THE NEXT FESTIVAL OF EMERGING ARTISTS 2020 Goes Online with Free Events
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Jun. 08, 2020
Adapting to address the needs of a greater community of artists, The Next Festival of Emerging Artists 2020 is a four-week series of workshops, mini-courses, and collaborative projects taking place online June 9 - July 2, with most of the festival events, featuring over 20 guest artists and speakers, accessible online and open to the public. This year's festival's student participants - young musicians, composers, and choreographers - have had their tuition waived.
A unique contemporary music festival founded in 2013 by composer, conductor, and bassist Peter Askim, The Next Festival of Emerging Artists normally takes place over two weeks in May and June at Music Mountain in Connecticut as well as at National Sawdust and NYU Center for Ballet and the Arts in New York City, with 35 young musicians, composers, and choreographers taking part in lessons and chamber music coaching, rehearsals, masterclasses, and talks - culminating in performances and recordings of new works. In addition to offering a wide slate of talks and workshops, this year's festival will culminate in performances by the festival musicians of new works created by remote collaboration.
Continuing in the spirit of Next Fest Connects, the festival's initiative in April and May to provide free programs in response to the pandemic's devastation of the music world, this year's Next Festival is extending its outreach to invite any and all to witness and join in its goals of entrepreneurial career-building, contemporary music performance, and intensive, personalized artistic development. The events are led by a collection of guest artists and faculty comprised of Pulitzer Prize winners, a MacArthur "Genius" Fellow, Avery Fisher Career Grant recipients, TED Talks presenters, and Grammy Award winners and nominees, among others.
The festival will also be responding to the incidents of violence and racism that are causing pain and division across the country. "It's more important than ever that the arts lead the way in activism, support, community and healing," said Peter Askim. "We hope that by sharing the work of great artists, presenting and amplifying diverse voices and creating a forum for dialogue and growth, we can somehow provide a source of solace, community and inspiration. The 2020 festival presents a multiplicity of voices throughout its events, including artists whose activism is an integral part of their artistic identities."
Over the four weeks beginning Tuesday, June 9, the festival's schedule will consist of events on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, including:
Open to the Public (through Eventbrite registration via www.next-fest.org and Facebook Events)
Most of these events will be recorded and archived within 48 hours for viewing through the Next Festival website and YouTube channel.
A Conversation with Composer & Pianist Vijay Iyer - Tuesday, June 9, 4 pm ET
"Exploring Modalities of Collaboration" with Composer Wang Jie - Thursday, June 11, 3 pm ET
"In this talk, I'm excited to be contemplating with you what collaboration can mean for composers who have been accustomed to working alone. I hope to lead you through a living world that is both intrinsic and collaborative. It needs exploring, especially from living composers."
"Who Are You?" with Fred Child - Thursday, June 11, 4:30 pm ET
There are more platforms than ever to tell your story. So: what IS your story? What is the work, the life, the art you're devoted to? What is the story about you and your work that's out in the world? And how can you shape that narrative, even when someone else is telling it? Fred Child will help you create and shape the tools to share your story with the world.
"Finance for Artists" with Financial Adviser Elaine Grogan Luttrull - Thursdays, June 11, 18, 25, 1:30 pm ET
A three-session mini-course
"Collaboration with Composers" with Cellist Ashley Bathgate - Thursday, June 16, 1:30 pm ET
"Tuning Talks: Practical Knowledge to Improve Your Intonation" with the JACK Quartet - Tuesday, June 16, 4 pm ET
"Extended Techniques for String Players" with Composer-Performer Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti - Tuesday, June 16, 7 pm ET
A Conversation with Rob Deemer, Composer and Founder of Institute for Composer Diversity - Tuesday, June 23, 1:30 pm ET
A Conversation with Nathalie Joachim, Flutist, Composer, and Vocalist, and Allison Loggins-Hull, Flutist, Composer, and Producer, of Flutronix - Tuesday, June 23, 2:30 pm ET
A Conversation with James Dargan, Baritone, Violinist, and Composer - Tuesday, June 23, 4:00 pm ET
A Conversation with Anthony Davis, Composer - Tuesday, June 23, 5:00 pm ET
"Miraculous Futures" with Ashley Baccus-Clark, Molecular and Cellular Biologist and Multidisciplinary Artist - Tuesday, June 23, 7:00 pm ET
Private, Some with Public Components
Composer Derek Bermel and Performance Architect S. Ama Wray Collaborative Workshop Sessions: Young composers Ryan Lindveit, Adeliia Faizullina, and Samantha Wolf and choreographers Endalyn Taylor, Brandi Kelley, and Vitor Luiz de Souza Santos work with Next Festival musicians and dancers on creating innovative, collaborative works unique to this time, integrating technology. The workshop sessions are private; there will be a public showing of the works on July 2.
Composer Aaron Jay Kernis and Cellist Ashley Bathgate Collaborative Workshop Sessions: Kernis works with young composers Ryan Lindveit, Adeliia Faizullina, and Samantha Wolf on works to be performed by Ashley Bathgate. The workshop sessions are private; there will be a public performance of the works later in the summer.
Collaboration with Composer Lisa Bielawa on her Broadcast from Home series: Next Festival musicians will work with Lisa in developing and recording the musical materials for her innovative, crowdsourced work for Broadcast from Home, Episode 13. The workshop sessions are private, the episode will be premiered on July 2.
Awakening Your Inner Composer with Composer and Violist Jessica Meyer: A four-session mini-course (private, for festival musicians only)
For the full schedule, and for updates, go to www.next-fest.org.
In addition, Next Festival alumni are participating in Quarantine Concerts, an initiative founded in the time of COVID to give artists the opportunity to stream live performances and collect donations that go directly to the artists. Just this month, these include Madalyn Navis, Eric Hollander and Poetry Corner with Haiga Duo (June 9); and Lucy Little, Giancarlo Latta, and Samuel Zagnit (June 16).
Feedback on Next Fest Connects
"Next Fest Connects was truly a gift during these uncertain times. By attending the masterclasses, I got the chance to discover new repertoire and the seminars gave me many useful ideas on how to build my career as a young artist."
-Nina Vanhoenacker, cellist at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent, Belgium
"Next Fest Connects has given me a platform to think outside the box and be more creative about performance platforms. My livestream through quarantineconcerts.tv was one of the highlights of my year!"
-Ana Luna Uribe-Leteinturier, Graduate Teaching Assistant in Violin, Lamont School of Music, University of Denver
"One of my biggest takeaways from Next Fest Connects is this quote by Sarah Whitney: 'Overwhelm is a goal without a plan'".
-Céline Le Vu, drummer for modern progressive metal band Nothing But Echoes
"The Next Festival holds a unique place in the vastly diversifying field of new music. Peter Askim has a special gift for creating vibrant camaraderie among the most promising young musicians who are on the brink of reshaping the field."
-Lisa Bielawa, composer
The Next Festival of Emerging Artists is a contemporary music festival for the modern string player as well as composers and choreographers that has been receiving rave reviews from its participants. Its first seven seasons featured guest artists Tony Arnold, Miranda Cuckson, Matt Haimovitz, Jennifer Koh, Nadia Sirota, Richard Thompson, Jeffrey Zeigler, and the string quartet ETHEL, and the participation of composers including Aaron Jay Kernis, Derek Bermel, Lisa Bielawa, Liisa Hirsch, Pierre Jalbert, Phil Kline, Jessica Meyer, and Aleksandra Vrebalov, and choreographer Christopher d'Amboise.
The Next Festival of Emerging Artists and Next Fest Connects are part of Next Edge Arts, Inc., a not-for-profit organization supported by tax-deductible donations. The board of trustees in formation includes Lydia Kontos, Executive Director Emeritus of New York's Kaufman Music Center; and Guy Story, former CTO and Chief Scientist at Audible.com.
The festival's leadership support includes grants from The ASCAP Foundation, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, The Amphion Foundation, and The Williamson Foundation.
What makes The Next Festival of Emerging Artists unique?
"This festival began as a manifesto," says Peter Askim. "I wanted to prove it could be done - to assemble a group of motivated, outstanding young musicians, treat them really well, give them the freedom to work with each other and on the music they wanted, and provide the best possible guides and collaborators I could find - to give them the tools to keep making this art in today's world. Most importantly, they shouldn't go into debt paying for it! They pay what they can, and the festival works to raise the money to make up the difference."
Peter Askim, Next Festival Founder and Artistic Director
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