The two-time GRAMMY Award-winning Albany Symphony will return to Troy, NY, from June 3 to June 7, for the annual American Music Festival. The event brings together composers, musicians, and audiences for five days of contemporary classical music. Held at EMPAC and other venues throughout the city, the festival will feature performances, premieres, and events highlighting both established and newer voices coming into the American music scene.
Albany Symphony Music Director David Alan Miller leads the festival. It will feature more than 30 composers, including Viet Cuong, Clarice Assad, Christopher Theofanidis, Brittany Benton, Max Vinetz, Ben Morris, and Luke Haaksma. Performers include the Albany Symphony, Dogs of Desire, Sandbox Percussion, and bassoonist Daniel Matsukawa.
“Our American Music Festival is always a celebration of imagination and limitless possibility,” said Miller. “But this year, we are bringing together an absolutely dazzling group of the most amazing composers working today.”
The festival opens June 3 with a Dogs of Desire concert. Known for going beyond traditional orchestral programming, the ensemble will revisit selections from its catalog. Events throughout the week also include an open rehearsal, a listening party celebrating a new recording of Viet Cuong’s music, and the annual Summer Soirée.
One of the festival’s biggest events arrives on June 6 with an evening concert at EMPAC. The program includes Clarice Assad’s Terra, a bassoon concerto performed by Daniel Matsukawa, Christopher Theofanidis’ Drum Circles, and the world premiere of Viet Cuong’s Concentric Circles. New pieces by Brittany Benton and Max Vinetz will also be featured.
The musical event wraps up on June 7 with the annual First Draughts Reading Session & Beer Tasting, where emerging composers hear their music performed for the first time. Over the years, the American Music Festival has become a showcase for new music and a place where audiences can hear works long before they reach wider stages.
American Music Festival Schedule
June 3 – Dogs of Desire: “Best Of” Commemorative Concert
June 4 – Dogs of Desire Open Rehearsal, and the Re(new)al CD Listening/Release Party
June 5 – Dogs of Desire Summer Soirée
June 6 BHED Recital, American Music Festival Concert, and the Late Night Lounge: Clarice Assad and Friends
June 7 – First Draughts Reading Session & Beer Tasting
For tickets and additional information, visit the Albany Symphony website.
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