Contact: Kacey Fassett, kacey@dotdotdotmusic.net, 480.544.1236,
Steven Swartz, steven@dotdotdotmusic.net, 646.206.3966,
or Steph C Sherwood, steph@cabrillomusic.org, 831.426.6966
SANTA CRUZ, CA—April 7, 2026—The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music presents its 64th season, We the Dreamers, running July 26 through August 9, 2026. Framed by the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, this transformative season asks one of the most resonant civic questions of our time: Who is the “we” of America—and who are “we” still becoming? The answers unfold across four world premiere Festival Commissions, eight West Coast premieres, and two U.S. premieres, brought to life by a dynamic global roster of over 20 composers and an extraordinary array of guest artists.
Highlights include the second-ever performance and West Coast premiere of Philip Glass’s Symphony No. 15 Lincoln, which draws on Lincoln’s urgent reverence for the Constitution and his prescient warnings against internal division, alongside an appearance by Former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove and new works by Clarice Assad, Vivian Fung, Sarah Hennies, and Pedro Emanuel Pereira—together offering a compelling portrait of our contemporary moment through the lens of history, civic reckoning, and global perspective.
“We the Dreamers is both an invitation and a responsibility”; says Music Director Cristian Măcelaru. “At this historic moment, we are asking how music can help us imagine a more expansive ‘we’—one that listens deeply, embraces complexity, and dares to hope. These works remind us that dreaming is essential to shaping a more just and connected future.”
This year’s composers in residence are Vivian Fung, Pedro Emanuel Pereira, Leilehua Lanzilotti, James Lee III, Sarah Hennies, Clarice Assad, Jackson A. Waters, Dan Dediu, Eunike Tanzil, Sean Shepherd, Gala Flagello, Lisa Bielawa, and Paul Dooley. Also on the program: Hannah Ishizaki, and Elena Kats-Chernin. Guest artists include baritone Zachary James, clarinetist Carlos Ferreira, pianist Alexandra Dariescu, violinists Philippe Quint and Tessa Lark, and poet Rita Dove. Spanning four programmatic themes—American Culture, Identity & Experience; American History; American Voices; and Music for Here and Now—the season reflects a plurality of lived experiences, aesthetics, and cultural perspectives. As always, composers are present throughout the Festival, engaging directly with musicians and audiences and making the creative process immediate, human, and alive.
Also in residence are four early-career composers, Oswald Huynh, Kai Kubota-Enright, Paul Novak, and Zoe Verduin, participating in the Festival’s prestigious Conductors/Composers Workshop. Composers are mentored by artists in residence and will have their pieces performed by the Festival Orchestra, led by Conducting Fellows also participating in the workshop, and culminating with the “In the Works” concert. Historically, only three composers are selected, but this year marks an expansion with a fourth composer selected in partnership with Missy Mazzoli and Ellen Reid’s Luna Composition Lab supporting young female and nonbinary composers.
In reflecting on the 2026 season, Executive Director D. Riley Nicholson shares, “Dreaming isn’t passive. Across orchestral concerts, free public events, and community-centered programming, We the Dreamers brings together visionary composers, rising voices, performers, and audiences in a shared commitment to envisioning futures grounded in equity, curiosity, and creative freedom.”
CONCERT 1: ON FREEDOM—Friday, July 31, 8pm
The 64th season kicks off with Music Director Cristian Măcelaru leading the Festival Orchestra and audience in a powerful meditation on the distance between national ideals and lived reality.
Vivian Fung‘s Festival Commission (world premiere) opens the season with a work responding to the U.S. National Anthem through the lens of her intersectional identity as a dual Canadian-American citizen with Chinese familial lineage. The piece confronts the tension between patriotic tradition and the deeply imperfect struggle to uphold democratic values for all.
Pedro Emanuel Pereira‘s Clarinet Concerto (Festival Commission, world premiere), featuring clarinetist Carlos Ferreira, blends Portuguese musical traditions with experimental timbres and performative innovation, reimagining virtuosity for the present moment.
The program concludes with Philip Glass‘s Symphony No. 15 Lincoln (West Coast premiere)—featuring GRAMMY® award winning baritone Zachary James—is a six-movement symphony incorporating Abraham Lincoln’s own words, including the Emancipation Proclamation and reflections on law, power, and ambition. The work resonates forcefully with the urgencies of today.
CONCERT 2: DEFIANT DREAMS—Saturday, August 1, 8pm
Centering voices of resistance and cultural continuity, this program explores the act of dreaming as a form of defiance.
Leilehua Lanzilotti‘s of light and stone (West Coast premiere) draws on the legacy of Nā Lani ʻEhā—the “Heavenly Four” of Hawaiian royalty—to honor Indigenous Hawaiian identity, gathering, and the enduring power of cultural lineage.
James Lee III‘s Shades of Unbroken Dreams (West Coast premiere), featuring pianist Alexandra Dariescu, channels the cadence and moral force of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, reflecting on justice, equality, and perseverance.
Sarah Hennies‘s Festival Creative Lab Commission (world premiere) will use the large-scale forces of the orchestra to evoke the complexities of human brain activity, drawing on psychological and musical studies related to existence, identity, and memory. The Creative Lab, now in its third year, empowers composers to reimagine the orchestral experience with wide curatorial latitude.
CONCERT 3: CONTROL—Saturday, August 8, 8pm
A genre-expanding program examining power, agency, and the forces that shape contemporary life.
Clarice Assad‘s Kontrol (Festival Commission, world premiere), featuring violinist Philippe Quint, is a genre-defying work for narrator, projections, violin, and orchestra that interrogates the role of technology in human autonomy.
Defending Greenwood (Movement III: June 1, 1921) (West Coast premiere) by Jackson A. Waters—winner of the 2026 Cabrillo Emerging Black Composers Prize—bears witness to the Tulsa Race Massacre, countering historical erasure through musical testimony and remembrance.
Merging the Viennese waltz with electronic dance music, Hannah Ishizaki’s Spin (West Coast premiere), evokes motion, disorientation, and suspended time. As elegant triple-meter gestures collide with pulsing, club-like rhythms, the piece blurs past and present, creating a dizzying soundscape that feels both nostalgic and uncannily immediate.
Dan Dediu‘s Concerto for Orchestra (U.S. premiere) closes the program with a virtuosic and celebratory showcase of the ensemble, dedicated to Cristian Măcelaru in recognition of their long-standing artistic collaboration.
GRAND FINALE: HOPE AS OUR BANNER—Sunday, August 9, 8pm
The season concludes with a luminous program looking toward collective possibility, resilience, and belonging.
Ascending Creatures (West Coast premiere) by Festival newcomer, Eunike Tanzil, draws inspiration from the coordinated flight of birds, exploring the interplay between individuality and unity through motion and sound. Through interlocking musical lines and evolving textures, Tanzil emphasizes the power of collective movement.
Lisa Bielawa’s Pulse (West Coast premiere), featuring violinist Tessa Lark, unfolds as a driving, heartbeat-like concerto, weaving rhythmic intensity and American musical threads into a shared sense of motion and momentum. Drawing on Lark’s deep roots in Appalachian fiddle traditions, the work evokes the spirit of folk dance and storytelling, blending vernacular musical language with Bielawa’s contemporary orchestral voice.
Celebrating marriage equality with both joy and remembrance, Rainbow Promise (U.S. premiere) honors the struggle that made it possible. Composed by Elena Kats-Chernin, the piece rings with a spirit of pure celebration and joy, but not without offering reflection on the struggle that made such celebration possible.
Sean Shepherd‘s Wanderlust (West Coast premiere) closes the season with an homage to movement and belonging by “an exciting composer of the new American generation” (New York Times). A self-proclaimed “well-treated vagabond,” Shepherd composed Wanderlust as an homage to his cosmopolitan experiences across the U.S., the U.K., and Europe, representing both his paradoxical, palpable sense of rootlessness and his desire to sink roots, pulling inspiration from disparate places and searching for the idea of home.
POST-SEASON REFLECTION—following the Grand Finale
Former (1993-1995) U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove joins the Festival for a special closing reflection, performing original poetry honoring the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. alongside Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings. This will be the poetry’s West Coast premiere, offering a profound coda to a season of remembering, reckoning, and imagining what comes next.
FAMILY CONCERT—Saturday, August 1, 1pm
Led by Conductor-in-Residence Octavio Más-Arocas, the beloved free Family Concert features Paul Dooley‘s The Conductor’s Spellbook, an interactive musical adventure introducing audiences of all ages to the orchestra through playful storytelling, alongside Gala Flagello‘s vibrant fanfare Bravado. A “Tour of the Orchestra” invites curious minds of all ages to explore the instruments that bring the music to life. In a special partnership with El Sistema Santa Cruz/Pajaro Valley, select honor students will perform alongside orchestra musicians—continuing the Festival’s commitment to access, education, and mentorship.
CABRILLO FESTIVAL TICKETS, SCHEDULE & SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
TICKETS
Many events are free and open to the public. Festival tickets and subscription information will be available at www.cabrillomusic.org or by calling (831) 426-6966. Join the mailing list to receive updates. The Box Office at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium (307 Church Street) is open Tuesday through Friday, 12 to 4pm, and during Festival events.
WHERE
All events will be held at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium at 307 Church Street in Downtown Santa Cruz.
SCHEDULE
Friday, July 31, 8pm—ON FREEDOM (Opening Night)
- Vivian Fung—Festival Commission (World Premiere)
- Philip Glass—Symphony No. 15 Lincoln (West Coast Premiere), featuring baritone Zachary James
- Pedro Emanuel Pereira—Clarinet Concerto (Festival Commission | World Premiere), featuring clarinetist Carlos Ferreira
Saturday, August 1, 8pm—DEFIANT DREAMS
- Leilehua Lanzilotti—of light and stone (West Coast Premiere)
- James Lee III—Shades of Unbroken Dreams (West Coast Premiere), featuring pianist Alexandra Dariescu
- Sarah Hennies—Creative Lab Commission (World Premiere)
Sunday, August 2, 1pm—Free Family Concert
- Paul Dooley—The Conductor’s Spellbook
- Gala Flagello—Bravado
Saturday, August 8, 8pm—CONTROL
- Clarice Assad—Kontrol (Festival Commission | World Premiere), featuring violinist Philippe Quint
- Jackson A. Waters—Defending Greenwood (West Coast Premiere), winner of the 2026 Cabrillo Emerging Black Composers Prize
- Hannah Ishizaki—Spin (West Coast Premiere)
- Dan Dediu—Concerto for Orchestra (U.S. Premiere)
Sunday, August 9, 8pm—HOPE AS OUR BANNER (Grand Finale)
- Eunike Tanzil—Ascending Creatures (West Coast Premiere)
- Lisa Bielawa—Pulse (West Coast Premiere), featuring violinist Tessa Lark
- Elena Kats-Chernin—Rainbow Promise (U.S. Premiere)
- Sean Shepherd—Wanderlust (West Coast Premiere)
Post-Season Reflection (following the Grand Finale)
- Rita Dove—Original Poetry (West Coast Premiere) alongside Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings
Youth Ensemble Concert—Saturday, August 8, 3:30pm
- Free concert featuring original works by Festival Youth Ensemble participants (ages 16–24)
In the Works Concert (Conductors/Composers Workshop)—Tuesday, July 28, 7pm
- Free performance of new works by four emerging composers, conducted by Workshop participants
4 FESTIVAL COMMISSIONS
- Vivian Fung—Festival Commission (World Premiere)
- Pedro Emanuel Pereira—Clarinet Concerto (World Premiere)
- Clarice Assad—Kontrol (World Premiere)
- Sarah Hennies—Creative Lab Commission (World Premiere)
2 U.S. PREMIERES
- Dan Dediu—Concerto for Orchestra
- Elena Kats-Chernin—Rainbow Promise
8 WEST COAST PREMIERES
- Philip Glass—Symphony No. 15 Lincoln (featuring Zachary James, Baritone)
- Leilehua Lanzilotti—of light and stone
- James Lee III—Shades of Unbroken Dreams (featuring Alexandra Dariescu, Piano)
- Jackson A. Waters—Defending Greenwood
- Hannah Ishizaki—Spin
- Eunike Tanzil—Ascending Creatures
- Lisa Bielawa—Pulse (featuring Tessa Lark, Violin)
- Sean Shepherd—Wanderlust
17 COMPOSERS IN RESIDENCE, 20+ COMPOSERS, Including:
- Vivian Fung
- Philip Glass**
- Pedro Emanuel Pereira
- Leilehua Lanzilotti
- James Lee III
- Sarah Hennies
- Gala Flagello
- Paul Dooley
- Clarice Assad
- Jackson A. Waters
- Dan Dediu
- Eunike Tanzil
- Sean Shepherd
- Hannah Ishizaki*
- Lisa Bielawa
- Elena Kats-Chernin*
- Oswald Huynh
- Kai Kubota-Enright
- Paul Novak
- Zoe Verduin
*not in residence
**residence status not confirmed
GUEST ARTISTS
- Zachary James, Baritone
- Carlos Ferreira, Clarinet
- Alexandra Dariescu, Piano
- Philippe Quint, Violin
- Tessa Lark, Violin
- Rita Dove, Poet
ABOUT THE CABRILLO FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
Cabrillo Festival is America’s preeminent and longest standing festival dedicated solely to new music for orchestra. As Joshua Kosman remarked, “an entire microcosm springs up around the proceedings, devoted not only to new music, but also to camaraderie and a shared sense of adventure that encompasses the musicians and the audiences alike… The festival’s welcoming warmth spills out beyond the confines of the hall.” [SF Chronicle, 2023]
An annual two-week event in Santa Cruz, CA, the Festival brings together a world-class orchestra of professional players, composers, and guest artists from around the world to present a series of concerts and free public programs celebrating new symphonic music by living composers, most of whom are in residence. 2026 marks Music Director Cristian Măcelaru’s 10th year conducting the Cabrillo Festival orchestra, as the Festival prepares for his full 10th anniversary celebration in 2027. He follows a distinguished roster of artistic directors including Music Director Laureate Marin Alsop, John Adams, Dennis Russell Davies, Carlos Chávez, and Gerhard Samuel. The Festival has presented hundreds of world, U.S., and West Coast premieres involving the participation of more than nearly 400 composers on the mainstage, plus more than 60 emerging composers from our Conductors/Composers Workshop. Cabrillo Festival has commissioned more than 50 works over the past fifteen years.
Over the past thirty years, the Festival’s commitment to mentorship of the next generation of conductors, composers, and performers has become core to its mission. Educational programs include the prestigious Conductors/Composers Workshop and the Youth Ensemble.
Winner of the League of American Orchestras and ASCAP’s John S. Edward Award for Strongest Commitment to New American Music, Cabrillo Festival has been acknowledged by New York’s WQXR radio as one of the top five incubators of new music in the world and dubbed a “new music mecca” by The New York Times.
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