Celebrating our 10th season in 2022, The Next Festival of Emerging Artists provides young performers and composers (ages 20-30) with an immersion into 21st century music. Designed to cultivate the next generation of 360° artists, the Festival focuses on contemporary music, entrepreneurship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and developing artist citizens.

At the forefront of supporting artists since the early days of the pandemic, the Next Festival has presented more than 75 free virtual workshops, talks and collaborations, creating a worldwide community of like-minded artists. The 2022 Festival returns to in-person activities for its 10th season.


Five World Premieres from Next Festival at Music Mountain (The Millbrook Independent, 6/5/22)
“This was the tenth year of the Next Festival for Emerging Artists, a venue that has produced many new, exciting compositions, and has helped to season the careers of many young performers in their early twenties. Next is a national treasure, a tipping point into what is around the next bend of musical history.”

Marshall Miles Interviews – Peter Askim: Next Festival Returns to Music Mountain and The Stissing Center (Robin Hood Radio, 5/27/22)

NEXT is coming with World Premieres and Pamela Z! (The Millbrook Independent, 5/24/22)

The Festival is a multi-week experience comprised of performances, individual lessons, coachings, workshops and masterclasses for 30 participating string players, composers, choreographers and dancers. With residencies and performances in Connecticut and New York, Fellows create their own programs of study, participate in workshops and recording sessions of new works, and explore multi-disciplinary collaboration and improvisation.

Our 2022 Festival features renowned guest artists, masterclasses, workshops and in-person and virtual collaborations. String players collaborate and perform alongside Guest Artist composer/vocalist Pamela Z, and perform world premieres by composer/violist and Resident Entrepreneurial Artist Jessica Meyer, hornist Jeff Scott (Imani Winds, Oberlin Conservatory), composer/pianist Liliya Ugay and Peter Askim (The Next Festival’s Artistic Director).

Other activities include collaborative sessions led by dancer/choreographer Darshan Singh Bhuller and composer Aaron Jay Kernis, career workshops with Alecia Lawyer (ROCO, oboist), a composer workshop, mentorship with social media/marketing consultant Jamie Benson, and more!

Friday, June 3, 2022 — 6 PM
Chamber Music

The Stissing Center
2950 Church Street
Pine Plains, NY 12567

The Next Festival presents a program of chamber music curated and performed by the 2022 Next Fest Fellows. A great opportunity to see the artists of tomorrow in a beautiful and intimate setting.

Tickets are pay as you wish

Saturday, June 4, 2022 — 6 PM
The Next Festival of Emerging Artists’ Orchestra featuring Pamela Z

Music Mountain, Gordon Hall
225 Music Mountain Road
Falls Village, CT 06031

Performance Fellows collaborate and perform alongside guest artist composer/vocalist Pamela Z, and perform world premieres by composer/violist Jessica Meyer, composer/hornist Jeff Scott (Imani Winds), composer/pianist Liliya Ugay and Peter Askim (The Next Festival’s Artistic Director), plus a world premiere string orchestra arrangement of Carbon Song Cycle – music by Pamela Z and video by Christina McPhee.

PROGRAM (all world premieres):

  • Liliya Ugay: sunsetssunflowers
  • Jeff Scott: Winter 1983
  • Jessica Meyer: In the Waves
  • Peter Askim: The Raw Heart of the Spinning World
  • Pamela Z: Suite from Carbon Song Cycle (orch. Frerer), a world premiere string orchestra arrangement of Carbon Song Cycle – music by Pamela Z and video by Christina McPhee

Free and open to the public – registration required

Winter 1983 was commissioned for The Next Festival of Emerging Artists, Peter Askim, Artistic Director, and Oberlin Conservatory, with the generous financial support of Arlene and Larry Dunn, in honor of Arlene’s 80th birthday. 

Sunday, June 5, 2022 — 7:30 PM
The Next Festival of Emerging Artists’ Orchestra featuring Pamela Z

Roulette Intermedium
509 Atlantic Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11217

Performance Fellows collaborate and perform alongside guest artist composer/vocalist Pamela Z, and perform world premieres for string orchestra by composer/violist Jessica Meyer, composer/hornist Jeff Scott (Imani Winds), composer/pianist Liliya Ugay and Peter Askim (The Next Festival’s Artistic Director), a world premiere string orchestra arrangement of Carbon Song Cycle – music by Pamela Z and video by Christina McPhee.

Returning to Brooklyn for the first time since 2019, The Next Festival of Emerging Artists presents an orchestra concert featuring world premieres to celebrate its 10th Season!

PROGRAM (all world premieres):

  • Liliya Ugay: sunsetssunflowers
  • Jeff Scott: Winter 1983
  • Jessica Meyer: In the Waves
  • Peter Askim: The Raw Heart of the Spinning World
  • Pamela Z: Suite from Carbon Song Cycle (orch. Frerer), a world premiere string orchestra arrangement of Carbon Song Cycle – music by Pamela Z and video by Christina McPhee

Tickets $20; Students/Seniors $10

Winter 1983 was commissioned for The Next Festival of Emerging Artists, Peter Askim, Artistic Director, and Oberlin Conservatory, with the generous financial support of Arlene and Larry Dunn, in honor of Arlene’s 80th birthday. 

Saturday, June 11, 2022 — 3 PM
Composer/Choreographer Open Workshop 

Gibney Dance, Studio H Hall
280 Broadway
New York, NY 10007

Under the guidance of choreographer/filmmaker Darshan Singh Bhuller, composer Aaron Jay Kernis and Artistic Director Peter Askim, our 2022 Choreographer, Composer and Performance Fellows collaborate on brand new works!  Join us for an informal, open workshop of these works-in-progress and the world premieres of new works for string orchestra by Next Fest Composer Fellows.

Free and open to the public; tickets required

Per our COVID safety protocols, all attendees will be asked to show vaccination/booster cards at the door. Attendees will also be expected to wear masks during the entirety of the performance. Masks should be worn correctly covering the mouth and nose at all times. Should events get canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no action is required to obtain a refund; we will issue the full refund to your original method of payment used at time of purchase.

Support the Next Festival

The Next Festival of Emerging Artists was founded on the idea that deserving artists can participate, regardless of financial circumstances. We're committed to supporting our community of young artists through our unique "pay-what-you-can" model and through more than 75 free virtual events focused on equipping young artists with the tools they need to succeed. We're grateful to you, our audience and supporters, for helping make this commitment a reality. Your continued support will help us make our resources available to all.
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