2021 Season, June 8-July 1
Thank you to everyone who helped to make our 2021 Festival a success!
Our virtual festival, June 8-July 1, 2021, features great guest artists, masterclasses, workshops and virtual collaborations, including our Composer/Choreographer Workshop with S. Ama Wray and Derek Bermel.
Guest artists include: cellist Seth Parker Woods (University of Chicago), composer Gabriela Lena Frank (Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Arts Academy), violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins (Music Kitchen), composer/violist Jessica Meyer, violist Ashleigh Gordon (Castle of Our Skins), Aizuri Quartet, violinist David Radzynski (Concertmaster, Israel Philharmonic), hornist Jeff Scott (Imani Winds, Oberlin Conservatory), electroacoustic violist/composer Trevor New, conductor Lina Gonzalez-Granados (Unitas Ensemble), pianist Donna Weng Friedman (Heritage And Harmony), director/designer Karin Fong (Imaginary Forces), composer Derek Bermel (American Composers Orchestra), choreographer S. Ama Wray (UC Irvine), Jonathan Alsberry (Hubbard Street Dance Chicago), dancer/choreographer Darshan Singh Bhuller, social media/marketing consultant Jamie Benson, composer Aaron Jay Kernis, conductor/composer Peter Askim (Next Festival’s Artistic Director), arts attorney Brian Goldstein, and Center for Artistic Activism. Additional artists offering mentorship and project guidance include percussionist Ross Karre (Artistic Director, International Contemporary Ensemble) and Elaine Grogan Luttrull (Minerva Financial Arts).
The festival schedule is organized by themed sections, including Business & Entrepreneurship, Social Justice & Activism, Artistry & Musicality, and Multidisciplinary Collaboration. Events will be held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with opportunities for performance, collaborations and interaction with our guest artists.
Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and evenings: guest artists, workshops, masterclasses, and virtual collaboration opportunities.
Wednesdays (events for Festival Fellows only): Composer/Choreographer Workshop, with faculty Derek Bermel and S. Ama Wray.
Support the Next Festival
Tuesday, June 8
4 PM – 5 PM Business & Entrepreneurship with Arts Attorney Brian Goldstein
5 PM – 6 PM Social Media For the Misinformation Age with Jamie Benson
7:30 PM – 8:45 PM KEYNOTE: A Performative Rebirth with Seth Parker Woods
Thursday, June 10
4 PM – 5 PM Contracts with Arts Attorney Brian Goldstein
5 PM – 6 PM Pivot & Persist: Project Development Masterclass with Jessica Meyer
7:30 PM – 8:45 PM KEYNOTE: Citizen Artistry in Action with Ashleigh Gordon
Tuesday, June 15
2 PM – 3 PM Festival Fellows in Concert
4 PM – 5 PM Broadening the Lens of American Music Theory with Jeff Scott
5 PM – 6 PM Equitable Programming for Change with Conductor Lina Gonzalez-Granados
7:30 PM – 8:45 PM KEYNOTE: Artistry and Activism – NextFest Alumni in conversation with Seth Parker Woods
Thursday, June 17
4 PM – 5:30 PM Beyond Raising Awareness – Arts + Activism with the Center for Artistic Activism
7:30 PM – 8:45 PM KEYNOTE PANEL: The Power of Music – Activism Through a Musical Lens with Kelly Hall-Tompkins, Donna Weng Friedman, Ashleigh Gordon, hosted by Peter Askim
Tuesday, June 22
3 PM – 4:30 PM Interpretation Masterclass with Artistic Director Peter Askim
4:30 PM – 6 PM Masterclass with Jeff Scott
7:30 PM – 8:45 PM KEYNOTE: Arts Citizenship with Gabriela Lena Frank – CANCELLED
Thursday, June 24
1 PM – 3:30 PM Masterclass with David Radzynski
4 PM – 6 PM Masterclass with Seth Parker Woods
7:30 PM – 8:45 PM Festival Fellows in Concert
Tuesday, June 29
4 PM – 5 PM Panoptic – the Pandemic – Two Views with Choreographer S. Ama Wray & Composer Derek Bermel, featuring Trevor New
5 PM – 6 PM A Joyful Process with Jonathan Alsberry
7:30 PM – 8:45 PM KEYNOTE: The Intersection of Choreography & Film – Darshan Singh Bhuller with S. Ama Wray
Thursday, July 1
4 PM – 5 PM Licensing, Copyright, and Interdisciplinary Collaboration with Arts Attorney Brian Goldstein
5 PM – 6 PM Portals and Possibilities with Karin Fong
7:30 PM – 8:45 PM Festival Finale with the Aizuri Quartet, Aaron Jay Kernis, Trevor New, S. Ama Wray, Derek Bermel and the 2021 Composer/Choreographer Workshop