Partner Organizations

Bergen International Festival

In 2022 Luna Composition Lab established its first international partnership with the Bergen International Festival in Norway.  Each year 2-3 young female and nonbinary Norwegian composers are selected for mentorship with Norwegian composer mentor Therese Ulvo, culminating in a week of exchange with Luna Lab alumni at the Bergen Festival through performances of their work, masterclasses, concerts, dinners, field trips and workshops with other artists-in-residence. In 2022 alumni Zola Saadi-Klein (20–21), Maya Miro Johnson (17–18) and KiMani Bridges (19–20) collaborated with Sara Sørbye and Tore Holter.

In 2023 Caleb Palka (17-18)’s piece was performed The Norwegian Soloists’ Choir Academy in a program hosted by soprano Lise Davidsen. Madeline Clara Cheng (19-20) and Sara Sørbye’s works were premiered by cellist Amalie Stalheim’s Classical link program.

ChamberQUEER

Luna Lab and ChamberQUEER (CQ) began a two-year collaboration in January 2024. In the 2023–24 and 2024–25 seasons, ChamberQUEER artists will offer three virtual master classes for the Luna Lab community each year, expanding the Luna Lab series from three to six sessions annually.

In addition, Luna Lab and ChamberQUEER will present two evening-length performances of works by Luna Lab alumni in Fall 2024 and 2025. Luna Lab alumni were invited to submit pieces to be considered for performance and new commissions. Lili M. Namazi (22–23) and Sage Shurman (19–20) have been commissioned to write new works for CQ to be premiered in Fall 2024. The performance will also feature an arrangement by Devon Lee (20–21), commissioned by Luna Lab and CQ, alongside works by Lucy Chen (22–23), Alicia Erlandson (21–22), Jane Meenaghan (18–19), and Caleb Palka (17–18). Lili, Sage, and Devon’s new works will also be presented in an open workshop in June 2024 at CQ’s annual Pride month festival.

This partnership is made possible through the support of the New York Community Trust.

Composers Now

The Composers Now Second Stage Commissioning and Mentor Project selects three recipients from among alumni of the Luna Lab Fellowship program. These young composers receive mentorship and performance opportunities. In the 22–23 season Alisha Heng (20-21), Jane Meenaghan (18-19), and Azalea Twining (20-21) were paired with composers Jane Ira Bloom, Mari Kimura, and Erica Lindsay, which culminated in a world premiere concert in April 2023.

Ensemble for These Times

San Francisco-based contemporary chamber group Ensemble for These Times (E4TT) selected works by six Luna Lab alumni to be performed on their January 2024 and 2025 performances. Works by Madeline Clara Cheng (19-20), Sage Shurman (19-20), Isabelle Tseng (22-23) were performed in January 2024 and works by Olivia Bennett (19-20), Gabriella Cariddo (21-22), and Devon Lee (21-22) will be performed in January 2025. In addition, E4TT has commissioned new works by Madeline Clara Cheng, Lucy Chen (23-24), and Caleb Palka (17-18) to be premiered in January 2025.

G. Schirmer, Inc.

Each year G. Schirmer, Inc awards The Schirmer Prize to one Luna Composition Lab Fellow. As part of this prize the recipient receives a $1,000 honorarium and additional mentorship on music publishing from staff at G. Schirmer.

International Contemporary Ensemble

2022–23 Ensemble-in-Residence

As Ensemble-in-Residence they workshop pieces by Luna Lab Fellows and perform and record them at a spring concert. They also do reading sessions of student works for Adventures in Sound. ICE Ensemble has recorded Luna Lab works since the 18–19 season and held master classes and workshops for fellows.

Kronos Quartet

2023–24 Ensemble in Residence

Throughout the 23–24 season Kronos Quartet will workshop string quartets by Luna Lab Fellows leading up to a performance in June 2024 as part of the KRONOS Five Decades celebration. Kronos Quartet first gave a master class during the 2022 Luna Lab Festival, and also held a virtual master class during the 22–23 season.

Little Orchestra Society

Since March 2022, the Little Orchestra Society has been a frequent collaborator with Luna Lab alumni on their L.O.S. Kids concerts. The orchestra has played works by Luna Lab alumni Yuri Lee (18–19), Jordan Millar (20–21), Devon Lee (21–22), Gabrielle Smith (22–23), Ebun Oguntola (19–20), Abby Harris (18–19), Violet Barnum (16–17), and Helen Lyons (17–18) and featured the composers in on-stage discussions.

loadbang

Since 2022, New York-based new music chamber group loadbang has commissioned new works by Luna Lab alumni. Elaina Stuppler (22–23) is writing a piece for the 2024–25 season, to be premiered in May at Opera America. She will receive mentorship from Laura Schwendinger at the University of Wisconsin throughout the commissioning project.

Elisa Johnson (21–22) to write a piece for loadbang’s 2022–23 season, which was premiered in May 2024. She received mentorship from Ya-Jhu Yang throughout the commissioning project.

The May Festival

The May Festival commissioned works by 25 alumni of the fellowship program for their project 25 for 25: A New Time for Choral Music. This project honors the May Festival’s storied history of commissioning new works and celebrates their 150th Anniversary Season. The new choral works by Luna Lab alumni were premiered by choral ensembles across Greater Cincinnati in 2023.

Washington National Opera | The Kennedy Center

The WNO Institute summer training program for high school singers has programmed works by Luna Lab alumni for their summer 2024 program. Gabriella Cariddo (21–22)’s The House Was Still will be incorporated into a student-created opera, in which program participants create scenarios to connect art songs into stories and write and perform their own original music and words to serve as the recitative that connects these art songs.