Carl Holmquist is a composer, conductor, and music teacher living in Arlington, Virginia. He is currently in his fourth year as the director of bands at the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program in Arlington, VA, where he teaches concert bands, jazz band, and music theory. He earned his undergraduate degree in music education from St. Olaf College in 2005 where he studied conducting and composition with Timothy Mahr. He is now pursuing a masters' degree in instrumental conducting from George Mason University, where he is studying with Mark Camphouse and Anthony Maiello.

As a composer, he has written numerous works for concert band, chamber ensembles, and vocal ensembles, and has been commissioned by middle school, high school, and community ensembles across the country. Holmquist contributed a chapter to Volume 4 of the Composers on Composing for Band series, edited by Mark Camphouse and published by GIA Publications. He was also named a finalist in the 2009 Frank Ticheli Composition Contest for his piece, Salaam. He was one of three composers to participate in the 2008 Young Composer Mentor Project, sponsored by the National Band Association. Holmquist also received first prize in the 2006 Claude T. Smith Memorial Composition Contest for his work, Play!