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The Mizzou New Music Initiative (MNMI) and 2026 Grammy Award-winning new classical music ensemble Alarm Will Sound have selected eight internationally acclaimed Resident Composers from five countries to participate in the 2026 Mizzou International Composers Festival (MICF).
The 17th annual MICF will be presented by the MNMI and the University of Missouri School of Music from Monday, July 20 through Saturday, July 25 in Columbia. It will feature world premieres of new works written by each Resident Composer and performed by Alarm Will Sound. The 2026 Resident Composers and their birthplaces include:
Danae Venson (Houston, Texas)
Arjan Dogra (New York City, New York)
Dean Wibe (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
Yuting Tan (Singapore)
Paul Novak (Chicago, Illinois)
Augustina Crespo (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Inga Chinilina (Moscow, Russia)
Ihlara McIndoe (Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand)
The 2026 Resident Composers were chosen from among 564 entrants, representing 45 countries.
Premieres of the new works by all eight composers will be presented during the Festival week, along with music by Distinguished Guest Composers Jlin and Karola Obermüller.
During the festival, the Resident Composers will receive composition lessons from Jlin and Obermüller and take part in rehearsals with Alarm Will Sound. The composers will also give public presentations on their music, and after the premiere performances, will receive professional live recordings of their new works.
Acclaimed new music group Alarm Will Sound, conducted by Artistic Director Alan Pierson, will once again serve as Resident Ensemble, as it has since the MICF began in 2010.
The Festival is free and open to the public and will offer many opportunities to meet and speak with the Resident and Guest Composers. A discounted hotel rate with the Tiger Hotel is available here. Without the link, travelers can also select the option group rate and add the code MIC. Group rate reservations are available through July 3.
A complete schedule of events, times, dates, and venues for the 2025 Mizzou International Composers Festival will be announced at a later date. For more information, please click here.
The Mizzou New Music Initiative is a diverse array of programs that position the University of Missouri School of Music as a leading center for the composition and performance of new music. The initiative is supported by the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation, led by Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield. Their vision is to create an incubator for the composition and performance of new music and to showcase Missouri as a center for the music of tomorrow.
For more information about the Mizzou New Music Initiative, and the University of Missouri School of Music, visit www.newmusic.missouri.edu.
To stay up to date with all MNMI announcements, follow them on Instagram and Facebook: @MizzouNewMusic