Baltimore-based musician Ruby Fulton (b.1981) writes music which invites listeners to explore non-musical ideas through sound. Her musical portfolio includes explorations into mental illness, buddhism, philosophy, psychedelic drugs, addiction, and chess strategy; and profiles of iconic popular figures Syd Barrett, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Ringo Starr. She received a 2011 commission from Harvard University’s Fromm Foundation and a 2012 Changemaker Award from the Urbanite Magazine of Baltimore for her contributions to the city’s culture. She teaches composition at the Shenandoah Conservatory, music theory at the Peabody Conservatory and Johns Hopkins University, and violin at the Waldorf School of Baltimore.