The 2023 Next Festival of Emerging Artists was a two-week experience consisting of performances, individual lessons, coachings, and workshops for 30 participating string Fellows, composers, choreographers, and dancers.
With residencies and performances in upstate New York (PS21/Performance Spaces for the 21st Century) and New York City (American Composers Orchestra’s SONiC Festival), Fellows collaborated with some of today’s most exciting composers, performed a program of all world premieres, participated in workshops and recording sessions of new works, and explored multi-disciplinary collaboration and improvisation. As part of our commitment to supporting the artists of tomorrow, the program is, and always has been, “pay-what-you-can.”
The 2023 Next Festival of Emerging Artists celebrated its 10th Anniversary with a program of world premieres for string orchestra, including by 2023 Guest Artist and guitarist/composer Yvette Young, 2022 Pulitzer-Finalist Leilehua Lanzilotti, composer/violinist (and 2022 Festival alum) Che Buford, saxophonist/composer Matthew Evan Taylor, and Peter Askim (The Next Festival’s Artistic Director).
As part of our 2023 Season, The Next Festival was an American Composers Orchestra EarShot Partner Orchestra, supporting emerging composers and the creation of new music and will be presented by ACO as part of its 2023 SONiC Festival in New York City.
The Festival will be going into the recording studio in early 2024 to make the World Premiere recording of Yvette Young’s music. Join us on the journey by donating to our fundraiser here. Proceeds will pay for 2023 Fellows to reunite and make this amazing music available to the whole world!
Stay tuned for news about our 2024 Season soon!
Curtis Stewart — of Love / of time
Thursday, June 1, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Merkin Hall
129 W. 67th St.
New York, NY
Featuring multi-Grammy nominated violinist/composer Curtis Stewart, The Next Festival of Emerging Artists, Kaufman Music Center Artist-in-Residence/pianist Aaron Diehl, Harlem Quartet, violin/vox/freestyle composition artist Mazz Swift, and musicians from Kaufman Music Center’s Special Music School.
Part of the Ecstatic Music series
A New Sounds Live co-presentation hosted by John Schaefer
PROGRAM:
CURTIS STEWART Gone
CURTIS STEWART Thalassaki Mou
OSCAR PETERSON Hymn to Freedom
DAVID N. BAKER Deliver my Soul
SAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR Selections from 24 Negro Melodies
CURTIS STEWART Embrace (World Premiere ACO commission)
JOSEPH BOLOGNE/CURTIS STEWART KNIGHT Music
PS21 Final Concert
Friday, June 2, 2023 at 7:30 PM
PS21/Performance Spaces for the 21st Century
2980 Route 66
Chatham, NY
The Next Festival of Emerging Artists celebrates its 10th Anniversary with a program of world premieres for string orchestra, including works by Guest Artist and guitarist/composer Yvette Young, 2022 Pulitzer-Finalist Leilehua Lanzilotti, composer/violinist (and 2022 Festival alum) Che Buford, saxophonist/composer Matthew Evan Taylor, and Peter Askim (The Next Festival’s Artistic Director).
PS21/Performance Spaces for the 21st Century is a state-of-the-art theater located on 100 acres of orchards, meadows, and woodlands in the heart of the Hudson Valley.
PROGRAM:
YVETTE YOUNG New Work for Electric Guitar and String Orchestra (2023) (World Premiere)
LEILEHUA LANZILOTTI photos from Helen (2023) (World Premiere)
CHE BUFORD New Work for String Orchestra (2023) (World Premiere)
PETER ASKIM New Work for String Orchestra (2023) (World Premiere)
MATTHEW EVAN TAYLOR okussa: for Damascus (2023) (World Premiere)
The Next Festival of Emerging Artists at SONiC Festival
In collaboration with American Composers Orchestra
Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 7:30 PM
New School Tishman Auditorium
63 5th Ave.
New York, NY
The Next Festival of Emerging Artists celebrates its 10th Anniversary with a program of world premieres for string orchestra based on the theme of interactivity, including works by Guest Artist and guitarist/composer Yvette Young, 2022 Pulitzer-Finalist Leilehua Lanzilotti, composer/violinist (and 2022 Festival alum) Che Buford, saxophonist/composer Matthew Evan Taylor, and Peter Askim (The Next Festival’s Artistic Director).
PROGRAM:
YVETTE YOUNG New Work for Electric Guitar and String Orchestra (2023) (World Premiere)
LEILEHUA LANZILOTTI photos from Helen (2023) (World Premiere)
CHE BUFORD New Work for String Orchestra (2023) (World Premiere)
PETER ASKIM New Work for String Orchestra (2023) (World Premiere)
MATTHEW EVAN TAYLOR okussa: for Damascus (2023) (World Premiere)
Composer/Choreographer Open Workshop
Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 7 PM
New School Tishman Auditorium
63 5th Ave.
New York, NY
Under the guidance of composers Aaron Jay Kernis, Kamala Sankaram and Artistic Director Peter Askim and Choreographer Mentor Sidra Bell, our 2023 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 Festival Composer EarShot Fellows.
Featuring new works by Composer Fellows Michael Dudley Jr., Emil Ernström and Akari Komura and Choreographer Fellows Jay Beardsley, Flora Ferguson and Ameeya Singh.
Fund the Future!
The Next Festival of Emerging Artists is designed to cultivate the next generation of 360° artists by focusing not only on contemporary music, but also on entrepreneurship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and developing artist citizens. The Festival was founded on the idea that deserving artists can participate regardless of financial circumstances and we offer a unique “pay-what-you-can” model. Your support will help us fund the future of this amazing opportunity for young artists. Learn more!