Celka Ojakangas is a Los Angeles-based composer originally from southwest Missouri who weaves a “vivid, nested surrealism into the logic of her work” (American Academy of Arts and Letters) and “takes molecular musical quirks and explodes them, then seizes precious moments of lyricism.” (Columbia Tribune) Described as “highly imaginative and characterful,”(American Academy of Arts and Letters) Celka’s music plays with hybridism and recontextualization, intentionally exploring and blurring the boundaries between culturally-defined genres for a resultant fun and eclectic palette of textures and rhythms. Celka gleans her musical ideas from her former collaborative work as a violist in symphonies, new music ensembles, jazz bands, and rock bands, always with the intention of bringing creativity and play to the forefront of the listener’s and performer’s experiences.

Celka’s compositions have been premiered and commissioned by many artists including the Albany Symphony, Martin Chalifour with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Alarm Will Sound, the Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra, the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, Music from Copland House, Hub New Music, the New England Conservatory Philharmonia, the Raleigh Symphony, Portland State University Opera, Blackhouse Collective, Bantam Winds, the Thornton Symphony Orchestra, and the Thornton Wind Ensemble.  Recent distinctions include the Goddard Leiberson Fellowship from American Academy of Arts and Letters, the 2025 Aspen Music Festival Jacob Druckman Prize, a premiere with the LA Phil’s Chamber Music Series, the Gunther Schuller Centennial Third Stream Composition Contest prize, the CULTIVATE Copland House Emerging Composer’s Fellowship, Bang on a Can Summer Festival Composer’s Fellowship, the Mizzou International Composer Festival Composer’s Residency, the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer’s Award, Opera America’s Discovery Grant for Female Composers, and the American Prize for Wind Band. Active both as a composer and performer, Celka has also collaborated with musicians at Blackhouse New Music Workshops, the Oh My Ears! Festival, and the Oregon Bach Festival Composers’ Symposium.

Celka has a DMA in Composition from the University of Southern California. Former mentors include Donald Crockett, Andrew Norman, Ted Hearne, Sean Friar, Frank Ticheli, Mara Gibson and Carlyle Sharpe. She currently serves as a Visiting Professor of Music at Occidental College and Glendale Community College and serves as faculty for the LA Philharmonic’s Composer Fellowship Program.