sigler. After graduating she returned to her alma mater at Kansas State University to finish a teaching certificate in music education. 

Now Grace can be found composing, performing, and teaching Brass in the Kansas City area. She is in demand as a guest composer and speaker due to her open and honest conversations about creativity and mental health.