Biography

Westly Heflin is a Percussionist and Composer from Louisiana.  He received his bachelors degree in Music Theory and Composition from the University of Louisiana at Monroe while also studying percussion and voice. While working on his bachelor's, he served as a volunteer from 2018-2022 for the Northeast Louisiana regional New Music on the Bayou Festival, hosted by ULM and Louisiana Tech University. His percussion teachers include Larry Anderson, Mel Mobley, and Joe W. Moore III. His composition teachers/mentors include Mel Mobley and Joe W. Moore III.  

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Westly's compositions tend to follow systematic/aleatoric processes as well as other contemporary techniques that give performers the freedom to treat specific phrasing with their own interpretation. Much of his inspiration comes from 20th Century compositions combined with his familiarity of the pop genre in modern music. As a composer, he finds that the broad differences between these two genres open up a large realm of possibilities when creating New Music. Westly's pieces have been performed by both colleagues as well as University faculty at both recitals and festivals.  One of his solo works titled, Cardamon's Playground, received recognition by the Southeastern Composer's League  for receiving second place in the Southeastern Composer's League Composition Contest for Undergraduate students for the year of 2022. 

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As both an ensemble and solo performer, Westly performs with the Monroe Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Monroe Strauss Theater in the pit orchestra.

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