New Music Festival

Launched in 2025, the New Music Festival aims to highlight the rich legacy of contemporary music and composition at the University of Illinois School of Music. Bringing to campus leading voices in new music to collaborate with students, faculty, and the community, the New Music Festival usually spans several days and includes concerts, workshops, presentations and conversations centered around the music of today. The first two iterations of the Festival have brought Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize winners to campus, and going forward aims to highlight both decorated alumni from U of I and residents of the state of Illinois, past and present.

Skip over sidebar nav to the content section

Upcoming 2026 New Music Festival Performances

Upcoming Event	Date/Time	Location
Concert 1: The Music of Guest Composers Shulamit Ran and Arlene Sierra	Sunday, October 18, 7:30 pm	Smith Recital Hall	Free and Open to the Public
Concert 2: The Music of Guest Composers Shulamit Ran and Arlene Sierra	Monday, October 19, 7:30 pm	Smith Recital Hall	Free and Open to the Public
: A Discussion and Q and A with Pulitzer Prize winner Shulamit Ran on her life and work	Monday, October 19, 4:00 pm	Stage	Free and Open to the Public
Jupiter Quartet with Ben Roidl-Ward, featuring works by Shulamit Ran, Arlene Sierra, and Alban Berg	Tuesday, October 20, 7:30 pm	Foellinger Great Hall	Tickets available at https://krannertcenter.com/events/jupiter-string-quartet-ben-roidl-ward-bassoon-new-music-festival-event

Guest Artists

2026:
Shulamit Ran, Pulitzer Prize winner, University of Chicago Professor Emerita

Arlene Sierra, Cardiff University faculty

2025:
Donnacha Dennehy (MM ’94, DMA ’14), Grammy winner, Princeton University faculty

F-PLUS, guest ensemble