The 2026 Composers Now Festival highlights performances of the music of living composers throughout the month of February 2026. For the first time, the Festival is expanding from its home in New York, adding multiple cities across the US.

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The 2026 Composers Now Festival Opening Event will take place on January 28th at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY.

The 2026 Composers Now Festival Kick Off Concert, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, will honor Visionary Award winners Rhiannon Giddens and Billy Childs for their extraordinary contributions to American art.

The program will feature works by:

•  Kavita Shah

•   Pauchi Sasaki

•   Ileana Perez Velázquez

•   Trevor Weston

•  Jake Blount

•  Jessica Shand

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We are also proud to champion the next generation of groundbreaking artists with the premiere of a new work for six voices by First Commission award recipient Amil Abumrad.

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