All material found in the Press Releases section is provided by parties entirely independent of Musical America, which is not responsible for content.
Press Releases
Luna Composition Lab Announces 10th Anniversary Commissioning Celebration
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katy Salomon | Primo Artists | VP, Public Relations
katy@primoartists.com | 646.801.9406
Saratoga Schaefer | Primo Artists | Publicist
saratoga@primoartists.com | 646.470.4456
Luna Composition Lab Announces Luna Lab@10
Founded by Composers Missy Mazzoli and Ellen Reid in 2016, Luna Lab Supports Young Female, Nonbinary, and Gender-Nonconforming Composers Through Mentorship, Education, and Professional Opportunities
10th Anniversary Initiative Showcases Nearly 75 New Commissions
for 50 Luna Lab Alumni in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 Seasons
Premiered by Leading Ensembles Including the Kronos Quartet, Imani Winds, International Contemporary Ensemble, Sandbox Percussion, The Metropolitan Opera, Louisville Orchestra, Music Academy of the West, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, New York Festival of Song, Norway’s Arctic Chamber Music Festival & More
“Initiatives like Luna Composition Lab… are changing the playing field.”
– The New Yorker
“Luna Lab provides a critical resource for student composers
looking for inspiration and female role models.” – WQXR
New York, NY (January 15, 2026) – Luna Composition Lab proudly announces Luna Lab@10, a multi-year celebration marking the organization’s tenth anniversary. Spanning the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons, Luna Lab@10 will feature nearly 75 world premieres by 50 Luna Lab alumni, commissioned and performed by leading ensembles and presenters across the United States and abroad, including the Kronos Quartet, Imani Winds, International Contemporary Ensemble, Sandbox Percussion, The Metropolitan Opera, Louisville Orchestra, Music Academy of the West, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, New York Festival of Song, Norway’s Arctic Chamber Music Festival, and many more to be announced.
Founded in 2016 by composers Missy Mazzoli and Ellen Reid, Luna Composition Lab began as a bold and necessary intervention: a commitment to support young composers who are female, nonbinary, or gender-nonconforming from the very beginning of their artistic lives – not as exceptions, but as the future of the field. Growing up in rural Pennsylvania and Tennessee, Mazzoli and Reid did not encounter a single professional female composer until their twenties – an absence that shaped Luna Lab’s founding vision. A decade later, that vision has grown into an internationally recognized organization with a proven model for equity, artistic excellence, and long-term impact.
Luna Composition Lab’s mission is to close the gender gap in music composition through mentorship, performance opportunities, and sustained professional community. By empowering young composers ages 13 to 18 at a formative moment – while actively working to dismantle structural barriers to participation – Luna Lab provides a model of inclusivity that reshapes individual artistic lives and expands the future of the field itself.
Mazzoli and Reid share, “When we started Luna Lab, we never imagined it would have such a powerful effect on the music field at large. At this point, our alumni are entering the professional field, making waves in their communities, writing daring music, and even becoming mentors themselves, bolstered by their LCL peers and unburdened by so many of the struggles we both faced as young women in the field. Institutions continue to consult with us on how to make the field more equitable, and our list of partners has grown exponentially – proof that the work we are doing is more crucial and valued than ever. We're so grateful to everyone who has believed in us along the way and who shares our belief that the next generation of composers needs a safe space to think freely and create boldly. Here's to the next 10 years!”
What began in 2016 as a small program at New York City’s Kaufman Music Center – supported by a single $10,000 grant and a cohort of three New York–based students – has grown into a nationally recognized organization with a proven model for mentorship and long-term impact. Over the past decade, Luna Composition Lab has expanded the Luna Lab Fellowship to a national cohort; established the G. Schirmer Prize, providing publishing access and professional mentorship; launched Adventures in Sound, a beginner-level composition course designed to expand access; and presented free, public masterclasses featuring leading composers and performers.
Central to Luna Lab’s success is its emphasis on direct, sustained mentorship. Fellows work one-on-one with acclaimed professional composers, gaining guidance not only in craft but in navigating the realities of a life in music. Mentor composers have included Valerie Coleman, Reena Esmail, Sarah Gibson, Laura Karpman, Jessie Montgomery, Gabriela Ortiz, and Jeanine Tesori, among many others. These relationships form the foundation of an active alumni network that continues to provide artistic, professional, and peer support well beyond a fellow’s initial participation.
In 2022, after six seasons in residence at Kaufman Music Center, Luna Lab became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit. In 2024, the organization presented its Festival outside New York for the first time, partnering with Kronos Quartet in San Francisco for the world premieres of fellow works, and collaborated with ChamberQUEER on The Nebula Project, a new commissioning initiative for alumni – further extending Luna Lab’s mentor-driven model onto major national stages.
As Luna Lab approaches its tenth anniversary, the organization can point to tangible, long-term results. 100% of Luna Lab alumni remain involved in music, and 75% of alumni currently in college are studying composition, many at top conservatories and universities including The Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, Princeton University, Yale University, Harvard University, Mannes School of Music at The New School, Oberlin College and Conservatory, Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, and Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music.
With Luna Lab@10, the organization embarks on its most ambitious initiative to date: a large-scale commissioning celebration that brings alumni composers onto major national and international stages. Presented over two seasons and in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Santa Barbara, Cincinnati, Albuquerque, Munich, and Svalbard, Norway, these premieres represent a field-level statement – demonstrating what sustained investment in young artists can yield over time.
Through Luna Lab@10, Luna Composition Lab affirms its central belief: when young composers see themselves supported, commissioned, mentored, and celebrated on major stages, the field becomes more vibrant, more innovative, and more reflective of the society it serves.
Luna Lab@10 Performance Calendar (Subject to Change)
2025-2026 Season:
January 25, 2026: Ensemble for These Times (Oakland, CA)
Performance of work by Elisa Kain Johnson (21-22) at Piedmont Piano and streamed online
January 31, 2026: La Jolla Symphony (La Jolla, CA)
World premiere by Hannah Wolkowitz (23-24) at Mandeville Auditorium at UC San Diego
February 20, 2026: Arctic Chamber Music Festival [Live and Streamed Online] (Svalbard, Norway)
Performance of work Maya Miro Johnson (17-18)
March 8, 2026: loadbang (New York, NY)
World premiere by Carolina Bragg (17-18) at The Crypt at the Church of the Intercession
March 22, 2026: River & Rail Theatre (Knoxville, TN)
World premieres by Madeline Clara Cheng (19-20), Yuri Lee (18-19), and Sage Shurman (19-20)
April 18, 2026: ARCO Collaborative (Washington, DC)
World premieres by Violet Barnum (16-17), Maria Emiliano (23-24), Jack Gjaja (20-21), Jordan Millar (20-21), Caleb Palka (17-18), Danity Pike (24-25), Isabelle Tseng (22-23), Brannon Warn-Johnston (24-25), and Emilie Wolff (24-25)
May 2, 2026: Hypercube/Ensemble Ipse (New York, NY)
World premieres by Abby Harris (18-19) and Aliya Salmanova (17-18) at The DiMenna Center
May 17, 2026: Madison Youth Choirs [Live and Streamed Online] (Madison, WI)
Performance of work by Violet Barnum (16-17)
June 1, 2026: New York Festival of Song (New York, NY)
World premieres by Alicia Erlandson (21-22), Elisa Kain Johnson (21-22), and Devon Lee (21-22)
June 4, 2026: International Contemporary Ensemble (New York, NY)
World premieres by 2025-26 Fellows at Carnegie Hall
July 10, 2026: Music Academy of the West (Santa Barbara, CA)
World premiere by Mia Turakhia (24-25)
July 18, 2026: Greenwood Music Camp [Live and Streamed Online] (Cummington, MA)
World premiere by Hannah Chen (22-23) at the New Barn and streamed online
July 28, 2026: Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music (Santa Cruz, CA)
World premiere by Zoe Verduin (24-25)
2026-2027 Season:
September TBC: Present Music (Milwaukee, WI)
World premieres by Olivia Bennett (19-20) and Zola Saadi-Klein (20-21)
October 8, 2026: Salon de Virtuosi (New York, NY)
World premiere by Elaina Stuppler (22-23)
October TBC: ~Nois Quartet (Chicago, IL)
World premiere by Peyton Nelesen (23-24)
January TBC: Ensemble for These Times (San Francisco, CA)
World premieres by Ilaria Hawley (23-24), Peyton Nelesen (23-24), and Ebunoluwa Oguntola (19-20)
January 16, 2027: Young People’s Chorus of New York City (New York, NY)
World premieres by Moon Cove (16-17) and Zola Saadi-Klein (20-21)
February 26-27, 2027: Louisville Orchestra (Louisville, KY)
World premiere by KiMani Bridges (19-20)
February TBC: Arctic Chamber Music Festival (Svalbard, Norway)
World premieres by Lucy Chen (22-23) and Alisha Heng (20-21)
May TBC: ~Nois Quartet (Chicago, IL)
World premiere by Olivia Bennett (19-20)
June 11, 2027: Denver Chamber Music Festival (Denver, CO)
World premiere by composer to be confirmed
June TBC, 2027: Commissions from The Sarah Gibson Foundation, Presented by Luna Lab (New York, NY)
World premieres by composers to be confirmed
July TBC, 2027: Sandbox Percussion (New York, NY)
World premiere by composer to be confirmed
Performances To Be Announced:
Chatter (Albuquerque, NM) | World premiere by composer to be confirmed
Cincinnati May Festival (Cincinnati, OH) | World premieres by Moon Cove (16-17), Azalea Twining (20-21), and Christabelle Kirkham (25-26)
Decoda (New York, NY)
Ensemble New SRQ (Sarasota, FL)
ensemble oktopus (University of Music & Theatre, Munich, Germany) | World premiere by Marvel Jem Roth (23-24)
Imani Winds (New York, NY) | World premiere by Andromeda Smith (22-23)
Kronos Quartet / Kronos Performing Arts Association (San Francisco, CA) | World premieres by KiMani Bridges (19-20), Madeline Clara Cheng (19-20), Maya Miro Johnson (17-18), and Lili M. Namazi (22-23)
New Music Concerts, MAKEWAY Program (Toronto, Canada)
San Francisco Girl’s Chorus (San Francisco, CA) | World premieres by Joanna Moutouama (18-19) and Haeon Lee (23-24)
The Hess Collective (New York, NY) | World premiere by Yuri Lee (18-19)
The Little Orchestra Society (New York, NY)
The Metropolitan Opera Lindeman Program Recital Series (New York, NY) | World premiere by Azalea Twining (20-21)
Uniting Voices Chicago (Chicago, IL) | World premieres by Cecelia Olszewski (21-22), Rachel Mugemancuro (21-22), and Gabriella Cariddo (21-22)
VAMP (Austin, TX)
More Partners to be Announced!
About Luna Composition Lab
Founded in 2016 by acclaimed composers Missy Mazzoli and Ellen Reid, Luna Composition Lab provides mentorship, education, and resources for young female, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming composers ages 13 to 18. Luna Composition Lab is the only initiative of its kind in the United States and has achieved national recognition as a program that not only celebrates underrepresented voices but also shapes music’s future by providing a support system for continued success.
Luna Composition Lab’s signature program – the Luna Lab Fellowship – offers six young composers one-on-one mentorship with acclaimed professional composers annually. Mentors guide fellows in the composition of a new piece of music that is premiered by a professional ensemble as part of a weeklong festival in New York City. This festival includes professional development activities, masterclasses with inspirational figures, networking events, and more.
In addition, Luna Lab offers a series of experiential group composition courses – Adventures in Sound – that support female, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming musicians who are interested in creating their own music. This class is geared toward those who are just beginning their compositional journeys and may not be quite ready for a fellowship because of limited access to music education and associated resources. Adventures in Sound utilizes its own curriculum and composition workbook that foregrounds examples by female and nonbinary composers. From notation and music theory to applied and hands-on compositional practices, students come away with a renewed sense of the possibilities for what composition can be.
Each year, Luna Lab also presents a series of free, public, online Luna Lab Masterclasses with a wide range of celebrated artists and ensembles to provide access to programs for music students and viewers around the globe and showcase works in progress by Luna Lab fellows.
All composers who have completed one of Luna Lab’s programs enter an active alumni community through which they continue to access organizational resources and provide support to one another throughout their careers. This provides a lasting avenue for female, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming individuals, still very much in the minority in the classical music industry, to connect, seek solutions for the unique challenges they face, and grow together.
As Luna Composition Lab embarks upon its tenth season, it continues to see the tangible, long-term results of this important work. Alumni of the fellowship program have gone on to receive national awards, attend the nation’s top colleges and conservatories, and earn commissions from renowned chamber ensembles and orchestras. 75% of the program’s alumni in college are studying composition, and 100% are involved in music. Mentor composers have included luminaries such as Valerie Coleman, Reena Esmail, Laura Karpman, Jessie Montgomery, Gabriela Ortiz, and Jeanine Tesori.
This season, Luna Lab continues its signature programs and celebrates the announcement of Luna Lab@10 – a celebration that will take place over the course of the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 seasons to honor the longevity and impact of both Luna Lab and the annual Luna Lab Festival, which launched in 2017. Luna Lab@10 will feature performances of newly commissioned works by 50 of the organization’s alumni by prominent artists and ensemble partners around the world, including the Kronos Quartet, Imani Winds, Louisville Orchestra, Cabrillo Festival, Arctic Chamber Music Festival, and more. Additionally, the multi-year celebration will include professional development sessions, community connection opportunities, and celebratory high-profile performance opportunities at the 2026 and 2027 Festivals.
Learn more at www.lunacompositionlab.org.
For more about Luna Composition Lab, view the EPK here.
*Photo Credit: Colleen Brostek
# # #
FEATURED JOBS
RENT A PHOTO
