NY Phil and Director Alan Gilbert Announce 2016 Biennial, Featuring Grammy-Winning San Francisco Girls Chorus and More!

From May 23 to June 11, 2016, the New York Philharmonic and Music Director Alan Gilbert will present the second NY PHIL BIENNIAL, a wide-ranging exploration of today's music by an array of contemporary and modern composers. A flagship project of the New York Philharmonic, the NY PHIL BIENNIAL brings together an international roster of composers, performers, and curatorial voices for concerts presented both on the Lincoln Center campus and in venues throughout the city.

The 2016 NY PHIL BIENNIAL will feature works by 74 composers, almost 60 of whom are American, spanning in age and experience from students to iconic legends. Reflecting the Philharmonic's growing collaborations with music education organizations from New York City to Asia, in the second NY PHIL BIENNIAL the Philharmonic will present new-music programs from some of the country's top music schools, ranging from high school to university levels, and youth choruses from the East and West Coasts. The biennial will expand to more New York City neighborhoods - including to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, at National Sawdust - and will cross genres, including electroacoustic and opera. The programs will range from large-scale symphonies, chamber operas, and concertos to chamber music in intimate settings, solo works, and mixed-media events. The curators overseeing the planning of the 2016 NY PHIL BIENNIAL are Alan Gilbert and Esa-Pekka Salonen, The Marie-Josée Kravis Composerin-Residence at the New York Philharmonic.

Check out a sneak peek below!

Most of the works to be performed in the 2016 NY PHIL BIENNIAL will receive their World, U.S., or New York Premieres. Composers featured will include Esa-Pekka Salonen, Per Nørgård, William Bolcom, John Corigliano, Gerald Barry, Kaija Saariaho, Nico Muhly, John Harbison, John Zorn, Timo Andres, Christopher Theofanidis, Bryce Dessner, Aaron Jay Kernis, Gabriel Kahane, Missy Mazzoli, Sean Shepherd, Anthony Cheung, Jennifer Higdon, Samuel Adams, and David Lang, among many others.

Partners in the second NY PHIL BIENNIAL will include National Sawdust, which is presenting several programs; 92nd Street Y; Aspen Music Festival and School; Interlochen Center for the Arts; League of Composers/ISCM; Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; LUCERNE FESTIVAL; Met Museum Presents; New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival; Whitney Museum of American Art; WQXR's Q2 Music; and Yale School of Music. As with the inaugural NY PHIL BIENNIAL, audience members will have the opportunity to mingle with composers and performers after select biennial concerts at Play Dates, including at Bar Biennial in David Geffen Hall. Additional activities encouraging interactivity with the artists and programming will be announced. "

"The NY PHIL BIENNIAL was created to showcase what is going on in today's national and international music scene," said Music Director Alan Gilbert. "I've greatly enjoyed collaborating with Esa-Pekka Salonen in planning the 2016 NY PHIL BIENNIAL; he has a unique perspective as a composer and discerning taste in what is exciting and compelling. This season's biennial will feature a lot of American music, with more of it by younger composers. To represent the widest possible range of music, we have reached out to a variety of artists and partner organizations, not only down to Brooklyn but also around the country and across the Atlantic. This project is perhaps the ultimate manifestation of our desire to support the work of today's composers, and to bring together a variety of viewpoints to achieve something even greater than any one organization can accomplish."

"One of the key takeaways from the inaugural NY PHIL BIENNIAL is that we can do so much more with the help of inspired and inspiring partners. For the 2016 NY PHIL BIENNIAL, we are very pleased to showcase organizations and artists who embrace an amazing range of musical ideas," said New York Philharmonic President Matthew VanBesien. "I am particularly excited to expand the biennial's reach by welcoming ensembles from Yale, Aspen, and Interlochen, some of the country's most impactful music education institutions that are doing so much to encourage exploration and creation of the music of tomorrow. Their involvement underscores the Philharmonic's continuing commitment to providing a platform for the next generation."