Knowing the score
Keeril MakanPhoto: Dominick Reuter When he was in high school, Keeril Makan visited MIT as a prospective student. The trip still stands out in his memory: Touring campus, Makan saw MIT’s own Harold “Doc” Edgerton, the famous pioneering photographer, walking by. But when it came time to fill out college applications, Makan, though a good student in science and math, gave MIT a pass. Even as a teenager, he wanted to spend as much time as possible composing music — and Makan did not realize there was a flourishing music program at MIT.As fate would have it, though, Makan, now a highly regarded contemporary composer, has returned to MIT — where he is writing music on a more ambitious scale than ever before. Known for inventive pieces that blend cutting-edge and classical elements, Makan has a string quartet set that premiered in October; has recently written the score for his first...