Schedule

The Composers Now Festival will once again celebrate the breadth and vitality of contemporary composition. With performances, panels, and premieres across New York City, the festival brings together emerging and established voices in a vibrant showcase of musical possibility. Included on our Festival Kickoff will be music by Kavita Shah, Ileana Perez Velazquez, Pauchi Sasaki, and more. We will also present our 2026 Visionary Awards and the premiere of our newest First Commission awardee.

Program

Adolphus Hailstork Sonata da Chiesa
Chen Yi Shuo
‍Eddie Venegas A World Premiere for String Nonet (Double Quartet + Bass)
Trevor Weston The People Could Fly

Artists

Tania León, music director and conductor
Josh Henderson, violin soloist
Terrance McKnight, narrator and host
with an orchestra comprising members of The Harlem Chamber Players, with dancers from Harlem School of the Arts

Program

Beethoven Symphony No. 3, Eroica
Rzewski The People United Will Never Be Defeated (World Premiere of orchestral version–New York Philharmonic Commission)

Variations orchestrated by composers including Kati Agócs, Marcos Balter, Enrico Chapela, Anthony Cheung, Suzanne Farrin, Brittany J. Green, Felipe Lara, Tania León, Andrew Norman, Arturo Márquez, Maria Schneider, Nina Shekhar, Roberto Sierra, Conrad Tao, Jerod Impichcha̱achaaha' Tate, Joel Thompson, Wang Lu, and Nina C. Young

Artists

Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
The New York Philharmonic

Program

Wang Lu At Which Point (NY Premiere)
Tania Léon Singsong (NY Premiere)
Ayanna Woods Infinite Body (NY Premiere, co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall)
‍

Artists

Donald Nally, conductor
Claire Chase, flute
The Crossing