The Next Festival of Emerging Artists presents a 2026 season that celebrates the vital contributions of women immigrant composers to the American musical landscape. Coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this landmark Festival continues the organization’s long-standing advocacy for diverse, global voices through a series of evocative world premieres.

Artistic Director Peter Askim leads the string orchestra in bold works by the GRAMMY-nominated Andrea Casarrubios (Spain), Niloufar Nourbakhsh (Iran), Festival alumna Adeliia Faizullina (Tatarstan/Uzbekistan), and Wang Lu (China), alongside timely works by Clarice Assad (Brazil) and Aleksandra Vrebalov (Serbia).

Praised by The New York Times for performances that “traverse the palette of emotions” with “gorgeous tone and an edge-of-seat intensity,” the centerpiece of the 2026 Festival is a newly commissioned concerto for cello and strings by the Spanish-born Casarrubios.