Ray Shattenkirk draws his inspiration from the natural world and humankind's problematic place within it. The grandest statement of this theme is found in American Icons, an hour-long work for five vocal soloists, treble and mixed choruses, and orchestra. The work was premiered in May 2001 by the Grand Rapids Symphony, featuring the Theatre of Voices and four choruses, conducted by David Lockington.

The five movements of American Icons elegize species that have become extinct and celebrate the resurgence of others that have until recently been endangered. In telling his story, Shattenkirk employs a broad range of musical techniques, from plainchant to postmodernism, and a variety of languages: English, Latin, and various Native American dialects. In the final movement, the 23-minute Wings of Hope, Shattenkirk marshals all of his forces in a moving tribute to the nobility of the American bald eagle. The Grand Rapids Press wrote that American Icons is "touching and beautiful . . . In his more contemplative moments, his music calls to mind such so-called holy minimalists as Arvo Pärt. In his more exuberant passages, his orchestrations have the spacious, broad- shouldered appeal of Aaron Copland's ballets. Shattenkirk has been working on this piece for years. It's been well worth the wait."

The father of 4 children, Shattenkirk took a 'family leave' from formal composition after the premiere of his violin concerto Velicirapsody in 2002. The May 15, 2010 premiere of One Light, for chorus and orchestra brilliantly proclaimed his return. Commissioned by Brady Allred for the Salt Lake Choral Artists, the 5-movement work sets spiritual texts in a moving celebration mankind's shared religious vision. The composer writes:

"There is a striking similarity in the common focus on the spiritual nature of light as a manifestation of God, of mankind's unity with his Creator and his prophets, and as the embodiment of eternal goodness and heavenly splendor, in the poetry of medieval saints, mystics and prophets – whether they be Christian, Islamic, Sufi, Buddhist, Jewish or Hindu. When one contemplates the fundamental unity of mankind’s spiritual aspirations, the infinite variety of paths to that unity transform from latent curse to blessing. I hope that, in some small way, One Light contributes to such a transformation."

Born in 1954, Shattenkirk studied at Harvard University (Ph.D., 1987), Yale University, the University of Florida, the Manhattan School of Music, M.I.T., and the University of California Berkeley, with such teachers as Leon Kirchner, Earl Kim, Donald Martino, John Harbison, Krzysztof Penderecki, Jacob Druckman and John Corigliano. He has had considerable experience as an orchestral doublebass player. Among the awards and prizes he has won for his compositions are a National Endowment for the Arts Composer Fellowship (1995-96); the Lakond Prize of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, "for an established composer" (1994); a fellowship from the California Council for the Arts (1991); and Meet the Composer Awards in 1981, 1993, and 1995. In 1982 he studied with Luciano Berio at the Tanglewood Festival on a Fromm Music Foundation Fellowship and was a MacDowell Colony Fellow in 1979.

Shattenkirk has been commissioned by the New Mexico Symphony, the Long Island Philharmonic, Chamber Music America, and Collage, among others. Tatonka was broadcast on over 200 radio stations in Chorus America's "The First Art" series in the fall of 1995. Other performers of his music include the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, the New York New Music Ensemble, the Aspen Music Festival, and Paul Hillier's Theater of Voices. Shattenkirk has taught at the Yale School of Music, Harvard University, and the University of South Florida School of Music.