Kaufman Music Center Announces 2021-2022 Luna Composition Lab Fellows

The six teens selected as the 2021-22 Luna Composition Lab Fellows range in age from 14 to 17 and hail from New York City, Los Angeles, Detroit, Seattle and Wallingford, PA. They are: Gabriella Cariddo (age 17), Alicia Erlandson (age 17), Elisa Johnson (age 17), Devon Lee (age 14), Rachel Mugemancuro (age 17) and Cecelia Olszewski (age 17). Honorable Mentions were awarded to Ilaria Hawley, Adah Kaplan, Sophia Luong, Grace Ma, Elaina Rae Stuppler and Jenny Wei.

Luna Composition Lab addresses the gender gap in the field of classical music by inspiring young female, non-binary and gender nonconforming individuals to compose. Founded by 2019 Pulitzer Prize winner Ellen Reid - the first composer to have been commissioned by Los Angeles' four major classical music institutions - and 2019 Grammy nominee Missy Mazzoli - one of the first two women to be commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera - with NYC's Kaufman Music Center in 2016, Luna Lab provides mentorship and performance opportunities to female, non-binary and gender nonconforming individuals ages 12-18.

During the 2021-22 season, the six aspiring teen composers will be mentored by established composers: Clarice Assad, Valerie Coleman, inti figgis-vizueta, Veronika Krausas, Dawn Norfleet and Alex Temple. 2021-22 Luna Lab Honorable Mention composers will each have a lesson with composers Hannah Kendall, Yaz Lancaster, Hannah Lash, Tomeka Reid, Nina Shekhar and Sakari Dixon Vanderveer.

The Fellows will receive one-on-one coaching and a high-quality recording of their work, and will gain access to a network of acclaimed professional composers and performers. In spring 2022, the six Fellows and their mentors will participate in a weeklong festival in New York City that includes networking events, masterclasses and the world premieres of their new pieces at Kaufman Music Center's Merkin Hall on April 27.

"Luna Composition Lab plays a key role in our mission to increase access to music education," says Kaufman Music Center Executive Director Kate Sheeran. "The program provides mentorship and role models to aspiring teen composers from all over the U.S. It's exciting to see young artists finding their voice, and I can't wait to see what they accomplish as they launch their careers."

Luna Composition Lab co-founders Missy Mazzoli and Ellen Reid say, "This year over 50 applications poured in from around the country, and our jury was floored by the high quality of the submissions. The caliber of writing and creativity gave us all hope for the future of music! We selected six Fellows and six Honorable Mentions, all composers who display a distinct clarity of voice, a honed craft and a strong creative direction. As part of our mission to encourage creators at all levels, we have also launched Adventures in Sound, a course for beginner and intermediate level composers offered through Kaufman Music Center. We're thrilled to be able to expand the Luna Lab community and increase access and opportunities for young musicians."

Luna Composition Lab has garnered attention from The New York Times, The New Yorker, NPR, Forbes, The Washington Post, Huffington Post and NY1 News. In 2016, MusicalAmerica named Mazzoli and Reid Innovators of the Year for their work with Luna Lab.