2026 Composers Now Festival
The 2026 Composers Now Festival highlights performances of the music of living composers throughout the month of February 2026.
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Participation is free for February 2026 events celebrating music by living composers, across all genres, formats, and productions.
In exchange for simple cross-promotion, participants gain national exposure through the Composers Now Festival calendar, media outreach, and social media features.
The 2026 Composers Now Festival Opening Event will take place on January 28th at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY.
The 15th anniversary concert honors Visionary Award recipients Rhiannon Giddens and Billy Childs for their profound contributions to American art. The program features works by Kavita Shah, Pauchi Sasaki, Ileana Perez Velazquez, Trevor Weston, Jake Blount, and Jessica Shand, performed by acclaimed artists including violinist Mari Kimura, cellist Mihai Marica, and others.
Composers Now also proudly presents the world premiere of a new work by Amil Abumrad, this year’s First Commission recipient, performed with members of The Dessoff Choirs under the direction of Malcolm J. Merriweather.
The evening additionally includes a short video highlighting interdisciplinary collaboration, offering a behind‑the‑scenes look at composer Younje Cho and filmmaker Renu Savant during their 2025 residency at the Pocantico Center—a partnership between Composers Now and the Asian Cultural Council, supported by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
Join us for this extraordinary celebration of living composers and the vibrant artistic community that surrounds them. Festival events continue throughout February. Visit composersnow.org for the full schedule.
2026 Composers Now Festival Kick-Off Concert
Composers Now proudly announces the launch of its 15th annual Composers Now Festival with a landmark opening‑night concert on January 28 at 7:30 PM at National Sawdust.
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ALl festival Events
02/12/2026
Twelve Blocks Release Concert
On February 12, 2026 at 6:00pm, join composer-pianist Michael Stephen Brown at the Rose Studio for a concert and celebration marking the release of Twelve Blocks, his first album of all-original music, available worldwide the following day.
02/13/2026
No Exit Presents: Jenny Lin - METROPOLIS Reimagined
METROPOLIS Reimagined is a spectacular and breathtaking multimedia event featuring the remarkable talents of internationally-renowned pianist Jenny Lin and electronic artist Drake Andersen. This new scoring of the 1984 restoration of Fritz Lang’s cinematic masterpiece was created collaboratively by the 10 composers of ICEBERG New Music. Experience this classic film as never before in this special one night only presentation.
02/16/2026
Love Songs for a Free Palestine
The duo of Leyya Mona Tawil (voice/electronics/movement) and John King (electric guitar/electronics) has been collaboration for more than 5 years, performing live improvisational work under the title "Love Songs for a Free Palestine". The work is raw, energetic, kinetic, serene and powerful with a visceral cathartic impact for audiences everywhere.
02/19/2026
Heike Quinto by Daron Hagen
Duo YUMENO collaborates to perform traditional & contemporary works exploring the dialogue between classical Japanese and western music. This concert will feature Daron Hagen's "Heike Quinto," a large-scale work composed for the ensemble, along with contemporary Japanese works.
02/19/2026
Stefan Jackiw: American Voices
The festival concludes with a musical tribute to America’s great composers. Hear Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring,” one of the most iconic American compositions of the 20th century and music by Florence Price and the West Coast premiere of Eric Nathan's Double Concerto for solo violin, solo clarinet and strings.
02/20/2026
Mumford: floating layers interwoven in expanding brightness
This captivating concert features the world premiere of Jeffrey Mumford’s new double concerto for violin and cello.
02/23/2026
Burkhardt + Behzadi // Hypercube World Premieres
Hypercube premieres groundbreaking new works by Ashkan Behzadi and Rick Burkhardt for saxophone, electric guitar, piano and percussion. Rick Burkhardt's "Feed" channels the composer's distinctive voice in a wondrous exploration of letter writing and mail communication over the centuries while Ashkan Behzadi's "afaint:afar" tempts the listener into a world of mesmorizing cycles and timbral curiosity.
02/26/2026
New York Composers Circle presents: Just Listen
New York Composers Circle presents a concert of new, modern chamber music by living composers, including John Eaton Award winner Robert Carl, Margarita Zelenaia, Jakub Polaczyk, Gayther Myers, and more.
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