UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State School of Music will host the 2025 Penn State New-Music Festival and Symposium from March 20 to 22, on the University Park campus. This exciting event will feature concerts and research presentations selected through an international call for scores and proposals, showcasing cutting-edge contemporary compositions and thought-provoking scholarship.
Selected composer participants will have the opportunity to collaborate with performers, network with other musicians and scholars, and hear their works performed in concert. Scholars will present research on a broad range of topics, engaging audiences with new perspectives on contemporary music. Festival performances will include Penn State faculty and student musicians, Penn State large ensembles, chamber ensembles, and distinguished guest artists.
This year’s festival received an overwhelming response, with 608 composition submissions from 37 countries and 28 research presentation proposals from 10 countries. A panel of 22 expert reviewers selected the works and presentations featured in the festival.
All events are free and open to the public.
Festival Schedule
Thursday, March 20
- 7:30 p.m. – Matchstick Percussion, guest artist recital (Recital Hall)
Friday, March 21
- 1:30 p.m. – Concert I (Esber Rehearsal Hall)
- 4–6 p.m. – Research Presentations I (Esber Rehearsal Hall)
- 7:30 p.m. – Concert II (Recital Hall)
Saturday, March 22
- 10 a.m.–noon – Research Presentations II (Esber Rehearsal Hall)
- 1:30 p.m. – Concert III (Recital Hall)
- 7:30 p.m. – Concert IV (Recital Hall)
The festival will open with a guest artist recital by Matchstick Percussion on March 20, featuring works by Delanie Molnar, Joshua Mallard, Jamie Koller, Juri Seo, and others. Concerts throughout the festival will present compositions such as Concerto Ludus for Piano and Gameboy by Thomas Yee, Dazhai by David Huang Mailman, and Fountain City Counterpoint by Evan O’Dell. Audiences will also experience innovative fixed media and electronic music, as well as dynamic performances by ensembles like the Penn State Concert Choir, Penn State Trombone Choir and Penn State Other Arts Ensemble.
Research presentations will highlight topics such as transdisciplinary musical exploration, immersive sound in virtual reality, and the intersection of music and identity. Scholars including Eddie Jonathan Garcia Borbon, Han Hitchen and SiHyun Uhm will present their latest research, contributing to the festival’s vibrant intellectual discourse.
The Penn State New-Music Festival and Symposium is directed by Baljinder Singh Sekhon, with technical director Sarah Genevieve Burghart Rice and co-directors Gabriel Gekoskie, Negar Gharibi and Gabriel L. Newvine. Presented in collaboration with Living Music, this festival underscores Penn State’s commitment to fostering contemporary music and scholarship.