By 1999, when he completed his undergraduate studies in music composition at the Manhattan School of Music, Patrick Soluri had already amassed a significant reputation as a composer.

A New York City native, still in his early 20s, he was serving as composer in residence for the Manhattan Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra. He'd received multiple commissions and awards. His works for ballet and opera had received positive reviews in numerous publications, including The New York Times.

He was sure he wanted to pursue a graduate degree in music composition, but he wasn't sure where. So he connected to a Web search engine and described his interest in a fellowship related to opera composition.

THE FIRST THING that popped up on his screen was the University of Louisville School of Music, and the Moritz von Bomhard Fellowship in Music Composition caught his eye.

"I didn't really know anything about the program," he recalled, "but it looked like an ideal match, so I called for information." Within days, U of L composition professor Frederick Speck had begun to recruit Soluri for the program. For the last two years, Soluri has studied at U of L; he will complete his master's degree in music composition in May.

Soluri is not alone. Over the last few years U of L's music composition program has developed an increasingly strong national profile. That has enabled it to recruit a cadre of promising students from across the country to its graduate program, while also developing a strong base of undergraduate majors.

Composer David Froom, professor of music at St. Mary's College of Maryland, whose works have been performed by the Louisville Orchestra (and around the country), has been following the growth of the program for some years. He attributes that growth to several factors.

HE SAID AN ACTIVE faculty with a growing national presence was one factor, as well as the program's creative outreach and partnership programs, the impact of the Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition and the availability of fellowships.

"They have a very strong group of composers who have national reputations," Froom said in a phone interview. "The composers on that campus are getting performances and recordings around the country. And because of the Grawemeyer Award they are some of the best-informed composers in the country. They hear the most interesting new music and are in a position to bring their students into direct contact with it.

"I think they've also done a wonderful job of creating a closeness with the Louisville Orchestra there, which is a hallmark of any really good music school. They have a new-music festival that brings the orchestra to campus and gives students a wonderful opportunity to hear new works, including works by members of the faculty. And, of course, the fellowship support is an important tool for attracting quality students."

The Bomhard Fellowship that attracted Soluri began in 1997, funded by a gift from the late founder of the Kentucky Opera, who also taught composition at U of L. It's targeted specifically toward composers with an interest in dramatic vocal composition.

David Plylar, 23, a native of Phoenix, had planned to move to Boston after finishing his music studies at Duke University. Instead, a fellowship named after H. Charles Grawemeyer brought him to U of L. The Grawemeyer Fellowship is awarded to a gifted master's level composition student, without genre restriction.

Soluri and Plylar have found U of L conducive to their work, despite their having to make dramatic transitions from the bustle of Manhattan and the private-school atmosphere of Duke.

"This is an extremely supportive environment for a composer," Soluri said. "Faculty and students are very enthusiastic about new music, and it's an intimate, cooperative atmosphere without some of the competitive egos you might encounter in some settings."

Plylar echoed that sentiment, but noted that as the program grows, the availability of performers can become a constraint. "It's critically important that student composers have an opportunity to hear their works performed," he said. "And that can sometimes be a problem."

But Soluri and Plylar are quick to note that any limitations are more than balanced by the opportunities: the chance to take private composition lessons and workshops with Grawemeyer-, Pulitzer- and Grammy-winning composers like John Corigliano, Chinary Ung, Karel Husa and Pierre Boulez, all of whom have visited the campus in recent years.

STEVE ROUSE, a professor of composition at U of L since 1988, agreed that those opportunities are unique to the school and added that one key to the program's success is strong support by performance-oriented students and faculty.

"In the time I've been here, there's been an enormous improvement in the quality of instrumentalists and vocalists," he said. "The major ensembles have really grown in strength, and, in general, our students are very well-prepared to tackle the demands of new music."

Of the program itself, Rouse said, "Our goal is to prepare students for whatever kinds of musical path they decide to follow. We try to create a balance between fostering creativity and teaching craft."

More than a few students and alumni of the program have followed alternative paths. Jeremy Podgursky, a current student, is highly regarded in the local popular music scene for his work with The Pennies.

Rachel Grimes, a 1993 graduate of the program, has pursued a dual career as a composer of chamber music and a member of the internationally renowned avant-garde chamber-rock group Rachel's.

"It was a marvelous place to study," she said of U of L. "It had great facilities, great people and a great library. The program gave me a superb understanding of musical structure, the ways in which a piece of music can be organized and planned. The things I learned there have continued to be an important foundation for me."