Next Festival of Emerging Artists 2026 Season to Spotlight Women Immigrant Composers

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The 14th season will take place at National Sawdust in Brooklyn and PS21 in Chatham.

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The Next Festival of Emerging Artists has announced details for its 14th season, running May 29 through June 12, 2026 at PS21: Center for Contemporary Performance, National Sawdust, and Gibney.

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Founded by composer and conductor Peter Askim, the annual program supports emerging string musicians, composers, choreographers, and dancers through performances, workshops, and interdisciplinary collaborations centered on contemporary music and performance.

The 2026 season commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by highlighting the contributions of women immigrant composers to American music. Featured composers include Andrea Casarrubios, Adeliia Faizullina, Wang Lu, Niloufar Nourbakhsh, Aleksandra Vrebalov, and Clarice Assad.

On June 5 at PS21: Center for Contemporary Performance and June 6 at National Sawdust, Askim will conduct a string orchestra of Festival Fellows in a program featuring multiple premieres and new arrangements.

The concerts will include the world premiere of Andrea Casarrubios’ The Book of Signatures, a double concerto for cello, percussion, and string orchestra performed by cellist Tommy Mesa and percussionist Garret Arney. The program will also feature the world premiere of Adeliia Faizullina’s 6, before she knew and after, world premiere arrangements of works by Wang Lu and Niloufar Nourbakhsh, and the U.S. premiere arrangement of Aleksandra Vrebalov’s Ur Song.

Casarrubios, who was originally scheduled to perform as soloist, withdrew from the performances but remains involved as composer of the work.

“Writing this work and collaborating with conductor Peter Askim has been uniquely inspiring,” Casarrubios said in a statement. “I'm excited for audiences to experience the piece through Tommy Mesa's incredible musicianship.”

The festival’s second week will include a residency at Gibney in New York City, where composer, choreographer, and performance fellows will develop new interdisciplinary works under the mentorship of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Aaron Jay Kernis and choreographer Sidra Bell.

The residency will conclude with a pay-what-you-can public showing on June 11 featuring new collaborative works and premieres by participating fellows.

Since its founding in 2013, The Next Festival of Emerging Artists has supported more than 250 emerging artists through mentorships, performances, and collaborations with established figures in contemporary music and dance. Previous guest artists have included Kronos Quartet, Jennifer Koh, Matt Haimovitz, and ETHEL.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwclassical/article/The-Next-Festival-of-Emerging-Artists-2026-Season-Unveiled-20260527)._